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.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I have always wanted to venture into livestock farming, and thanks to the support I receive from GiveDirectly I am excited to pursue this interest. In the coming year and beyond, my plan is to invest in a goat-rearing project where I will be using a portion of my transfers from GiveDirectly to buy more goats and add to the six that I already have. I hope that these goats will multiply and increase in number, providing me with a reliable source of support in the future. This will not only help secure my family's welfare but also serve as a lasting reminder of GiveDirectly once the transfers come to an end. As my herd grows, I plan to sell some of the goats to generate income which will be essential for supporting my family's needs, including food and other needs. Additionally, it will help me continue funding my children's education, ensuring they have the opportunities they deserve. I am truly optimistic about this venture and the positive impact it will have on my family's future.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
july
fees 3000 6 kids in school, they had been sent home
food 400
Aug
mbuzi 3400 to multiply and sell in future to help my children
Sep
food 1500
kuku 2 pcs 1200 to banda mbuzi
books n pens 700
26th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($27 USD)
access_time 4 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
In the coming year and beyond, I want to invest in a goat-rearing project. This will serve as a lasting reminder of my transfers once they come to an end. Additionally, goats multiply, which is a great benefit. Once I have a good number, I will sell some to get money to support my family by paying school fees and buying food. To achieve this goal, I have already started buying goats and will continue to do so until I have acquired a good number.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My spouse and I rely on small-scale farming to support our family. Being jobless has made life difficult due to the lack of income. I rely on these transfers to support my family. Since I have school-going children, I spent $34 to pay fees for my three children to ensure they can attend school. I also spent $38 to buy a goat worth $40, adding some of my personal savings to reach the required amount. With the remaining amount, I spent $25 to buy school uniforms for my three children, as they did not have any, along with some books required for school. Finally, with the remaining $9, I bought food for family consumption.
22nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($26 USD)
access_time 7 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I aim to keep raising goats because I do not have a stable income. I think it's the best way to build wealth for my family's future. Courtesy of the transfers, I started with four goats, and now I have six because they've multiplied. I plan to eventually start a business selling these animals when the herd grows. The money I will make from selling them will help pay for my three children's school fees, especially my oldest, who is in his first year of high school. I can also sell them if we need money for food.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used $25 of the cash I received to cover the school fees for my three children. They had outstanding fees from the previous month, and the school was demanding payment. My husband and I couldn't gather the money because we didn't have any income except for the cash aid. Our main source of income is making charcoal to support our household expenses. I am happy to have covered these fees as they ensured my children stayed in school with no risk of being sent home.I also invested $60 from the cash to buy two goats and a chicken. My intention is to raise these animals. Currently, I have six goats and five chickens. As they multiply, I can sell them to support the school fees for all six of my children.
17th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($23 USD)
access_time 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I have a goal of growing my herd of animals. I have some goats and chicken. The number has increased as the chicken will lay eggs and hatch while goats will give birth to kids. When you buy one animal, it can multiply and you have more than what you put in. I believe this will come in handy in educating my children. I plan to sell them whenever I have school emergencies of food emergencies.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I had one of my children joining form one in August, I spent $30 of that money paying for the school fees to allow the child join school. I also gave $4 for food as the child stays away from home. I also paid school fees for my primary school children using $4 in July and in September I used $5. I bought a goat at $30 in July and 3 chicken at $15. I also got food at $10 in September.
14th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($25 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
As we now share a limited place, my main goal is to construct a separate house for my grown children. To do this, I'm going to set aside $10 every month. This guarantees my kids will have privacy and a more comfortable bed.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The lack of rain has made it difficult for me to support my family through subsistence farming. I'm happy I was able to spend $20 on food to feed my family. I also paid $35 to clear school fees arrears I had accumulated. Then, I spent $15 and $30 respectively on chickens and a goat which I intend to rear. If there are any emergencies in the future, I will sell them at a profit.
