GiveDirectly: Send money directly to the extreme poor

2nd Payment

Transfer Amount

53150 KES ($516 USD)

over 5 years ago

How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?

I believe that my life has transformed a lot today because I now have a cow which I bought using the cash transfers from Give Directly, so for me, I will no longer have to be buying milk from the local vendors like I have been doing in the recent past. Apart from that, I have this new house that comfortably accommodates all members of my family as compared to the old small structure that I used to live in before.

In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?

The organization has been at the forefront of changing peoples lives through its projects. There are people who use the transfers to do business, others use it to pay school fees for their kids while others use it to buy livestock, which according to me is a positive thing.

What did you spend your second transfer on?

The second transfers went into constructing a new two bedroomed house for my family. Initially, we used to live in a small dilapidated house which could barely accommodate the family but today we are glad we have this beautiful house that can comfortably accommodate all the family members.

Initial Payment

Transfer Amount

55000 KES ($542 USD)

over 5 years ago

Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that now I own bulls. They will help me cultivate my farm easily. I can also use them to earn extra cash by ploughing other people farms too. Initially, I could do the ploughing by my self which was very hectic and tiresome. I am glad that now I will not have to strain my self anymore.

Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?

I felt very happy the moment I received the transfer. A message came through my phone one afternoon. Since I don't know how to read, I took the phone to my helper who explained to me what the message was all about. I knew the amount was enough to help me accomplish my goals and I was happy because this was my chance to fight poverty.

What did you spend your first transfer on?

I spent part of my transfer on purchasing two bulls and a ploughing machine. As a farmer, I want to prepare my piece of land on time. I have been hiring labor which is usually very expensive and not efficient compared to using oxen. Apart from that, I also bought a bed and a mattress. Before the transfer, I used to sleep on a Girima bed, which is made of sisal. I could place sacks which were very uncomfortable to cushion it a bit but still, I could not sleep well. I am glad that nowadays I sleep well till morning. I finally saved the rest of the money hoping to pay school fees for my children when they open school next term.

Enrolled

almost 6 years ago

What does receiving this money mean to you?

Receiving this money means liberation from poverty for my family. I am a widow with four children to take care of without any stable source of income. Over the years,the responsibility of educating my children has overwhelmed me. My son who managed to complete his secondary education two years back and excelled well has not been able to join college to pursue a course in human resource management that he had been called for. This is simply because I have not been able to clear his fee arrears of ksh.24,300 from the school to date.The administration is holding onto his certificate as a guarantee of pay and this has locked out so many opportunities for him which require the presentation of certificate as proof.It hurts me a lot to see him struggling with casual jobs yet he had the potential to go to college and get a good job afterwards. The rest of his siblings are constantly on and off of school because I have not been able to pay their fees either. With this money,I plan to start a vegetable selling business within bamba town so that I can generate income to enable me educate my children comfortably and enroll my son into college so that he can pursue a course of his liking after clearing his fee arrears and getting his certificate.

What is the happiest part of your day?

As a house help employed in a far away town from the village where I reside,I am forced to wake up at 5:00 am so that I prepare breakfast for my children before heading out to my place of work by 5:30am.Since I have no money to hire a motorbike, I walk for almost one hour to reach Bamba town where my employer is located so that I manage to arrive before 6:30 am when she leaves for work. For the better part of the day,my chores entail baby sitting,washing clothes,cleaning the house and cooking meals. I get to break at 5:00pm to head back home to my family. This makes evening hours to be the happiest part of my day because it is the only time that I get to spend time with my children once we all return home.

What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?

Financial constraint is the biggest hardship that I face in life.Ever since my husband died three years ago,It has become increasingly difficult to manage taking care of my four children all by myself. My job as a house help earns me only ksh .4000 per month. This sum is hardly enough to enable me pay for their schooling and even provide food consistently. Seeing my eldest son wallowing in sorrow everyday for the past two years, Imagining the bleak state of his future because he has not been able to realise his dream of going to college and getting a better job, stresses me a lot. I wish that I could get enough money so that I can clear his fee arrears and enable him to get his certificate so that he can still go to college but my income is not adequate. He was my only hope for a better life for my family but with his failed dreams, I feel like my whole family's dream for a better life is also diminishing.