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
53010 KES ($373 USD)
access_time 9 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
In the upcoming year, my main goal is to provide university education for my children. Two of them have recently completed their secondary education and are eagerly awaiting to join higher learning institutions. To turn this aspiration into reality, my plan is to utilize the profits from my tomatoes business and the income generated from my goat rearing project. By diligently working towards this objective, I am hopeful that I can support my children's dreams of pursuing higher education and ensuring a bright future for them.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The financial support we received from GiveDirectly has had a profoundly positive impact on our lives, granting us a newfound financial freedom. The program's unconditional approach allowed us the flexibility to utilize the funds in ways that best suited our individual needs, and we are immensely grateful for the empowering effect it had on our quality of life. Personally, I have not experienced any shortcomings in the program's implementation, and we are truly appreciative of the support we received.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a businesswoman specializing in selling tomatoes, and my husband works as a security guard. We are blessed with eight children, but providing for their school fees has been a constant struggle for us. With all of our children in school, it has been a constant struggle to meet their school fees and support them comfortably. When I received my second transfer, I decided to spent $160 to pay off my children's school fees arrears, reducing the burden of accumulated debt. Additionally, I used $105 to renovate my children's house, replacing the roof with sturdy iron sheets. Finally, I invested $12 in purchasing two goats. I am delighted that my children now have a decent and safe place to sleep, and I was able to alleviate the school fees arrears. The positive impact of these changes has brought immense happiness into our lives, and I am grateful for the significant improvement that the transfer has made in our family's well-being.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($444 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I got to confirm that I had received GiveDirectly funds at around 4:50 pm that day. I was away from home that day and it is my son who gave me a call and informed me that people in our village had received the money. We were not expecting to receive the money that soon since we had just been enrolled the previous day and we had been informed that we were to receive the money in a months time. After confirming that I had indeed received the money, I called my children who were at home and they in turn informed my husband that we had been sent the money It therefore came as a surprise to me when I was told money. We were so happy as a family that we were finally going to be able to pay school fees for our children in full and also celebrate Christmas in style.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that we are happier as a family than we were before receiving the transfers. We not only had an opportunity to celebrate christmas in a good way but also remained with some reasonable amount of money to help us clear school fee balance for our children and to do some shopping for them. I feel so much happy for this and grateful to GiveDirectly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We used $150 to improve our house. With this money, we were able to buy cushions, ceiling boards and paints. We had always wanted to do these investments but with the little income that my husband got from his security work was barely enough to make ends meet. I also saved a sum of $280 that will be used to pay school fees for my children who are in various schools. Very often, my children have been sent home for school fees because our sources of income would not allow us pay school fees in full at the beginning of the term. My husband works as a watchman while I run a small business that helps in meeting the daily needs of our family. I am so happy that for once, my children will be in school full time and will not be sent home for school fees whatsoever. I am a mother of eight, and the elder children have had to study with such challenges but I thank God that this time round I will have zero balance for both of them.
Enrolled
access_time over 1 year ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
We would like to spend the first transfers to clear my children's school fee and it will be enough to guarantee them a full year of uninterrupted studies, we wouldn't have desired anything more than this. For the second transfer we would like to split it into two halves of each $227 and first use it to upgrade our housing conditions which are currently deplorable because it is so cold at night and it needs a ceiling on the wall to insulate it. The other half we will purchase 5 goats and this will be our investment so that we can have something to sell in future for a higher price and make some profit.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I was happy when we successfully negotiated with the teachers so that my daughters could sit their end year exams without any hiccup.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Payment of school fees is the main challenge that we are currently facing. We have two children Deborah and Abigail in high school that we have been paying school fees amounting to $550 per annum. I have a small vegetable selling business here in the village and it earns me about $5 a week which all goes to food needs of the family. My husband John is now left to carry all the burden involving school fees and he earns a salary of $30 a month which is not enough to pay all the school fees even if we sacrifice his salary wholly for a year. We have therefore been accumulating debts and our children had been suspended from school some time last month and this really discouraged our efforts because we felt so hopeless. The teachers were threatening to deny them end year exams because of the arrears. We were lucky anyway because we negotiated and they allowed them to sit their end year exams with a promise to clear all the arrears at the beginning of the year.
