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 do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I am hopeful that in the next six months, I will have finished my carpentry training and I will be practicing and even taking some jobs to earn an income the same.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer is that I can now dress well and pay my rent every month without fail. I used to wear rags for clothes and my landlord was almost kicking me out of his house for consistently paying my rent late. But thanks to GD that is no longer the case anymore.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I am planning to get well acquainted with my carpentry work. I am currently on training in becoming a carpenter. I have channeled all my resources there to help me finish the training.
How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life is currently different in that, I am able to get manure for my trees to enable them to grow well. I have been growing trees for future use. But they have faced harsh weather conditions and lack of fertilizer. I decided to purchase some to enhance their growth. This was not possible before because I lacked resources.
16th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I am planning to start a family by next year and my greatest desire is to be able to buy some crucial household items such as utensils before then. For the next four months, I have my transfers planned for, but after that, I will try my best to buy the household items before settling down.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
Being that I mostly depend on casual jobs, I usually earn very little that can barely take care of my personal and household needs. With these transfers, my life has not been as tough as it would have been if I were not receiving them, especially in the past few months when jobs have not been so available. I have managed to comfortably take care of my needs even on those days when there are no jobs available.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
So far, I have only managed to buy a sheep, but my main goal is to buy a heifer which is too costly to buy using the monthly transfers unless I save them for five months or more. Knowing that I will not be able to save the money due to pressures from household needs and low income,I have decided to buy a sheep each month from now onwards with my monthly transfers so that when I have five or more, I can sell them off to raise enough money to buy a heifer.
How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
Whenever I receive my monthly transfers, I have always set aside a small amount to buy tree seedlings which I have always planted within our compound. It may not seem as something very important now, but I know I will enjoy the benefits later on. I have also done this so that in many years to come, I will have something to remind me of the impact GD brought in our lives even when the materials things we bought with the transfers will no longer be available to see. I have also purchased seats which have taken away the shame of having an empty house and having nowhere to sit especially when my friends come over.
12th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I am I hope I will be dressing properly, feeding well and my house will have been renovated. This will make me a happy and peaceful man.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
In the last four month, the biggest difference in my life is owning an iron-roofed house. I saved my transfer and spent the money to purchase iron sheets which I used to build my new house. Previously, I was living in a grass thatched house which was old and used to leak.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
Currently, I have not new goals but all my efforts are geared towards the renovation of my old house to enable it to look better.
How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
Currently, the biggest difference in my life is owning an iron-roofed house. I saved my transfer and spent the money to purchase iron sheets which I used to build my new house. Previously, I was living in a grass thatched house which was old and used to leak.
7th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time almost 6 years ago
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How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect my life to change in the next six months in that I will be able to keep some amount as savings for emergencies.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life in the last four months is that, I keep some amount as savings unlike before.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My new goal is to buy an oxen which will help in ploughing my parcel of land.
How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life is currently different from how it was four months ago because I paid the worker who prepared my farm easily unlike before.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 6 years ago
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Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
My new goal to buy a bull and build a new house.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
The difference in my daily life is planting using fertilizer and buying iron sheet for building my house.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I plan to marry and buy a bull for remberance.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving this transfer is planting using fertilizer at the right time unlike before. My plot is doing well and looking forward to a good harvest.
Enrolled
access_time over 6 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced in life, is the sudden collapse of my poultry project since all my chicken died of coccidiosis. Starting from a scratch to earn livelihood was pretty hard due to the fact that I had spent all my savings on treating my chicken, hoping that they would recover.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day, is early in the morning when I wake up strong and able to go to work. This makes me develop an inward assurance that I shall be able to achieve my goals.
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
I am planning to spend my transfer on improving my recently built house to a more durable and descent, semi permanent house which can last longer. This is because I do not have plans to build a new house in the near future.
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
The achievement I am proudest of in life, was running a successful poultry project. From this project, I managed to raise good amount of money, which I spent on purchasing the building materials for my recently built house.