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 ($485 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I operate a business in our village where I sell all household provisions. Before receiving the transfer, this business was not doing well as I had been spending my profits to pay school fees for my children without buying more stock. I am glad that I was able to restock it using my transfer and due to this, I am optimistic that my children will no longer be sent back home as I am planning to be using part of the profits to pay school fees for my children while I use the remaining amount to restock the shop. Having been able to restock my shop before it collapsed has made my life different than how it would have been had I not received the transfer.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Giving out unconditional money to people is the best thing one can ever do and that is what GiveDirectly does best. In my village, people mostly spent their transfers to improve their lives by buying livestock, building better houses and paying school fees for their children. Personally, I spent mine to expand my business and to pay school fees for my children something that I would not have been able to achieve on my own. I do not see anything that GiveDirectly does not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I operate a small shop in my locality where I sell all household provisions. This business was in the verge of collapsing as I had been using the profits to pay school fees for my children without restocking it. After receiving the transfer, I decided to spend KES 30000 in restocking it. I spent the remaining KES 20000 to pay school fees for my son who is in high school. I decided on this so that he would not be sent back home hence he will have enough time to concentrate on his studies as he will not be missing any classes.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($510 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
Receiving the transfer was the happiest moment not only for me but also for every member of my household. It was a sign of a revived hope that we were almost losing in many projects that had been hanging for a long time. I thanked God for showing up at such a desperate moment and bringing back the smile I had lost.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the availability of clean water - safe for drinking- at my doorstep. This has really changed everything right from saving the time I used to spend on fetching to the money that I was occasionally paying for some liters to be delivered. It has been a month now since I last visited the stream. After the torrential rains we received last month, my tank was half-filled and has kept me this long.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The first transfer came to me at that right time when I had been struggling a lot with fetching water from a distant stream. Buying a water tank became a priority and after agreement with the other household members, I obtained a 3000-liter plastic water tank that came with the connecting pipes at a cost of 26000KES. My two sons in the University also needed their monthly house rent and had to part with 10000KES as each needed 5000KES. I also paid 10000 KES school fees for my daughter in secondary school, and the small remaining amount settled the labor cost in the installation of water pipes
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money will mean a lot to me because I have been struggling in paying school fees for my children. My wish is to be a successful business woman and be able to get enough income to sustain my family's needs. I recently opened a small shop that am hoping to maintain. When I receive my transfer I will expand the shop, pay school fees for my 4 children in school. Two of them are in the university while two in secondary school. My husbands salary alone can not pay for all the expenses since he only earns 15,000 shillings in a month.
What is the happiest part of your day?
On my usual day I wake up at 6, do normal house chores then go to the shop where I sell packed food and snacks. I spend most of my day there, but I am mostly happy in the evening when I get to spend time with my children and share a meal together as a family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My biggest hardship has been financial stability because I have children in school who need to finish their studies. I have two at the university while 2 in high school, their school fees and expenses is expensive that my husband had to take loan for them to study.
