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
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I am looking forward to invest more in farming so that I can be able to harvest enough food for both family consumption and surplus for economic purposes. This will make it easy for us to pay school fees and provide basic needs for our children.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
What GiveDirectly does well is supporting us with unconditional cash transfers. Its through the cash that we are able to educate our children, provide them with basic needs and improve our standards of living through building better houses. May you continue uplifting other people in the society like me, I am so grateful.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When my husband and I got married, we thought we would build our family a big nice house but we have not been able to achieve this dream since no one of use got a good sourced of income. We are both casual workers and the maximum daily wage that we can afford is $4. With six children, we can only afford to provide basic needs because paying school fees has been a struggle. We have never been able to build a decent house for our family and we have been sharing our one bedroom house with our six children. I spend $100 to pay school fees balance for my children and spend the balance to build a three bedroom semi permanent house for my family. I am happy that we now have our privacy as parents and our children have enough shared bedrooms.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I work as a food vendor at a nearby shopping center and at the time when I was receiving my transfer, I was doing my shopping so that I can go home. When I saw that I had received my first disbursement, I felt so happy and said that truly there are good people who remember those who are less fortunate like us. I headed home that evening with my heart filled with joy.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
We had channeled all our finances towards paying hospital bills for our family member who was unwell and therefore, we had no money for paying school fees. When I paid school fees with part of the money which I had received, I got some relief as my child would be allowed to be in school.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
One of our family members was such and had been hospitalized. We had to sell some portion of the land so that we could raise money for paying hospital bills. In that case, the portion of land which was sold is where we had built our home so we were required to move to a different location within the same piece of land. I needed some money to purchase building materials and when I got my first transfers, I spent KES 33000 on buying 30 pieces of iron sheets for constructing a new house. I then spent KES 7000 on cutting time for constructing the house. The remaining amount of KES 15000, I spent on paying school fees for my child who is in high school.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have four children who are in high school and paying their school fees has been an overwhelming task for me. I own a stall at Cheboyo shopping center where I sell githeri ( a mixture of maize and beans boiled together) to locals. This business earns a profit of KES 200-250 per day and this caters for food and other necessities. That means I am not able to save any coin and all along I have been selling family assets like cows and goats to raise school fees. I have arrears amounting to KES 20,000 that I have been unable to pay since last year and this has been my biggest source of stress. I desire to give my children the best education and I intend to use my transfer to clear outstanding arrears. Receiving this money will guarantee me peace of mind because I will not be getting calls from school reminding me to clear the arrears.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Throughout this year, we have been fortunate to have rain consistently. Towards the end of January, I planted beans on my 0.4-acre piece of land. This month I harvested 2-bags and sold all of it to my neighbors earning KES 4000. I am happy that this money helped me buy food for my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Food security is the biggest challenge that my family is grappling with at the moment. My husband works in Nairobi and comes home once a year. He hardly send us money for upkeep and that leave me with no choice but to look for ways of getting our daily bread. I have a stall at Cheboyo Centre where I sell githeri (mixture of maize and beans boiled together). This business earns me KES 200 per day and with the high cost of living, this money is not enough to provide all the three meals. I have, on a number of times, forgo meals so that my children can have enough.
