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 ($462 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I have no new goal for now that emerged and I am grateful for the fact I have was able to accomplish the objectives that I had in mind. That was to buy a dairy cow and construct a decent house. All is well for now because I have assets that I can lean on in case of any emergency. Also, I am sleeping in a decent shelter unlike before whereby I used to seek shelter from my friends and relatives. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for empowering me and changing my life positively.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly is the best organization because of the freedom they gave us regarding the consumption of cash transfers. Also, the enrollment process was free and fair, and made sure that they visited every needy household. I do not see any part that GiveDiretly needs to change.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my second transfer on paying college fees of KES 23000 for my son who recently enrolled in a teaching course. I was stuck not knowing where I would acquire the required money and the only option was for him to stay at home. Luckily, the GiveDirectly came in good time and he is now continuing with his studies. Also, I saved KES 23000 for my other son who will soon be transitioning to secondary school. As a father, I am so glad that he will be able to go to school without any hiccups considering that I am old and jobless. All I can say is that these are just like miracles. With the remaining amount, I bought sufficient foodstuffs for the three family members which took us two months.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($494 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 7 am when I had left home for the filed for my daily work of charcoal making. Just before reaching the site, my phone rang twice and upon checking it was the 1st transfer that we were promised from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy knowing that I have been boosted at a great level since there were so many demanding issues that needed some financial attention though I couldn’t tackle them.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Sincerely speaking if it were not for the GiveDirectly transfer, my college child would have missed his examinations. That’s the first thing I can highlight since clearing his fees brought peace in my family. We were always in pensive running up and down not knowing where we could get such amount for him to be permitted to do his exams. Thanks very much GiveDirectly for coming through not only to my son but also to the whole family since you restored happiness to the family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
On the very day I received the transfer I sent KES 23000.00 to my child who is in college and things were stack. They had been given a one week deadline failure to which they will not be allowed to sit for their examinations and my child was among the group which was set to miss examination. I also took KES 17000.00 and bought a cow with some hopes that it will multiply and we will also get some milk both for sale and for family use. The good news is that approximately the cow will give birth soon since it’s in the family way.
Having other 2 children who are in primary school and they had some fee arrears, I opted to clear them and also paid the school fee balance for this term amounting to KES 7000.00. The remaining amount I bought some food for the family.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means improving my standards of living. My wife died in the year 2003. Since then I have been living a miserable life because I have no one to take care of me. I want to marry a wife who will take care of me and also give me company. The dowry will cost Ksh.70000. I will use the remaining amount to pay school fees for my son who is in college. He wants Ksh.50000 per term.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My happiest Part of the day is in the morning. This is because I am fresh from a sleep. When I go look for job in the afternoon and fail to get one , I come home unhappy.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My wife died on 2003. That time we had three children who were very young. I used to prepare them every morning before I go for work . That has been very stressful to me. Loosing a wife and taking care of the children alone is the biggest hardship I faced in life.
