We check in with people at each stage of the cash transfer process to see how things are going. Take a look at some of their stories as they appear here in real-time.
Learn more about how recipients opt in to share their stories.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I joined a merry-go-round in March this year and have been saving and so far I have saved $60. My goal is to save enough in order to purchase cows. As a father of three children; two of whom are in school and one who is not yet of age, I prioritize their education. To ensure their schooling continues without interruption, I allocated $30 towards their school fees. It's crucial to me that they receive a good education to secure a bright future. With the remaining $4, I invested in chickens. I currently have over thirty chickens and aim for them to multiply. Eventually, I plan to exchange some of these chickens for goats. This strategy aligns with my goal of building a sustainable future for my family through wise investments and education.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I am focused on investing in livestock and poultry as part of my future plans. Currently, I am involved in a merry-go-round investment group where I am saving diligently. By November this year, I aim to have saved enough to be able to purchase two to three cows.My strategy includes acquiring a cow to assist with land preparation and renting it out for additional income. Alongside my work as a motorcycle driver, I prioritize savings and investments. Income earned from my job will cover our household expenses. At present, I own seven goats, and as they multiply, I plan to exchange them for cows. Similarly, I have over thirty chickens, which I intend to exchange for goats, further advancing my goal of expanding my livestock holdings. Ultimately, I envision selling mature cows to generate income, thereby enhancing my family's standard of living. This investment will securing a prosperous future for my loved ones.
18th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($26 USD)
access_time 5 months ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I earn a living as a motorcycle taxi rider. The amount I earn from my job is enough to take care of the daily needs of my family of five members. To explore more avenues of earning income, I decided to spend my transfers to purchase livestock. Purchasing livestock is a wise investment due to their ability to multiply. After they multiply, the herd will grow big, and I will have an opportunity to sell some for a good profit. My ultimate goal is to own a dairy goat. To ensure that I achieve this goal, I have embarked on a journey to purchase more goats. I can exchange 12 goats for one dairy cow. The dairy cow has many benefits to me because I can sell milk and earn income from that. If it gives birth, then I will have a calf that I can sell later on and use the money to take care of my needs. I spent all $102 to purchase three goats. I currently have seven goats, and I am very grateful for the progress I am making towards ensuring I achieve my target of owning the dairy cow. The money from the transfers is helping me achieve my goal, and I am grateful.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I am happy that I finally was able to save enough money and buy all the building materials required to construct a new house. I am waiting to raise money to pay the mason so that he can commence the construction of the house. I feel so much joy that I will finally have a bigger and better house to accommodate all five members of my family. I appreciate the financial support I have received thus far from Give Directly that is helping me better my life and that of my family.
14th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($23 USD)
access_time 9 months ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Currently unemployed, I rely on farming to support my family of five. The coming of GiveDirectly to our village has significantly improved our lives. I am proud to share that I now own goats and have undertaken the construction of a larger house. Utilizing the transfers received over three months, I allocated $90 to purchase essential iron roofing sheets, a necessary component for completing the house. The remaining $12 was allocated to cover school fees for my children, a crucial requirement for them to commence the school term. I am filled with immense joy at the accomplishments made possible through this support.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
As the construction of my house nears completion, I am eager to start investing in livestock, specifically focusing on goats. This proves to be a promising venture, as goats thrive in our climate and assure a steady income. The forthcoming transfers will be dedicated to realizing this goal. Establishing a reliable income stream holds the promise of adequately addressing my family's needs, providing a sense of peace and stability in our household.
9th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($25 USD)
access_time 1 year ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I had one plan and one plan only when I started receiving my transfers. My plan was to use my transfers to get iron sheets. A piece of iron sheet goes for $9.5 and every month I have been getting four sheets of iron. It costs me well over the received $34 but this transfers have come in handy. In the past three months I have been getting four sheets of iron using my transfers with the aim of eventually using it to get a bigger house.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I live in a one roomed house with my three children and I and this has been a big challenge. The house is so small that it cannot comfortably accommodate us without having hiccups here and there. I had desired to build a bigger house, a two roomed house and this is how I got to the decision of using my transfers to get sheets of iron. I have a target of 22 sheets of Iron and I already have 16 sheets. The thing that has proven a challenge is getting the trees to build since the drought dried up most of our tree cover. I am however working towards raising funds to buy enough building poles and timber to help me construct my house.
6th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($26 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
As I had mentioned earlier my income is unreliable and I have so many needs in the family that need to be met that I could not rely on my income to house my family as building is expensive. My goal is that by August this year I can enter my new home. I am working on building a two-room house using mud and wood and It will require about 14 sheets of iron. I so far have 9 sheets and hope to bump the number up to 14 sheets in two months. I also haven't started purchasing the wood required for building hence I am also going to direct my finances towards the same.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($28 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have a serious roof leak in my small, run-down house. My entire family can no longer fit in this house because of its diminutive size (wife and three children). The only thing covering the tiny house are some rusty, five-iron sheets. As a motorcycle rider, I can make up to $2.5–$3 per day. This money is insufficient to meet the needs of my family, so I am unable to set aside some to build a large, roomy home that can house everyone. I therefore spent $30 to purchase four pieces of iron sheeting when I recently received my transfers. My long-term goal of constructing a decent home for my family has finally come true. The last $4 I had was used to purchase two packets of maize flour for my family. This made sure that my family wouldn't go without food because there wasn't enough money to buy more maize flour.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I support the conditional transfers' disbursement method, which is cash stipends. This is a game-changer because I can now use the money to take care of my most urgent needs. The organization should, however, raise the monthly stipend to a higher amount so that we can take on large projects that are expensive such as building a house.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($10 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I rely on a motorcycle taxi business to support my family of four members. However, I do not own a motorcycle instead, I rent one for $4 daily. That is a lot of money, so I do not generate good money from that business. I can only make $3 on a good day. The taxi business has been low since fuel prices began to rise, so I spend most of my time at home. As a result, I am having difficulty raising school fees for my PP1 daughter, Zawadi. She had fee arrears of $6 when I received my transfer. As a result, I prioritized offsetting her fee, and she has been learning comfortably for the past two months.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I have had more peace of mind since I received my transfer. This is because I paid my daughter's fees, and she was never sent home because of the arrears. Furthermore, I have an assurance of a monthly transfer that will help me pay my daughter's fees and allow me to obtain food. Finally, I purchased a hen, which prompted me to consider poultry farming. I hadn't considered it until I received my recent transfer.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was overjoyed when I realized I had received my transfer. I had not expected to receive money then, despite my financial difficulties. It was late at night, around 5 p.m., and I was in the field tending to my goats. I immediately reached out to my mother, who was closer to me than my wife at the time and told her about my good fortune. She was just as happy as I was and shared her joy. I will never forget that time because it gave me hope. God does remember his people. That moment is still fresh in my mind.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am jobless and my family of two children look upon me. My wife is seven month pregnant and she has been frequently sick without cash for medication. My first born who is five years old was supposed to start schooling in this academic year but financial challenges has made it impossible.
What is the happiest part of your day?
When the rains started about a month ago, I was hired to help in ploughing using bullocks. The 2000KES obtained during that period supported us in getting food that lasted for two weeks. Seeing my children enjoying meals every day made me happy as the head of the family.
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Owing to the current situation of lacking job opportunities, my main desire is to own a motorbike so that I can be self-employed and support my family. This is going to be achieved through the GiveDirectly transfers. I am going to purchase a goat every month at 2000KES from the monthly transfers for ten installments. I will let the goats multiply and on the second year, I will sell all of them and use the cash to acquire a motorbike.