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.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Upon receiving my transfer, I strategically plan its allocation. During the school break, I invested $18 in acquiring six chickens and spent $10 in acquiring their feeds, which have now multiplied to twenty. Additionally, I set aside $20 to purchase dried fish, a venture that not only feeds my children but also supports my family. As school resumed, I directed my transfers towards paying $40 school fees for my four primary school children and $10 for my secondary school child. With the remaining $28, I ensured my entire family had ample food to sustain us.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I pray to the Almighty God to guide me in transforming my life. I am determined to break free from my current circumstances and pursue a brighter future. My plan is to invest in livestock, starting with chickens and gradually expanding to goats and eventually cows. By selling the chickens, I will be able to acquire goats, which will in turn provide a foundation for obtaining cows. These animals will not only multiply, but also provide valuable resources like milk and the bulls that I will acquire will be used for farming. Additionally, I have ventured into buying and selling dried fish to further increase my income. Each step of this journey is driven by my desire to elevate our living standards and create a sustainable future for myself and my family.
26th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($24 USD)
access_time 7 months ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My life has changed completely since I got enrolled into the Givedirectly program. If you come to my home right now I am usually alone most times doing house chores but this was not the case before, my house in a sense was the chief's stopover, he would come to check for children out of school and all of mine were home. My husband wasn't making enough to ensure that the children would go to school. Now all the children are in school, two in secondary and four in primary. I have spent in the recent three months $70 on school fees for them. I have balanced this money to also ensure I make a long term investment where I got chicks at $10 and used it to buy food in December at $20.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I do not want to go back to lying to the local chief because my children were out of school. My life is now easier to run because the children can now go to school. My plan is very simple, educate my children, and build an investment. I have lost animas to sickness and weather but now I am more aware of the changes and happenings around me. I hope to get more chicken from those I have and in turn build a herd that can be sold to take care of school fees when the program gets to an end.
22nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($23 USD)
access_time 11 months ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent $80 from the GiveDirectly transfers to pay school fees for my five children. It is a huge relief because, in the past, we struggled to afford their school requirements. My job as a charcoal burner was insufficient to support our family, and my husband's job as a casual laborer couldn't provide financial stability. With the school fees paid, we no longer have to worry about our children being sent back home due to lack of school fees.
I then spent $10 on purchasing chicks, with the hope that later they will mature and hatch furthering our potential for income generation. Life has become simpler and more stable, we can now afford items that were previously beyond our reach, like acquiring a goat. GiveDirectly has truly lifted our burdens, and we find ourselves in a much better place, full of hope and gratitude for the opportunities it has provided.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My goal is to invest in myself and my family so that by the time the program comes to an end, we won't return to the life we had before. I plan to rear more livestock and generate income so as to continuously provide my children with the best education possible to build their future. This means not only having a stable source of income but also achieving true financial freedom that can sustain us for the rest of our lives. My other plan is to manage my finances wisely, ensuring we never have to go back to the hardships we once faced. I'm excited to work towards making all these a reality
18th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($25 USD)
access_time 1 year ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My husband and I do not make much and we have four children in school. We really thank Givedirectly because through them we are able to educate our children. I am actually on the way to pay school fees from this month's transfer. I havve used $14 to pay school fees for my 4 children. In May I spent $10 and in April I spent $15 in order to pay school fees for my four school going children. I spent, in may and June, $10 in June and $20 in May to pay my informal savings group contribution. I also bought food using this transfers, I spenty $10 on food in April, In may $10 and June $9. I also got some three chicken at $7.5.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I am so glad I am in a savings group. I joined the savings group after Joining the Givedirectly program. I want to get to $15 in savings which we hope to distribute to each person once their turn comes. I want to use this savings to buy a goat or sheep which I believe will contribute building wealth. Animals have a huge turnover in profit which I would like to be part of the beneficiaries. I may even buy a cow which has better returns since I can milk and sell it to the locals.
