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
55000 KES ($446 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My long-term goal is to build rentals, save some money I am getting from my business and start off. My other short-term goal is to buy a water tank and start a water business, where I would sell a twenty-liter jerrican for $0.1
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly gives money directly to us, they are no intermediaries like chiefs and government officials which means it is not corrupt. I am happy because the money given to us is unconditional.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have a grocery shop where I sell vegetables such as kale, arrowroots, cabbage, and eggplant. Most days I get home late in the night and with my children at school there is no one to fetch water for the family and when I am early I take an hour to find water. I spent my transfer to install water at my compound and I no longer suffer to get water.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($473 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 8 AM when I saw the message notification from my mobile phone. I had already reported at my workplace and without hesitating, I decided to check the message. I realized that it was from GiveDirectly indicating that they had debited my first KES 55000 into my Mpesa account as they had promised during the enrolment period. At that minute, I was so excited because I knew that I would be able to achieve a lot using the transfers including paying fees for my children.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that all my children are now in school. Before the coming of GiveDirectly, they used to be sent home regularly as a result of the accumulated arrears. As a mother, it has been stressing me a lot because I had always wished to see them get a better education with good grades for the sake of their tomorrow. However, this was in vain because my spouse and I depend on casual jobs with low wages which could only sustain our daily meals. Therefore paying fees on time has never been easy at all. I used to seek help from the well-wishers but this bore no fruit. What I can say is that GiveDirectly has restored our joy and hope in life in such a way that could not imagine. No one would think my children would be in school with their friends at this particular period and it's by God's grace. I will forever be thankful to this organization for the positive impact it has brought on my family at large.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 50000 of my first transfer on paying fees for my children who are in universities and secondary schools respectively. It has been stressing me for a while because I did not have a reliable source of income that could facilitate their education journey. Most of the days they were forced to stay home which would motivate them. With the remaining amount of money, I bought foodstuffs for my right family members that have been sustaining us for a couple of weeks. Providing daily meals for my family used to be a struggle and as a result, skipping meals used to be a routine. My children were malnutrition and I was afraid it would cause lead to serious troubles about their health.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I was privileged to study up to secondary school and scored high marks but unfortunately, I was not able to further my studies due to lack of finances. These reasons made me promise myself to work hard so that my children will not face the same fate as I did. I have six children, three of them are already in college but I am straining to pay their college fees, I am afraid that the last three might not be able to further their studies because of financial challenges. These transfers are coming at the right time since they will help me with my children's school fees and lift the burden off me. The first 55,000 KES will go direct to settling the school fees and then use the last 55,000 KES to bring Piped water to my home and will hence reduce the stress of fetching water long distances which is strenuous and tiring.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My grocery business has not been doing well for sometimes but in December, I made big sales because of the festive season, and people who came back home to celebrate with their families also contribute to this. The money I made during that time made it easy for me to pay my children's school fees in January without straining as before.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The tough economy has worsened things for my family. I strain to pay fees to my three children who are in college. Since I have to make sure that they study without any disruption of school fees leaves me with no other choice but to sometimes forgo some meals at home. I have a grocery store that is on the verge of collapsing because of lack of money to boost it and the hiked prices of commodities too. Having no other means of getting capital to boost my business which is the only source of my income is frustrating.
