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.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($463 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My goal was to build a house which I have already achieved and right now, don't have any new goal although it's something that I'm still thinking about.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
What GiveDirectly does well is giving hope to people in despair like us through unconditional giving and through that, we raise and build our society again.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spend all of my second transfer to build a house. This is because, the house that I previously had crumbled and we were let with nowhere to call home. Both my husband and our seven kids have been finding place to lay their heads on in our neighborhood whom have been hosting us for some while. My husband had to stop his daily hustle of brewing local beer because he had no where to store it as he was previously storing it in the house before it collapsed. I'm so happy that I was able to build a three roomed house and I thank GiveDirectly for the support because all this would not have happened were it not for the transfers.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($484 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was at home relaxing that evening when I received a message and since I'm illiterate, I called my husband who was enrolled as my helper to check what was it all about. "It is the GiveDirectly rensfers" he said. I can't explain what I feel at that moment, I was just overwhelmed with joy.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Right now, I have privacy as a parent and I'm happy my children do not scrumble for the smaller space they used to. They are at peace and everyone is at peace, we thank GiveDirectly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Imagine sharing a two roomed house with seven children and the same house still servers as the living room? It hasn't been an easy journey for me and my husband raising our seven children and yet we don't have a reliable income. My husband who is the primary earner of the family works as a casual labourer at construction sites. These jobs are not reliable as sometimes, he might even go for several weeks without any. If he's lucky to get one, the highest that he can earn is KES 500 per day. As family, we all depend on this amount for food, school fees and other basic needs, of course it's not even close to enough. This means that, it has been possible for us to build a new house and it has been a struggle to education and provide basic need for our children. When I was enrolled in the program, I knew my first goal was to build a house and this has come to pass as I used my first transfer worth Ksh 55000 to build a three roomed house. I now have some privacy and my children have a fair share of the space. I would say we are comfortable now and I'm so grateful for the financial support.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that I will achieve income stability. My plan is building rental houses just next to Palakumi secondary school. My target is school going children and this means that every month I will be earning from the houses once I complete them. My budget is KES 80,000 for four rooms. Once complete, one room will earn me KES 1,000 monthly.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My son did well in his last exams. He is in grade 4. My spouse bought a solar panel that is helping him study in the evening. He can now do his assignments comfortably. He emerged position 4 in his class. This is what has brought me happiness in the last few months.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
As a farmer, I fully depend on my farm to get food and money from the surplus produce. This has been very tough because of the current drought. It's a year now since we had rains in this region. I have seven children and providing food and taking care of their education needs has been an up hill task. Providing food and education needs for my children is therefore my current challenge.
