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.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
So far, the services from give directly have been outstanding. I have been able to progress by buying a goat and also feeding my children using the funds. I plan on making more improvements in my life. I have yet to note anything that the organization has not done well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used the money to buy a goat and some maize flour. I had run out of food and I thought it best to restock. My husband had been struggling to fend for my 7 children and I used the little earnings he gets from working as a handyman at a construction site. To support him, I want to start venturing into livestock farming. Thus, the decision to purchase a goat.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($27 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was busy with morning chores when I heard a message alert on my phone. I asked my helper to check its contents and he confirmed Give Directly had sent the transfers as promised. My heart melted with excitement. I am so grateful because the money sliced the financial burden, mostly by catering to school fees.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
We had been counting on my husband’s salary, which was yet to be paid, to clear school fees balances. So upon receiving the transfer, I breathed a sigh of relief and felt the fee pressure had been lifted off my shoulders. To date, the ability to support the children’s education without depending on my spouse is the biggest difference I have seen in my life.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Being an unemployed mother, I completely rely on my husband to provide for the family. So Give Directly transfers proved extremely useful to us. Ensuring the children study peacefully without interruptions has always been my prime concern. So I deducted KES 2000 from the transfer to clear their overdue fee arrears. I used the remaining amount of KES 1000 to purchase food.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
It's always been such a big challenge keeping my six children in school throughout an academic term, especially the three who are in high school paying about 120,000 KES annually and also levies for the other three still at grade level. This is still the family's biggest financial burden for my husband as a sole provider who has just a meager wage from casual construction jobs. I think I will be able to support should I start receiving my transfers.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I'm happy whenever my husband who works in Kilifi Town comes back home after one or two months to visit. He normally brings a lot of shopping mostly foodstuffs and so during his stay we're able to get three meals a day of quality food.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Inadequacy of food stock still poses the biggest challenge. We've had to go without food a lot as my husband who works in Kilifi Town as a mason in construction sites, normally just send home any amount between shillings one to four thousand monthly. This always isn't enough to buy food for seven children I'm currently living with at home.
