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
53150 KES ($435 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My goal is to fully pay for the 1.5 acre piece of land for my son. He is currently staying at my maternal home and it is not stable. I have a balance of kshs 70,000 that I intend to clear. I'll really be settled if I accomplish this in the near future.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
What Give Directly is doing well is that it is uplifting families in my village. My children have been able to go to school courtesy of your money. People have build good houses and our village is shining. Everyone is happy and there are no conflicts. Keep this up. There is nothing for improvement. Everything is all perfect.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used kshs 20,000 to pay for my daughter's secondary school fees balance. She had been away from school for a long time due to school fees balance and it was wise to prioritize this. We had no food in the house, so I bought 2 bales of maize flour, vegetables and sugar.These costed approximately kshs 5,000. I have a son who stays with his uncle's and I saw it better to buy some land for him. In future he can construct his house there. So I used kshs 30,000 to buy a piece of land for my son.I also bought a goat worth kshs 3,500 and partially paid kshs 1,000. I'm glad that the goat has already given birth and I'm benefitting from the milk.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($474 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 7 in the morning when I was at my daily hustle when I heard my colleagues celebrating while mentioning GiveDirectly. I suspected there was some good news but before I could take any steps, I heard a vibration from my phone and upon checking, I realized that I had received my first transfer. I was overjoyed with happiness after confirming that I had received my first cash transfer. I couldn't even concentrate and I had to go back home and shared the news with my dear family.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest in my daily life is that my children are now in school. They have been on and off which has been affecting their academic performance. As a single mother of five, it has never been easy at all. The little I earned could only sustain our daily needs. They were even hopeless and even opted to drop out of school. This used to hurt me the most because since I never had a chance to go to school, my wish was to see all my children going to school and scoring better grades. I am so happy that the money came in good time and I was able to settle the arrears. Glad to mention that they were finally able to sit for their exams with their friends.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 22000 of my first transfer on paying school fees for my two children who are both in secondary schools. I was so stressed up because their exams were just around the corner and I had not settled the arrears. I am glad that they were able to resume their studies. To add to that, I am planning to purchase a piece of land whereby I will build a rental house soon. This will now be the stable business that I will rely on because for now, I am just a casual laborer. With the remaining amount of money, I bought foodstuffs for my family which is comprised of five family members. We are all happy that we are in a position to take three meals a day unlike before.
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am a divorced mother of 8 children. Four are still under my care. For more than 10 years, I have been living in my parents' home. I have a son who is 20 years old. In this community, it is culturally unacceptable for a son to live at his maternal home. It lowers the respect accorded to the family. Still, my son cannot go back to the paternal home because we divorced. I intend to use these funds to buy a 2-acre farm where my children will settle. This will cost approximately 70,000 KES. This move will steer my children away from any kind of ridicule.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I have a daughter who is a form one at Sosoni Secondary school. Her fees for this term were 16,000 KES. I am very glad I paid a huge part of the fees. I am only left with 4,500 KES to clear.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of enough money has been a challenge to me for quite some time now. I work as a casual laborer at a quarry nearby. My income is 10,000 KES per month. Having 4 children still depending on me, this amount is never sufficient. After I buy food in my household, I remain with approximately 4,000 KES. Two of my children are in high school, with the remaining amount, clearing their school fees becomes a problem.
