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.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
In the coming months, I plan to spend my transfers on purchasing food for my family. The weather conditions have been unfavorable, and I haven’t been able to harvest anything from my farm. This has forced me to buy food from the shop at high prices, which has been difficult. I hope that next year, the climate will improve so I can farm and expand my fruit-selling business, allowing me to earn a better income. I am very appreciative of the financial support that has helped me take care of my family, especially during these challenging economic times.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My mud-wall house is currently in a dilapidated condition, and the heavy rains earlier this year caused significant damage. The poles holding the house together are now weak, making it unsafe for my family to live in. Although I have done some repairs in the past, the condition of the house has worsened. To address this, I have saved $68 from my transfers, which I plan to use to buy cement and pay for labor. To ensure our safety, I am rebuilding the walls using building stones and cement. In addition to my house repairs, I spent $31 to buy 24 packets of 2kg maize flour, 2kg of sugar, and other vegetables. This ensured that my family had enough food, and we rarely missed any meals. I also spent $3 to clear a small school fee debt for my children, which allowed them to stay in school and continue their education without interruptions. Despite my struggles with casual labor jobs that don’t pay much, I am happy and grateful for the financial transfers that help me provide for my children’s education and other needs.
33rd Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($27 USD)
access_time 4 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Receiving support from GiveDirectly has brought new hope to my life and the lives of my family. Over the past year, we have faced many challenges, especially with our home, since it is on the verge of collapsing. Every night, I worry about our safety. My dream for the coming year is to concentrate on constructing a new house to provide a safer place for my family to live. I've been working hard, making interlocking blocks in preparation for this project. With the funds from GiveDirectly, I hope to start construction in the coming months. This new house will be a strong foundation for our future, giving us security and stability. My ultimate goal is to complete the house and create a home where my children can grow safely and happily.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
As a father of five children, my primary responsibility is to ensure they are well-fed and have a safe place to live. I rely on subsistence farming to provide for my family, and with the recent three transfers totaling $102, I carefully allocated the funds to address our most pressing needs. First, I used $46 to clear and plow our one-acre piece of land, preparing it for the next planting season. Unfortunately, the rains did not come as expected, and we did not get the harvest we had hoped for, but farming is unpredictable, and we must continue to persevere.
With our house in a poor state, I have been working on making interlocking blocks using cement and clay to build a better, safer home for my family. Out of the transfers, I spent $50 on cement to continue making these blocks. So far, I have made 800 blocks, and I aim to reach at least 1,000 before starting construction. The remaining $6 was used to buy some food for my family, as our harvest was insufficient due to the poor rains.
30th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($27 USD)
access_time 7 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My goal is to build a rental space. Since my home is positioned on the road, next to the school and the trade center, I anticipate that the rental space will be beneficial. I have already started making bricks for the house using money from the previous transfers. I want to have three rooms in the rental space. With a rental rate of around $20 per month, I anticipate that I will be earning at least $60 per month if all three rooms are occupied. This amount will help me support the education of my three children and provide for their basic needs.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I did not have any money to prepare my land for agriculture, especially during the rainy season. So, I used $24 to pay for an ox plow to prepare my land for planting. Additionally, as schools were closing, the school insisted that no child should leave with a tuition balance. Therefore, I used $26 to pay fees for my three children. I also bought two chickens with $4 to rear. I usually buy and rear poultry so that when I'm stuck, I can sell them to generate funds. Furthermore, the recent rains damaged my house, and the mud walls started to cave in. So, I used $34 to repair the walls to prevent collapse and future damage. The remaining $14 went towards buying food for my family to ensure that we had enough to eat. Mostly, I rely on subsistence farming when it rains to ensure my family has food. I also raise chickens that I sell during market days to make a living. The transfer funds help me a lot for which I am eternally grateful.
