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.
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($509 USD)
access_time almost 3 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 different than how it would have been had I not received the transfer. This is because I now have water at my doorstep and have completed building a latrine for my family. Due to this, we now have access to clean water all the time and our sanitation has also improved. In addition, I no longer live in fear of our latrine collapsing anytime especially when someone is inside.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well by giving people financial help and by educating people first before sending the money and I do not see anything that they do not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my transfer, I spent KES 13000 to complete building a latrine for my family. We decided on this since the one we were using was old and almost collapsing. Buying milk was my daily routine and it is always costly. In order to reduce my daily expenditure, I decided to purchase a dairy cow worth KES 25000. In addition, I spent around KES 8000 on farming. I hired a tractor for land preparation purposes and purchased hybrid seeds for planting. Using the remaining amount, I bought some clothes and food for my family.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($502 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I had been deeply thinking of how I would fulfill the promise I had given my child as she resumed back to university for her studies. I remember it was around 1 PM when I received a message and upon checking it was from Mpesa confirming that I had received money from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy and relieved of the thoughts and borrowing of money that I had been doing to settle my child's university fee.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I have children in various schools and my biggest ambition is to see them prosper in their education to allow them to have a better life in the future. Raising their school fees is challenging for me due to the limited resources in our family. When I received my first transfer I spent a bigger amount on my children's school fees. I feel relieved of the big burden I have had for quite long. I am thankful that my child in university was allowed to seat for his exams thus he will be able to graduate on time meaning my goal of educating him will have been realized. I thank GiveDirectly that would not have been the case with the huge amount of money that I was needed to raise at that time. Educating my children using GiceDirectly cash transfer is the biggest difference in my daily life.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Educating my children is among my topmost priorities among my family needs since I know with the education they will be in a better position to tackle their future life challenges. When I received my transfer I took KES39700 to pay my children's school fees. I am happy that one was allowed to do her exams and the other one will not have problems when he resumes his studies. I took another KES10000 to clear water bill arrears, renovate my water tank and clean the pipes so that I could have clean water once again at my doorstep. I am glad that this was possible courtesy of cash transfer. In addition, I took KES5000 to my church as my offerings to thank God for the blessing I had gotten.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
We live in an area where clean water is not always available. As such, receiving this money means that we shall always have adequate amounts of freshwater for our livestock, farm, and household uses. I will buy a large water tank for storing the scarce resource, either by collecting rain or tap water. As a ripple effect, we shall lead a better lifestyle since we shall always observe cleanliness, have good harvests from the irrigated farms, and even ensure that our livestock are healthy.
What is the happiest part of your day?
As a pre-school teacher, I usually wake up at dawn to prepare and go to my work station. Hence, the happiest part of my day is in the evening when I have successfully accomplished my duties and responsibilities. This signifies that my job is secure and that we have a bright future.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My husband accidentally stepped on a rusty nail that adversely injured him. As he was seeking medication, he learned that he was diabetic. As such, he had to undergo some surgery that led to the loss of his toes. Though it is now two years since the unfortunate incident struck, he is yet to fully recover because he still has some wounds. More so, we struggled in vain to foot a hospital bill that rose to about 1.2 million shillings. As a family, we find that the accident acts as the biggest hardship we have faced because we have spent lots of our resources and my husband has not recovered. Besides, we still have to clear the hospital bill.
