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 ($435 USD)
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?
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I do subsistence farming like maize and beans to earn a living. In the coming year and beyond, I am planning to buy a larger piece of land for farming so as to harvest as much as possible. I also raise livestock like sheep and chicken although in small number, I am hopeful to add more of them so that in the future I will be selling out some to be used for educating my children who are still in Primary School.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, what GiveDirectly does well in this program is that we receive the transfers in lumpsum amounts. This helps in planning as one is in a position to do something huge as compared to when the transfers are given in small instalments.
Another thing that GiveDirectly does well is that the unlearned recipients are taught how to use mpesa. This has reduced the number of theft cases in the community as most of us managed to change our pins to a more secure code.
What needs to be done differently is enrolling all the individuals in the household to avoid household conflict. During enrollment, those individuals who did not have responsibilities by then were left out of the program yet these are the same people who steal from their old and vulnerable parents.
Another thing that needs to be done differently is enrolling all the communities in a specific village for uniformity purposes and this will prevent too many complaints coming from the communities that are left out during the registration to the programs.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used the transfers to pay tithes and thanksgiving in my local church for kshs 5000. I am a parent of three kids. Two of them are in Secondary school, form one and form three, while the other one is in college pursuing bachelor in Education. I used kshs 30,000 to pay for their school fees. Getting regular and balanced meals has been the most difficult thing in my family. I used kshs 10,000 to stock food and this lasted us for almost two months. I thank GiveDirectly for the transfers as my family fed on healthy meals for two months. I used the rest of the transfers as savings for future use.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($460 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I felt so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. I was at home and had already retired to bed when I heard my phone ring and on confirming I waited until morning that I informed my family members.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
One of my child who was just about to defer is now going to graduate successfully. I woukd have had to rely on a harambee and this reduced the levels of stress
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 30000 to pay school fees and paid tithes worth Kee 5500 and the remaining amount was used to buy food and clothes for my children. I normally rely on merry go round and bursaries to pay school fees
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have 2 children in Kisumu National Polytechnic and 2 others in secondary schools. The school fees problem is what has been giving me a lot of stress. In a year I pay about KES 80000 which is very expensive for me. I have been struggling to raise the needed money but it has not been a walk in the park. I still owe the school a total of KES 50000 which I do not have at the moment. It is for this reason that when I get the money I will use it to settle all the pending fees arrears of KES 50000 and use the extra amount to pay next term fees. This will allow me enough time and the peace of mind to look for other money to pay the fees in the future.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My girl who recently completed form 4 passed highly, I was so elated that my effort of paying school fees had finally paid off. It gives me hope and the urge to do even more for them. She got a mean grade of B+ and is due to join the university sometime in September. She wants to pursue her dream of becoming a high school teacher. She has elevated my status in the village and she is the first girl in our clan to attain the feat. I am so proud of her.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Nothing bothers me more than raising the school fees for my kids. I wish for my children to get the best education and have a better life in the future than mine. It is the mother of all problems that I face at the moment. All the disposable income I get goes towards the payment of the school fees and I have lacked in other development fronts. Life has become so hard for me, I live a life of anguish and I got no peace of mind.
