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.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I have a daughter in high school whom I would like to stay in school full-time once the schools re-open. This means that I would not want her to be sent back home for delayed school fees payment hence the need to pay the fees in good time. I am planning to save as much as I can so that when the schools reopen, I will have enough money to pay for her school fees for the whole term.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
We did not harvest much from our farms in the last farming season and we have been buying maize for family consumption which has also risen in price. This has led to the hunger that is faced by many families that are unable to afford basic meals due to the high prices and lack of income. I am very lucky and proud to say that my family has not been a victim of these unfortunate circumstances, thanks to the monthly transfers which ensures that my business stays alive and we can afford the basic needs and foodstuff such as maize without any problem.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
Paying my daughter's school fees is usually my biggest problem and I am never relaxed when she has any balances. To have peace of mind and the focus required in other areas of my life such as my business, I hope that I will have paid all the required school fees for my daughter within this period.
19th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
Life is a bit different because for the better part of last term and this new term life will not be such a burden for us considering the little that I have this business that keeps the family going. My husband has also made sure that he improves his farming techniques by using better and effective fertilizer and seeds which improves the yields capacity.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My current goal is to boost my business so that it can generate more revenues going into the future. I will have to invest more capital every month, and by doing this I know that my kids will have school fees and enough resources that can take care of our financial needs.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
I have seen a difference in my life because I have been able to pay school fees for my kids without failure, which means that the children are no longer sent home due to non-payment issues. Previously before the transfers started trickling in, my kids could even spend one week at home as I struggled to get money to pay their school fees arrears.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I strongly believe that this business will be the main source of income and a source of survival for our family. So for me, my main focus is to ensure that the business picks up so well and increase the revenues day by day.
15th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
Currently, my life is different in that I have been able to pay school fees for my daughter through saving money in a merry -go- round. Therefore, it gives me the joy to see her go to school to achieve her dream unlike before when I had lost hope of educating her due to my meager income. I am happy she is not being sent away for school fees arrears as it was the case before the transfers.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I have no new goal for the next four months. My plan is to educate my child by paying her school fees fully. This is because I believe through educating her, She will be successful and dependent meaning she will comfortably assist us as her family members financially in the future.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
M dream of educating my daughter was not practical before I started receiving the transfers. This is because my income could barely support my family. I had to go cultivating my neighbor's farms or do laundry works for pay. When I started receiving this transfer, my main source of income was not enough to pay school fees and provide for the basic needs of the family. The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have been able to pay school fees for my daughter through saving money in a merry -go- round and it gives me joy see her go to school to achieve her dream.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect in the next six months to shall have settle school fees arrears for my daughter for the who term. I believe having done so she will attend school consistently without any worry of being sent home for school fees arrears like before.
12th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
Currently, my life is different in that I have been able to pay school fees for my daughter through saving money in a merry -go- round. Therefore it gives me joy to see her go to school to achieve her dream unlike before when I didn't the vision of securing her education due to my little income as the only option would have been to marry her off at an early age.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I have no new goal for the next four months. My only plan currently is to educate my child because I believe through education my daughter will be successful and dependent.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The dream of enrolling my daughter in high school wasn't visible before I started receiving this transfer because my main source of income wasn't enough to pay school fees. The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have been able to pay the school fees for my daughter through saving money in a merry -go- round and it gives me joy see her go to school to achieve her dream.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect in the next six months to be able to buy additional foodstuff to supplement the one I produce on my farm using the transfers. Through this, my family members would have balanced diet meals hence their health would improve.
7th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time 6 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life is currently different from the way it was four months ago in that I rarely get financialy down.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I have a new goal of starting up a retail shop so that I can have an additional income.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life four months preceding the current transfer is that I've been able to easily to meet my family's needs without struggling for it. This has given peace, I'm no longer worried about how to raise money.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I expect to have opened up a retail shop.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 6 years ago
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Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
My new goal is to start up a business through savings to be able to sustain my family through the monthly transfers.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is currently different as my life is now stress free. I can pay school fees for my child,buy seeds for planting to get more food for family consumption and buy food for my family.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect my life to change in the next months as i would save to start up a business and be able to renovate my house through the monthly transfers.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that i was able to pay school fees for my child who was sent home.
Enrolled
access_time over 6 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship that I face in my life is that my income is very low and I have a large family that I need to feed. At times am I am not able to buy enough food that can feed the whole family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is at mid-day when I go to Ramula market to start my business of selling French fries. This makes me happy as I am able to get cash which supplements our income.
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
I am planning to spend my transfer on farming as I will hire labourers, buy seeds and fertilizer for my farm. I will spend part of the transfer on paying school fees for my children who are in secondary and primary school.
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
My proudest achievement is that I have been able to take my child who is a girl to secondary school and managed to pay her fees from form one up to form three using the little cash that I get from my business.