26th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($23 USD)
access_time 11 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My primary ambition is to embark on the journey of building rental houses, a dream that I anticipate achieving soon with the support I've received from a generous organization. The prospect of creating these spaces not only fills me with excitement but, more importantly, provides a tangible solution to the financial challenges I've faced. With the income generated from these rentals, I envision a newfound ability to comfortably pay for my children's education. Moreover, as the years progress and I gracefully age, these properties will become a reliable source of sustenance, offering both financial security and a legacy for the future.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My recent unconditional cash transfer proved to be a lifeline, as I urgently needed to address the deteriorating state of my house. With part of the funds, I purchased two bags of cement, building poles, and covered labor charges, totaling $29. The harsh weather, especially the relentless rains, had taken a toll on my home, and it was on the verge of collapse. Fear lingered that any day it might crumble, posing a significant risk to my family. The renovation not only brought a sense of relief but also ensured the safety and well-being of my loved ones. With the remaining $5.7, I secured food for my eight family members. Being the breadwinner working as a security guard in a nearby school, earning around $60 in a month, life has been a constant struggle to make ends meet. I also had a small farm, but its returns were not enough to sustain our basic needs. The unconditional cash transfer not only prevented a potential disaster by enabling the renovation of our home but also eased the burden of putting food on the table for my family, offering a momentary reprieve from the financial challenges we faced.
22nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($24 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?
In the coming years, I would be happy to reflect on the positive changes brought about by Give Directly's assistance. My main goal is to use the support to construct a new house for my family, providing them with a safer and more comfortable living space. The current one is in a poor state, with one of its walls collapsing due to the continuous rains. Once this is achieved, I have another exciting plan in mind. Since my current location is close to the road, I want to build a rental house. I will occupy one of the rooms and start a hardware business, as there is currently no such business in my village. This venture would not only benefit my family but also provide essential services to the community. I am determined to work towards these goals, and with the help of Give Directly's support, I am confident that I can bring these plans to fruition in the near future.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
From the recent transfer, I spent $24 on maize flour to boost the little that was left in stock. As it is still the planting season, I had hired someone to help with planting, but I had not been able to compensate them for their labor. Fortunately, I received the funds just in time to repay the person the remaining $10 I owed them. In June, I used $13 to buy two bags of cement for my house construction project. I am planning to build a house made of fabricated bricks as my current house is in poor condition, with walls collapsing from the rains. I also spent $14 on maize flour for food, $5 for my child's school fees, and $2 to buy a hen. As a security guard at a primary school, my earnings are not enough to fully cover the needs of my family, including my four children. That is why I started a chicken-rearing project, and it has been a significant help in financing the education of my children. Currently, I have around 50 chickens, and the profits from selling them contribute to my children's education and other household needs. In May, I spent $13 on two bags of cement, $10 on buying five chickens, $5 on my child's school fees, and $4 on school shoes. The rest of the money was used to buy food, ensuring that my children have something to eat when they come back from school.
10th Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($26 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I set aside a portion of my two-acre land for cassava cultivation, which I sell to pay for my children's school fees and other household necessities. When there is a pressing need, I normally conduct a one-time sale of ten sacks of cassava worth approximately KES 10,000 to meet the immediate needs, like my daughter’s school fees. My priority is to support her education, and I would never want her studies to be disrupted due to unresolved balances. In fact, when I received the transfer, she had just joined high school and was required to pay KES 10,500. I chose to spend the entire transfer amount to pay for her school fees as I sourced for means to settle the rest.
6th Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($26 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I work as a watchman guarding a nearby primary school. For the last two months, they did not pay me my salary because the children were on a half-term break. The lack of income made me struggle a lot in providing for essential needs (buying food, medication, and clothes) for my family. My wife could not help with the expenses because she does not have a job. When I received my transfer, I spent a large portion of it on buying food (12 2 kg packets of maize flour, 2kgs of beans, 500 grams of tea leaves, and washing detergents) for the family worth KES 2000. As a family, we adopted to reduce the number of meals from 3 to 2 per day. Besides reducing the number of meals, we bought food on credit to prevent us from sleeping on empty stomachs.Besides buying food for the family, I spent KES 1000 on building structures to house the chickens. I plan on starting a poultry project that will be an alternative source of income because I am facing challenges with my current job.
5th Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($27 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a crop farmer who has heavily depended mostly on the farm for my survival. Since the commencement of the drought, I have been jobless, as the farms are no longer productive. It is for this reason that I ventured into poultry farming. I have spent my previous transfers in building a chicken shelter. When I received my fifth transfer, I spent KSH 1200 in buying some poles to complete building the shelter. Since I am jobless, I cannot buy food for my family and I have since in the beginning depended on the transfers to buy food for my family. I spent the remaining amount of KSH 1800 to buy food to avoid starvation.
