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.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($466 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I do not have new goals for now and I am grateful for the ones I accomplished. The most important one was about building a better shelter. The initial one was about to collapse and since I am a jobless widow this would stress me a lot. I am now a happy mother because we are all sheltering under the same roof. We no longer have to worry about the rains and the security.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly did a good job by ensuring that every needy house was enrolled. Also, there was no discrimination and this was evident during the process of registration it was free and fair. I am happy to be among the beneficiaries and for transforming the lives of my village mates at large.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my second transfer on paying school fees of KES 5000 for my son who is in form two. He has always been sent home regularly because of the arrears. He could sometimes stay for weeks because of the hardships that we have been through. Also, I bought building materials such as the poles at KES 7000 and the labor charges of KES 13000. I had intended to build a new house because the previous one was very small and in a poor state. Being a widow has been quite tough for me and my five children. I am also planning to buy goats which will serve as assets that I can rely on at any time.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($493 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
Early morning I went to the field to prepare some logs for making charcoals for sale. While in the charcoal making process my phone went off. I proceeded with my task till around noon when I left went home. I decided to put the phone on charge so as not to be unreachable for a longer time. After picking my phone at around 3pm, is when I received a message. On checking what the message was all about, it was the transfer from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy and ululated with joy. The transfer had been sent since 9am in the morning but wasn’t able to receive it since my phone was off.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Having the roof of my house done is a big achievement which I didn’t know when I would achieve that, thank you to GiveDirectly for the good doing. As at now I am also happy rearing some GiveDirectly goats. I term them GiveDirectly because the organization helped me to buy these goats. It was my desire to own livestock and GiveDirectly saw my desires through.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Before receiving the transfer, I had already planned on the expenditure. My house was only a house during dry seasons but during rainy seasons there wasn’t any difference between someone in the house and someone outside. After withdrawing the money I took KES 20000.00 and bought iron sheets for renovating the roof. I also bought 2 goats for KES 6000.00 and paid KES 5000.00 fees for my secondary school child. My bed was breaking and my beddings were ragged hence I saw it prudent to buy a good bed and a mattress. The remaining amount is for the family upkeep.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means education for my children. I am planning to use KES 70,000 from the GiveDirectly transfer to educate my children. The teachers have been consistently sending my children home to get school fees. Whenever I lack money, they are forced to stay home for more than 10 days something that has really affected their academic performance. Paying their school fees means they will have enough study time in school translating to improved academic performance. I will use the balance to construct a two bedroom house for my family; one bedroom for me and the other bedroom for my children.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Evening is the happiest part of my day. I spend the entire day in the forest burning charcoal and take a rest in the evening.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced in my life is lack of money to cater for my children school fees. Sometimes my children are forced to stay home for some days because of my inability to pay their school fees. This has really affected their academic performance.
