GDLive Newsfeed
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.
Jumwa's family
access_time 3 years ago
Jumwa enrolled.
"The challenge I am currently facing is lack of money. I don't have any kind of employment that can generate a steady income. I used to buy and sell the local alcohol but due to lack of enough money to buy the alcohol, the business collapsed. Currently, I depend on my 3 sons who work as motorcycle taxi attendants ( boda boda). The income that they get is also not sufficient for all of us. In some cases, I lack money to even buy laundry soap. Right now, I have a daughter who is supposed to be in school. Due to school fee arrears, she was denied access to school. It makes me sad seeing my daughter stay at home due to lack of school fees but I have nothing to do. I have no money."
Kathithe's family
access_time 3 years ago
Kathithe enrolled.
"I am a motorcycle taxi operator who is employed. At the end of the day, I pay KES 400 to the motorcycle owner. My profit at the end of a good day is roughly KES 300. My desire has always been to own a motorcycle of my own so that I can maximize on the profit. With the money from Give Directly , I can now comfortably buy my own motorcycle on credit. Receiving this money every month will be of great help. I plan to save money from my first five transfers and add my personal savings to get a total of KES 20,000 to serve as the deposit amount. Once I secure the motorcycle, I will be paying 2,400 every week and by the end of 7 months, I will be fully owning it."
Ezra's family
access_time 3 years ago
Ezra enrolled.
"The happiest part of my day is in the evening. This is the time I get to rest from my motorcycle taxi. I enjoy spending time with my family." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)
Mbwana's family
access_time 3 years ago
Mbwana received a $382 initial payment.
"I spent my transfer on 5 bags of maize at MK8000 each, clothes, paid back loan amount to MK30000 and saved part of the transfer to be used in future" (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)
Caren's family
access_time 3 years ago
Caren enrolled.
"Ours has been to purchase a dairy cow. At the moment we do not own any, we usually purchase milk from the nearby Kabisimba centre at a price of KES 60 per litre. To us it is expensive, a time we cook tea without milk when we are unable to purchase it. We intend to buy a dairy cow of KES 40000. It will enable us to be self-sufficient in milk production as well as be able to sell the surplus to support other several needs for our family such as paying for school fees.We will use the other money to build a house for our son." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)
Mutai's family
access_time 3 years ago
Mutai received a $482 second payment.
"The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have bought a motorcycle. I had always wished to own a motorcycle and used it for taxi business. I have a retail shop where I used to run. This was my main source of income. I used to save some money after providing the basic household items on my family. I had saved KES 28,000 from this business. When I received the first I saved KES 40,000 which an I am of combining with the second transfer. When I received the second transfer I combined with the savings and the first transfer. I was able to buy a new brand motorcycle. Currently I used it for transportation business. This earns me a daily income of KES 400. I am in a position to buy seeds, basic household needs and even save some money. I realIzed the importance of motorcycle taxi because I used to transport the stock to my shop. Currently my spouse run the shop while I handle the taxi work. We are so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has enabled us to own assets which could have taken quite some time. We are able to generate an income daily and even started the saving culture which was not possible before due to recurrent needs."
Faith's family
access_time 3 years ago
Faith received a $500 initial payment.
"On receiving the first transfer, we had only one goal in mind that we had been saving towards with my husband over a long time. It has been our wish to one day start some businesses but this time, it was a Onestop Garage and Autospares to serve and satisfying the demands as it addresses the unmet needs in automotive parts of motorcycles. After several consultations and market research we had been doing, we needed at least KES 200,000 as a starting capital. Receiving this transfer was a great boost since we added to our savings and started stocking a room that we had booked in the nearby town, I am glad that it is currently picking after finding a shop attendant who understands much about the automotive parts. From the whole sum of KES 55000, we managed to spend only KES 2000 out of it on obtaining new clothing for our three children since they had been expecting this money too since the first day they saw the officer who had visited."
Yegon's family
access_time 3 years ago
Yegon enrolled.
"Being a business-oriented person, I operate a motorcycle as well as a shop at Kamaget center. Morning is the happiest part of my day because I have many customers at the shop."
Reuben's family
access_time 3 years ago
Reuben enrolled.
"Receiving this money means I can now fulfill my longest dream of buying a motorcycle. I will be doing a motorcycle taxi. This will be a good source of income for my family. House construction is what has been helping me to meet my family's needs but in the process my wife became sick. Before her sickness l had made some savings to purchase a motorcycle but her health became worse. We went in and out of the hospital. I could take her for a checkup thrice a month which depleted my savings. So when I get this transfer and buy a motorcycle it will enable me to earn income which I will put into saving and meet all the basic needs of my family."
Thuva's family
access_time 3 years ago
Thuva enrolled.
"I am a trained electrician but I am currently unemployed. I really desire to get a job in the same field as its my passion. I have tried my best to secure a job in vain but I am still hopeful that some day I will get a spot and make a living out of it. I am also open to starting my own practice in the electrical field even if it means moving to another town. Moving to the urban area requires job connections and money to settle which I currently do not have. Working in my home area earns me little income since most households are not connected to electricity. This is the main reason that I am struggling financially." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)
motorcycle