10th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($27 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
At the beginning of the year, my husband and I sat down and developed a goal of strategizing on making fee payments for our children every month. It has been easy since both of us are beneficiaries. We can always spend some portion to pay fees with ease. We both look forward to seeing our lovely children advancing with their studies beyond the levels we could attain even though we experience difficulties as a result of drought and famine. I am always grateful to GiveDirectly for the cash transfers.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a housewife, and I have over-rely on making charcoal to support my nine members family. Similarly, my husband is jobless and occasionally joins me when he cannot get a casual job. The work is strenuous but we have to bear it because we do not have any options. Since we have seven school-going children, we have been worried about how we will support their academics. Immediately after receiving my transfer, I spent $30 on buying a goat. I had previously bought two from the transfers. As I raise them, I am hopeful that in the future, when I have some issues that are urgent and need immediate attention, such as paying school fees, I will be in a position to handle such.
6th Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($25 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have four children in primary school. I spent $10 on paying for their school fees. They used to be sent home to collect the school fees and this was affecting their performance since they would miss some of the lessons. Currently, they are studying well unlike before. This has given me peace o mind to do my daily chores at home. Besides that, I spent $10 on purchasing three hens. This will be my source of income since I would be able to sell eggs and get some money to buy other basic needs of the family. I rely majorly on casual jobs which include charcoal selling. The money that I get is so small. The remaining amount of money I spent on food and basic other household items for the family. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has improved our living standard.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($26 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly is doing a great job giving cash without any conditions. Most of the people in our village can finally make independent financial decisions which have seen many improve their lives. Poultry rearing has been my dream but since I could not afford it, I had to let it remain a dream. I am glad that through the transfers I have already started working on it. I do not have any complaints about the organization and have not heard of anyone complaining about the organization.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I bought five chickens at 500 KES each for rearing. They are easy to manage, do not require large space, and they also reproduce faster hence quick money. My target is 30 chickens by the end of the year. To achieve this, I will be purchasing 5 of them whenever I receive my transfers. This will be a boost for my household income. We rely on subsistence farming but due to the unfavorable climatic conditions, the produce we get cannot take my family for the whole year. Having school-going children who need school fees makes it even more challenging. I am hoping to sell a good number of them in December since their demand will be high being the festive season. The money I will raise from them will help clear my children's school fees for the year.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($10 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
As days went by, I was worried because my children who had been send home due to school uniform were almost reopening and I didn't have money to buy them uniform. I woke up to the transfer message and I was overjoyed because my hopes were awakened and I knew I would send my children back to school. Although I only managed to buy one of them, I'm hopeful that I'll buy the other two once I receive my next transfer.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference is that we can at least afford to provide our six children with two meals per day. Previously, they were used to one meal a day and they would even sleep hungry some days.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a housewife and therefore depend on my husband who burns and sells charcoal to earn living. Previously, he was getting some good money out of the business but the prevailing drought has made the business unsustainable for a sack which was going for KES 800 now goes for KES 300. This has been caused by most of our buyers shifting to other regions because we couldn't meet their demand due to deforestation since charcoal burning turned to be the major economic activity due to prevailing long drought seasons. By only managing to produce five sacks per month, we couldn't meet our daily needs. Our children's school uniform became torn and they opted for home clothes which made them send out of school until we buy them uniform. I spend Kes 500 to buy one of the three school going children uniform and I'm hoping to buy the two once I receive my next transfer. I spend the balance worth KES 670 to buy 6 packets of maize floor which has taken us for some days.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means quality education for my children. My children have been missing classes and exams because I have been unable to pay their school fees on time. Misery struck my family when my husband lost his job three years ago. I was forced to resort to charcoal burning to educate my children. My husband later joined me and charcoal burning has been my family's main source of income.
I am planning to use the entire transfer to educate my children. My dream has been seeing all my children progressing to university. With the aid from GiveDirectly, my dream is close to reality because my children will get quality education. In addition to this, I will take them to a nearby boarding school so that they can have enough study time translating to improved academic performance.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am going though a lot of struggles in life ranging from food insecurity, lack of water etc. However, seeing my family members alive and healthy has brought joy in my life and I always thank God for every day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Affording a meal has been a misery for my family. The decline in the price of charcoal has made it impossible to afford the normal three meals a day. I used to sell a 90kg bag of charcoal at KES 1,200; as we speak, the price of the same is KES 700. This has made my life miserable to an extent I can not promise my family enough food for the day.