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 ($501 USD)
access_time 4 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is currently different because I wouldn't have managed on my own to enrol my children in high school and in college. As a parent, my joy is to see my children continuing with their studies without any interruptions. I also have a pair of oxen that is helping me in my farming. I was only hiring from neighbours during the planting season. My life is now different because I will no longer be hiring instead I will hire to them and earn an income.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
What I love about GiveDirectly is their determination to enrol needy households and giving them freedom of choice to plan when they get their transfer. Also, the pieces of advice given on how I should spend my transfer to change my own life has been helpful to me. I do not see anything that GiveDirectly does not do well.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
The second transfer has greatly helped me to enrol my two children in high school and college respectively. I couldn't raise the whole amount required for their reporting on my own. I thus took KES 40000 to do the shopping for them and paid for their fees in advance. Apart from this, I spent the remaining amount on medication and also bought enough foodstuffs and paid for other household expenses.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($542 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
I wouldn't say there is any biggest difference in my daily life but I believe in future after the cows will have given birth I won't be budgeting for milk thus I'll be able to save the money that I'm currently spending on milk.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was one early morning when I was making breakfast for the family when I got a confirmation message that I had received money from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy, shared the news with my spouse, and we both thanked God for such a blessing.g.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
Currently, I buy milk for family consumption and I find it so expensive since I do not have a reliable source of income. The moment when I received the money I used a portion of it to purchase a cow hoping that in the future after it has given birth I'll be able to get enough milk for family consumption and sell some in order to get extra income to enable me to meet the family needs comfortably. In addition to that, I also bought some pieces of iron sheets that I'm planning to use to renovate my roof. This is because the current roof is leaking and when it rains especially at night we are forced to wake up and pack the households in a safe corner where they won't be destroyed by rain.
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have always desired to build a bigger house for my family through an construction of an additional room for my children as they are now approaching adulthood without proper accomodation. In addition to that, son has just cleared primary school and will be joining secondary school next year hence the money has come at the right time to enable me achieve these milestones in my life which would have been impossible due to my low income status.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Our staple food as a family is maize. I am happiest in the morning when I go to my small farm to plough the maize that I had planted. This makes me happy because whenever I see the crops grow, I believe that I will be able to get a half a bag of maize which will feed my family for about two months before I resort to buying food from the shops.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Last year I lost sixteen cows due to famine that hit our land. I depended on the cows for milk and other farming activities like ploughing my farm. Unfortunately, I lost all of them thereby leaving me without any stable source of income and this comes at a time when my son needs school fees for joining secondary school of which I am not able to raise.