14th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($27 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a mother of six children who sells fish for a living. I really work hard to make ends meet but on a bad day, I go home empty handed after a very long day of work. In good days, I make $3 a day which is not enough to even sustain my family. I have children who are in school busy chasing their dreams and I pray to God each day for them to complete their studies and be successful in life.The moment I received my transfers, the first thing that came to my mind was how to settle my children's school fees. I took $15 to settle their school fees and it released some burden of my shoulder. After settling their fees, I started thinking of what they will eat after coming back from school, so I took $10 and bought food.Since all boreholes are dried up because of the prolonged drought, we usually go fetch water miles away so I decided to pay a motorcyclist to get six jerry can at $3 in order for us to quench our thirst. The remaining amount of $5 I invested in buying two chickens that I am really praying they hatch and the chicks grow for me to sell.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I believe all my hard work will pay off someday and it will not be in vain that I wake up early and I sleep late. My job does not bring in a lot of profit so I want to invest in something else so that at the end of time I will have a variety of sources that bring me profit. I want to start by buying a lot of chicken and when they hatch I can easily sell them and buy goats. When I buy goats they can easily multiply. When they do so, I get enough to sell and buy dairy cows and bulls. I really want to get a bull and a cow so that I can use the bull till my land and the dairy cow I milk them and drink the milk and the remaining milk I easily sell them.The selling of milk will bring in some profit and the bull will help me save my energy and at times I can rent it to someone and get paid at the end of day.This will help me easily multiply my wealth without incurring a lot of cost.
10th Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($25 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent $20 of my recent cash transfer on paying fees for my four children in the nearby primary school. It has always been my pleasure to see get a better education but this was sometimes in vain because of the financial hardships that I have been undergoing for years. I am now thankful to GiveDirectly for empowering me in achieving my dream. Additionally. I bought a chicken worthy for $2 which will now serve as an asset that I can rely on at any time. With the remaining amount of money, I opted to buy foodstuffs for my family and other household items that I was lacking during that time.
6th Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($26 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I happen to have six children who are still pursuing their education, two of them being in high-school while the rest are still elementary school. Prior two receiving the funds my two oldest children who are in secondary school had actually been kicked out of school and had been staying home for a single day but luckily I received the funds the next day, so I ended up using KES 2,500 from the transfers I had received and paid for the both of them as school fees. I then went ahead and used the remaining KES 400 and paid examination fee for my four other children and the remaining balance of KES 100 I ended using on buying a half kilogram of rice.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($27 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a mother of seven. My husband, who works as a farm worker, and I, working as a charcoal manufacturer, normally work hand-in-hand to make sure our children's needs are catered for. School fees payment has always been a challenge for us. Thereby, we had accrued arrears of kes3650. So, when I received my first transfer, I reduced it to KES3150. As for the remaining amount, I used KES2100 to buy food and KES400 to purchase chickens To keep reducing the arrears, I again paid KES1000 from my second transfer and the remaining KES2000, I used to buy a goat.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The funds from give directly have been very helpful in the payment of my children's school fees. They have also improved my financial status. In my opinion, give directly has done very well and I do not see an area where they have failed
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($11 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I took KES 500 and paid school fees for my 4 kids. The remaining amount, I bought 2 hens worth KES 250 and the other worth KES 150. The rest was spent on food.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
There has been no difference in my life as of now. I was able to buy food, pay school fees and buy hens with the transfer.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
When I received the transfer, I was happy and very grateful. I knew it was the aid I needed to pay school fees, buy food and even buy hens; which I did.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
That would be food. When it rained yesterday, we were hopeful it would continue. We're still hopeful. The drought has affected in terms of food and water. I hope the narrative changes for the better.
What is the happiest part of your day?
God has kept my family and me alive. We haven't had to go to hospital and we haven't lost a loved one. Nothing gets better than that.
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I was blessed with ten children. Our financial situation is bad. We barely have money to pay bills or even feed well. Three of my daughters got married at very tender ages due to poverty. As it stands, I'm left with 6 children here. 4 of them are teenagers and require a lot of privacy especially at I'm certain times of the month. We all stay in this one-roomed house. With the help of God and Give Directly, I'll ask my husband how best we can raise money for another house so that we can live in dignity.