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 ($442 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?
Definitely, My new goal is to work hard to complete the loan payment that I took from SACCO to start a taxi business. I am looking forward to clearing the loan in full by December. Afterward, I will be selling my car to purchase a new Nissan van to use for the taxi business.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, it did well for sending cash direct to the recipients. Furthermore, the transfer was unconditional and non-refundable giving chance for the recipients to make there own choice of how to better their living standards.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Being a taxi driver, I spent KES 30,000 to pay part of the loan that I took to purchase a Toyota pro box for tax business. This is because my taxi business was not stable for over 3 month due to the ongoing political rallies. In addition, I spent KES 15,000 to boost my share savings at the Imarica sacco. The remainder assisted me in purchasing a enough food for the family.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($475 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I work as a driver, so on this day, I was at the petrol station fueling my car when I got the message that confirmed the receipt of the transfer. I was lost for words. For the longest time, I have had the desire to install water in my compound to avoid the inconveniences of trekking to get it. Now that I had the means to, I opted to have it done.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Before I started receiving these funds, we would walk miles to get water for our consumption. There were times when I would go and find a very long queue, other times the water supplier may not be present and I would be forced to go back home empty-handed, and even worse, there were days when his tap would run dry. using the funds, I have water connected in my compound. I am also buying materials to finish the construction of my house. Once this has been fulfilled, I will save the money in a bank so it could earn me some interest and, in the future, I would be able to take loans
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I recently built a new structure that I live in together with my family. However, this building has not yet been completed because I lacked the funds. When I received this transfer, my focus was to work on finishing its completion. The parts that have remained include buying windows and installing windows and plastering the walls together with the floor of the house. Using the money, I purchased the materials needed for the project and I also put aside some funds to pay for the services of the builders. Additionally, I used the funds to connect water to my compound. This is so we could avoid walking miles just to get to where we would fetch it.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I work as a driver on the Ganze-Kilifi route. My daily wage averages at KES 300 a day. With little savings here and there, I managed to start constructing a house so that I can settle my wife and two children. The far I have managed to come, I only require KES 20,000 to finish. An additional KES 10,000 will enable us to uninstall piped water at home. This water will be for use at home and commercial purposes. What remains after that, I will take a motorbike on hire purchase so that I can be self-employed. That way, I will spend more time with my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Whenever I get some extra money, I take my wife and kids to Kilifi for a meal and a day at the beach. My children feel so happy and that is the best feeling in the entire world. I pray that one day, I will be able to provide the small luxuries of life like frequent travel and life away from the village.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
At work, I have days that people do not travel much. I barely make the car owner's cut. That means, I have to come home without money and my family does not get food on such occasions. It breaks my heart when I work so hard but at the end of the day, I have nothing to show for it.
