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.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($396 USD)
access_time 11 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Our dream was to have the Public service vehicle but since we could not fulfill that dream our motorcycle plan is our current goal. Our aim is to put a motorcycle on the road that will be able to earn us a sufficient income to fully pay off its purchase and then once this is done we will use the earnings to educate our four children whose education has in the past been a burden to us. We also hope to ensure the home has a sufficient supply of food from this business.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I would never in my wildest dreams think I will receive such a large amount of money from anywhere. The transfer amount from Givedirectly shocked me but equally made me overjoyed, I think this is the thing I am happiest about from Givedirectly. I wish you could supply us with more money but you did inform us of other still waiting on these funds. I did not see anything in your process that would have offended me. Your staff are quite respectful.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My husband lives in Malindi and he works in the area as a Public service vehicle(PSV) driver but he never gets steady jobs as he is a “squad driver”, meaning he only gets a chance to drive when the other drivers are unavailable. This has made it very difficult for our family to make ends meet. I do not have a source of income apart from periodic farming which is full dependent on teh rains. We had a plan with my husband to use the cash we would recieve in addition to what we had saved to buy a Public service vehicle(PSV) for him to use for business purposes. My husband is a member of a savings group know as the Imarika savings group where we intended to get the loan but we were informed that we could only get a loan of such an amount with at least $4000 in savings which we could not afford. We changed our mind and thought that we should opt for a motorcycle business. We have put $500 from our first transfer and our entire second transfer in savings to facilitate this. We are looking for a trusted person that we could employ to run the motorcycle business as my husband continues doing the driver work. We spent $11 to reduce our childrens school fee balance and $37 on food.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($404 USD)
access_time 12 months ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
Around 4 p.m., I received a message tone on my phone as I washed clothes for my family. I was tired and used the message as an excuse to check my phone and take a little rest. Once I internalized the information, it was reassuring. Since I had never since birth received such a sizable sum of money all at once, I was overjoyed when I saw the first transfer from GiveDirectly had been transferred into my account.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Before the transfer, I used to struggle to keep my children in school. It was pitty seeing them coming back home after being sent out of school for fees. I am happy that through this organization, I managed to clear the fee balance and they are happy in school now. Since I desired to invest, I am glad to inform you that I kept my plans in order awaiting the second transfer so that I fulfill my plan.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Upon withdrawing the money, I first cleared my children's school fees. I paid $110 for them so that they could concentrate on their studies. I also used $10 to buy some food for the family and saved the rest in the bank. I did this as I wait for the second transfer so that I combine the money to do an investment with my spouse. Since he is a driver, the aim is to take a loan from the bank and add to the transfers so that we buy a motor vehicle that will be used for carrying passengers. We opted for this idea so that we could have an income-generating activity.
Enrolled
access_time over 1 year ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
I have a family of six members and we all rely on the husband for survival. He works as a driver at Malindi and I am just a housewife. Three of our children are schooling at Gloria academy at Matanomane. They collectively have a fee structure of $210 per term. Last year they closed school with a balance of $20. I will use $230 to pay fees for the children. I will also give $800 to my husband so that he can get his own vehicle on credit. This money will serve as a deposit. The vehicle will give him assurity of working every day and make the family happy. Thanks to Givedirectly for their program.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My husband works as a driver at Malindi but he does not have a permanent vehicle to work with. This means sometimes he goes without work. He earns approximately $30 per month. On December, he worked for three consecutive weeks and earned $120. I was worried about how the Christmas festival would be to my family but the family really enjoyed after the husband got a job.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My husband works as a driver at Malindi but he has no permanent vehicle to work with. He sometimes goes without work for a week. He earns approximately $30 per month which caters for food only. I am just a housewife doing domestic chores. Lack of reliable job has affected my children's education. I have three children at primary school and they closed school last year with a fee balance of $20. They are supposed to clear the balance and pay half the first term fee before they are allowed to go to class when schools open next week. The first term fee is $220 for all three.
