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.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($457 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Plastering my house to the outside is my firsthand goal which I am struggling to achieve. I got this goal after plastering the inside part and saw how lovely and nice looking it was. To achieve this, I have a grocery business that helps me to save some money for the same.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I am forever grateful for the support that lifted my living standard in a mighty way. My life has changed positively courtesy of GiveDirectly without paying anything in return. The organization is well organized in how they carry out their work thus I have not seen anything that is not done well. It enabled me to get a toilet which has prevented me from unnecessary outbreaks of diseases.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I got the money, I first completed flooring my house which required six bags of cement for KES 4200.00 and a labor charge of KES 4000.00. After that, I paid KES 5000.00 for school fees for my two children who had been informed they would be sent home in a week. I also opted to construct a pit latrine because I had none at my home and it was shameful to take some visitors to the nearby bushes. Therefore, I bought 20 bags of cement for KES 14000.00 and paid the contractor a labor charge of KES 15000.00. As of now, we are happy that we have a toilet at home not only to avoid shame from visitors but also to prevent ourselves from some outbreaks of diseases. For the remaining amount of money, I used it to buy some food for my family.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($481 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was in the market when I sell green groceries. When I heard a message ring tone, I thought my customer has paid using mobile transfer and as I checked my messager to confirm, I found out that I had received the transfers. I couldn't keep the good news to myself as I called my husband and told him about it.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I sleep in peace at night compered to before when I couldn't sleep because I was afraid that my house would collapse at night. I also have a toilet of my own.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
For the longest time, we have been using my father inlaw's pit latrine because my toilet sunk in and I have never been able to build another one due to financial constraints. My house was also very weak and I need to buy cement to strengthen it. I spend KES 14000 to build a toilet and spend the rest to strength my house whereby I bought cement and sand worth KES 32000 and KES 8000 to pay the mason. I'm nolonger afraid of inviting guests at home and sleeping at night.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means I will be able to clear school arrears for my kids. My firstborn is in secondary school where he has a fee balance of twenty-five thousand Kenya shillings. His four siblings who are in primary education have also huge balances that accumulated since last year June. The first transfer will be utilized to pay all debts that I have in their schools, and the second transfer to expand my grocery business by building a bigger structure that will accommodate a larger stock.
What is the happiest part of your day?
One of my kids was diagnosed with cerebral malaria in November last year. He was admitted for one month in the county hospital receiving medication, I was so sad seeing him just laying on the hospital bed not able to lift his hand. On Fifth December 2021 he got discharged, At that moment I felt so happy to see him stand on his feet again.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Inadequate finances to extend to the education of my children is the challenge that I currently face. My husband works in Mombasa as a cleaner in a hotel and he earns eight thousand Kenya shillings in a month. I own a grocery business here in the village and in a day I can collect one hundred Kenya shillings, when we combine for both of us in a month it's a total of eleven thousand which is insufficient to feed and educate our children. This year they have already been sent home twice due to school arrears.
