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?
We have some piece of land which is lying idle and I together with my husband we are thinking of investing my next transfer on farming as our children are now home for the Christmas holiday.
The land is fertile and we believe that maize will do well and we will have a good harvest which we will use some for food at home and the surplus for sale.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The recent transfer which I received from GD, I spent to clear this year's school fees. Unlike before, I would have some arrears carried forward to the following year as I wasn't able to pay on time. My children were able to stay in school throughout the term as they were not sent home for school fees at any given point.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
This project is going to end in the next four months and I believe by that time I will have cleared paying school fees for my child for the whole of the first term. This will mean a lot to me as I will get to focus on other farm activities which will enable me to earn some money and get food for the family.
16th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
I can now afford some of the most basic needs that I could not afford in the past. The struggle of having to work for longer hours in order to make enough money that could allow me afford some of these basic needs is now a thing of the past. GiveDirectly transfers have equally given me enough time to attend to my own income generating activities at home and be more food sufficient than before. I have as well been able to keep my children in school all year round contrary to the days when they were often sent home for school fees. This has led to improvement in their performance in school and I am quite optimistic that they will pass and join colleges to be able to accomplish their dreams and have a brighter future.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
One of my children is joining form four next year and another one is joining form one. This will mean that I will have to think of ways that I can get money to be used on paying their school fees. My plan is to save the GiveDirectly transfers to be able to accumulate enough and pay their school fees in time.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life over the last four months is that we have been able to build a new and bigger house. The house that we were staying in was a small grass thatched one that had a leaking roof. This was particularly a problem during the rainy season as it left my children suffering in the cold. I joined a merry go round group that was started by a group of people benefiting from these transfers and I was able to raise enough money that enabled me to build a new house. My children and I are now living comfortably and we are so grateful for the transfers that has brought a difference in our lives.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect my life to change over the next six months in that I will have more income for the family and as well be able to raise the living standards of my family. One of my children is clearing her secondary school education and another one is joining. I am looking forward to paying their school fees in order to witness their wonderful performance. This shall definitely make me a proud parent.
12th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time almost 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 how it was four months ago in that I am now able to pay school fees for my child through table banking. In the past, I used to struggle paying school fees with the little money I get from casual jobs such as weeding and at times they were sent home to collect school fees and this led to poor performance. Currently, I am able to pay all the school fees on time and they are no longer sent home hence they are now performing well. Thank you Give Directly for the cash transfers.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My goal for the next four months is to buy a dairy cow using the money I will get from table banking. This cow will be an investment since I will be able to sell it in future to pay school fees for my child in secondary school. I will also have enough milk for my family and will sell the surplus to cater for other basic needs. I am also planning to plant beans in the next four months. This is because beans can be harvested within a short period of time and I will sell it to pay school fees for my daughter.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer is that, I used to live in a small house and it could not accommodate all my family members comfortably. My children used to sleep in a grass thatched kitchen and it was congested. At times it was a challenge to do their homework because of the busy kitchen and they could sometimes miss doing it. I used the money from table banking to build an iron roofed kitchen and another house where my children sleep. I now have a spacious kitchen where I can cook comfortably and a room where my children can sleep and do their homework without any disturbance.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect my life to change in the next six months in that I am planning to use the money I will get from table banking to buy a dairy cow. It will produce enough milk for family consumption and I will be able to sell some of it to earn an income to cater for other basic needs.
7th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 6 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life currently is different since I have been able to build a new house for my family.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
The new goal I now have is to buy a cow.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life is happiness since my family is now living in a more decent house.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect my life to change in that my children feeding well and I will have also bought a cow.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 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 at the moment is to build a bigger house for my family since the one I have now is small and children have to sleep in the kitchen which is also small in size.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is now different since I am sure that at the end of the month I will be having money to pay school fees for my children and use what I get from my work to buy food.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
At the moment, we are planing to start a merry go round group in our village and I expect that my life will change since I will have started building a bigger house for my family using the money I will get when its my turn in the group.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my life is that my family now days lack nothing to eat since when I get money from my daily work, I use them to buy food and not saving them for school fees purposes.
Enrolled
access_time almost 7 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I've ever faced in life is the inability to pay school fees for my children.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is during the evening when I'm spending time with my family.
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
I'm planning to spend my transfer on school fees for my children.
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
The greatest achievement I'm proud of in life is the fact that when I was a farmer I used to get great results in the farm.