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 ($518 USD)
access_time 4 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is currently different because I was previously living in a grass thatched house but currently, I managed to build a decent iron roofed house to live in with my family. Apart from this, I also own two cows and goats which to me are a living assets. I am expecting them to reproduce and have many of them. Besides, I will also be benefitting from the milk that these cows will be producing. I will be selling and be a source of income.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly has done well in ensuring that we are in good position to meet our very basic needs like accessing good shelter, clothing and food since we were facing a lot of financial challenges. I do not see anything that GiveDirectly has not done well.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
I spent part of my second transfer to pay for my children's school fees. They are now comfortably in school having cleared the arears. I also spent a portion of the money to purchase some building materials in order to build a new house. My previous house was on a very bad state. Thus I bought enough building materials that include iron sheets, building poles and nails. I also paid for the labour. I spent the remaining amount to buy foodstuffs and paying for other household expenses.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($543 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I now have two dairy cows, which I have been longing to have them for a very long time but I could not afford due to my low income. Through the cows I will be able to get milk which will make us more healthier since it will be a supplement to our daily meals. I am also planning to start a business of selling the milk and the offspring and through this business I will be able to easily pay school fees for my children and cater for other basic needs. I will also be getting some manure from the cows which will help in making my farm more productive.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 7 am when I heard the message notification. When I checked what the content of the message, I found out it was an Mpesa message from the GiveDirectly informing me that they had sent me my first transfer. I was so excited knowing that I will finally achieve my goals
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent the the whole of my first transfer on buying two dairy cows. It has been my desire to rear livestock in my life, something that was fulfilled by GiveDirectly . Through the cows, I can now get milk of which we will be more healthier because it will be a supplement to our daily meals. I will also start a business of selling the milk and also the offspring because as time goes by they will increase in number and through that I will be earning an income.
Enrolled
access_time 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money will greatly enable me to improve my deteriorating state of finances. I plan to buy two dairy cows and also set up a grocery shop within our centre of Karimani so that I be able to generate more income. For a very long time, I have been struggling to make ends meet for my family but it has not been so easy for me because I do not have any stable source of income.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Morning hours marks the happiest part of my day because it is the time that I get to rest after eating something when I return home in the morning from my night shift job as a guard in a nearby dispensary. At around noon,I go to the fields where I assist my wife with the preparations of burning charcoal which is our major source of livelihood. Together we spend the better part of the day out in the fields and by the time we return in the evening, it is already late and I start preparing myself to head out to the dispensary where I report by 6:30 pm till 8:00am the following day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial constraints is the biggest hardship that I face in life. I have tried taking up all sorts of odd jobs just to earn a little extra to afford taking care of the family needs but it is just never enough. My children still end up being chased away from school due to fee arrears and my sick wife who suffers from a heart related condition is still forced to do exhausting jobs which are not good for her poor state of health just so that she can help take care of the household expenses. Since I cannot afford to take her to the hospital, for the longest time that I can remember, she has been forced to live on painkillers whenever the pain becomes unbearable. I really feel frustrated as a father,husband and a man because I feel that due to my financial inadequacies, my family is really forced to live in constant and abject state of poverty.