3rd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($27 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a farmer who deals with cassava and its been a challenging to support my family. The first transfer came and I spent on school fees and food.The second transfer came when we had nothing and I bought a bale of maize flour for kes 1200 and bought building materials of kes 1800 for the chicken coop.My recent transfers was spent on ensuring my family enjoyed the Christmas period.I used all the cash to buy food for my 7 children.It was quite a memorable time because my children really enjoyed and made merry that particular time.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($27 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly does well buying giving us cash as a way of helping us. By giving us cash it has opened up our minds to think outside the box on how best to use this onetime life opportunity to better our lives. I commend give directly for that initiative.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have always wanted to start a chicken rearing project for myself. The main challenge that I have been facing ever since, are funds to start the project. When I received the transfer I spent it all in buying material that would build a chicken house for the chicken. Once the house is done I will be now invest the other money in buying the one day old chicks and some feeds so that I can rear them. Once they multiply in numbers I will sell them and earn money that will help me meet my needs. This project has been what I wanted to do for the longest time. With this project I will be self-employed and that will be the happiest thing in my life.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($11 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
child who is a form one student. I am happy now that he can learn without any inconvenience.
I received the text message confirming that I had received the cash in the evening hours. I was out of words. I was very happy because I was really struggling at that time. I had no job and I did not know where the next meal for my family would come from. After receiving the funds I knelt and prayed to God thanking him for answering my prayers
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
There is a big difference in my life in that my life keeps on improving every day due to the funds. I cannot hide the fact that I now have a phone which I previously did not have. Generally, my life is on an upward spiral since the time I received the cash. I am really grateful for thank you so much.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent the amount on buying food. I decided to buy food because that was my biggest need at that time. I spent KSH 400 on foodstuffs. In my area due to climate change, food has become very expensing and I cannot afford to provide three meals a day to my family. We eat in the morning and skip lunch and eat again in the evening. So due to this, I decided I should buy food for my family first before anything else. I also spent KSH 800 on paying school fees for my child who is a form one student. I am happy now that he can learn without any inconvenience.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means self employment for me. I worked as a vegetable vendor in Mombasa from 2004 to 2018. I used to buy vegetables in our village and resell them in Mombasa at a reasonable profit. The income I was getting sustained my family of 5 children for all those years. In 2017, I started operating at a loss. There were no enough vegetables being produced in the village. I was not meeting the demand of my customers. The income started running low. I finally decided to quit the job in 2018. I went back to the village from Mombasa. Life started becoming tough. I could no longer fully meet the needs of my family because I had no constant income. We were only depending of farming. I could sell cassava to my neighbors and use the money to pay fees for my children. Early this year (2021), I decided to venture into local improved chicken production after seeing my neighbor succeed in this particular business. For sure this project can take me out of poverty. The only challenge I am facing about this project is lack of funds to buy the feeds. I am planning to use the funds I will be receiving to first construct a semi intensive Poultry house. I will then be buying the feeds for the poultry. After a period of 5 months, the birds will be ready for the market. The birds will be selling at a price of 1,000 KES per bird. The income I will earn from this project will play a very big role in changing my life. From this income, I will pay school fees for my children, sort all the needs of my family and expand the project. I will no longer be dependant on any employment.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the afternoon. I always do my work ( farming and selling cassava) in the morning. I sell my cassava in the morning up to mid morning at Kinarani centre. I am always done by afternoon. I am always happy at this point because I am confident that my children will have something to eat in the afternoon and evening.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Currently, the challenge I am facing is lack of money. Money is very vital in sorting all the necessary needs as they arise. This week, my 3 children were denied access to their school due to school fee arrears amounting to 3,000 KES. It is not because I do not earn any income, the income I get is very little. I currently involve myself in farming, mainly cassava production. Once I sell the cassava, I approximately earn 5,000 KES per month. With a family of 5 children, this amount is never sufficient.Most of it goes into buying food and essential bills such as medical bills.
