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
53150 KES ($469 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I have plans to continue with my old business of selling second-hand clothes. I used to do this business but I had to leave it after my husband passed on last year. This is because when he passed on, I was left alone and I became the breadwinner of the family. I had to struggle to provide all the basic needs, that is, food, education, clothes for my six children hence life has been tough. As a result, the business collapsed since I used up all the money. I currently do not have the money to restart the business but there are tomatoes that I had planted when I got the transfers. They are due for harvest in March and I plan to sell them to raise the amount that I need to restart the business. This business of selling clothes helped me a lot before since I used to make good money which I could use in buying food and paying school fees for my children.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly did well because they uplifted my life a lot. I didn't have anything after my husband passed on. I have been able to buy cows and pay school fees for my children. I bought two cows, one has calved while the other is about to calve. We no longer lack milk for our consumption, I also have plans to sell some of the milk and earn some income that will enable me to pay school fees for my children. Apart from what they did to me, GiveDirectly also uplifted the lives of so many in the community since the people were able to make many developments such as building new houses, buying cows, and many more. I however would like to recommend to them to consider helping everyone since there are those people who were left out of the program yet they are in need.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent most of my second transfer money on paying school fees for my two children, one who is in college and the other in secondary school. Life has been tough for me ever since my husband passed on. I was left with nothing and my business of selling clothes collapsed. Getting money for the upkeep of my six children has been a big challenge and hence I was not able to clear their school fees. Since I didn't have anything, I decided to use the first transfer on buying a cow. The cow that I bought has calved and hence I now have milk that my children can consume. I was hence not in a position to pay the school with the first transfer and money had accumulated to a big amount. I am so much thankful to GiveDirectly because they enabled me to pay school fees for my children and hence they were not sent back home due to the arrears.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($499 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
With the hard life that I have lived for some years now, receiving the transfer was the best thing to have happened in my life. The confirmation that I had finally received it illuminated my heart, filled me with great joy that had deserted me for a long time, and also gave me hope to finally see my children enjoy their studies without frequent disturbances. It was around 9 am when I received the news through a message from GiveDirecly and had to first relax till the next day before withdrawing as I thank God for the honest promise that we were given.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Owning a cow that I had been keeping in my field for a long time is the biggest difference in my daily life so far. It has been my dream to one day be the rightful owner and I am thankful that I finally see it coming to pass. I am grateful to the commitment by GiveDirectly to change our lives as I am still expecting the same amount soon to complete other projects that I had been hoping to.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
After my husband's long illness that he finally succumbed to, I had been struggling alone to ensure that all my six children get all their basic needs and their school fees paid in full to keep them in their schools. This has never been that easier and at one point, I had to bring in a cow from the relative to just keep on my field to provide us with mil and save me the expensive cost that I had been incurring while buying. I had been struggling to make some savings towards buying the same cow but has been so hard since there had been several demands from schools apart from the school fees that I had been trying to raise. I was glad when I received this transfer as I spent KES 36000 to pay back and change the ownership of the cow. With the remaining amount, I spent it on settling school fees for my sons - one in the college, one in secondary school, and the other four currently in primary school. In total, they all needed a total of KES 20000 and I was glad to have been able to raise the amount.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I sell groceries to support my family and I don't have a definite place to work from. Receiving this money means that I will be able to put up a shop (400usd) at the local centre. Interacting with people is my hobby as I am able to sell my products and in return get some profit. Consequently,I will use part of the transfers to purchase a dairy cow (350usd) as i have always desired to own one. The one I currently own belongs to a friend and she might come for it any time. I will use some milk for my household and the rest I will sell to educate my children. My son will be joining college soon and the rest of the transfers will cater for his school fees.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am a grieving business lady, for I have not been able to attend to my business since my husband passed on. Subsistence family is left as an alternative to feed my family. I attend to the farm all day and I am always happy in the afternoon after the tilling of the land as been done and I have some time to rest with my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of finances is my biggest hardship. My husband passed on in February 2021. He was the bread winner for the family and our combined income could easen the family financial constraints. I now depend on the small business and the income is not sufficient enough (1.5usd) to feed and educate my family. I have not resumed to this business since then as I have to attend to the cattle and the farm.