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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Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($416 USD)
access_time 4 months ago
attach_money
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have been surviving on menial jobs, including doing construction work for years to make a living and educating my two children in college. Their educational journey has not been easy, and at times I failed to raise their fees on time, causing them to stay home before I could pay. As a parent, my main goal has always been to ensure that my children achieve their educational goals. Receiving my first transfer of $200 brought me great relief, as I could pay for their tuition fees on time. They can now continue with their studies without any interruptions due to fees. I am no longer engaging in casual jobs, currently doing subsistence farming in the village and I am happy that the transfer has catered for my children's education. In addition to paying fees, I also acquired six goats and six chickens for $230, which I am currently keeping in my homestead. These are assets that I can sell to cater to my financial needs, such as paying fees for my children. I previously had some livestock, but I had to sell them to raise fees for my children. These new assets will allow me to breed and multiply them to sell or exchange them for a dairy cow. I also spent $30 on hiring a tractor since it was the planting season. I paid for the services to ensure timely land preparation and cultivation. My acreage was fully utilised, and I am hoping for a good harvest. The remaining amount was spent on buying foodstuffs for my family and some household items, such as utensils that were lacking.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I now own six goats and cleared fees for my children on time, which so far has made the biggest difference in my daily life. Before I received the support, I struggled to pay for my two children's college tuition fees. Before they joined college, I relied on menial jobs, such as working in construction, to make a living. Although my brothers helped with the tuition fees, their support was minimal since they also had their own families to support. Currently, I no longer engage in menial jobs and I am only doing subsistence farming in the village. I am at peace now because I managed to clear my children's fee arrears with the recent transfers and they are now comfortably continuing with their college education. My goal as a parent is to ensure that they achieve their educational goals without any interruptions in fees. I am also glad that I was able to purchase six goats, which I could not afford before. Previously, I had some goats, but when it was time to take my children to school, I sold them all to raise their fees. Now, I am keeping these goats and letting them multiply so that in the near future, I can sell them to meet my financial needs.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was heading home after running some errands in the trading centre when I received some messages on my phone. At first, I thought they were just the usual promotional messages from Safaricom and did not bother checking the contents. I was not expecting to receive any money from anyone, so I did not keep checking my messages. Once I got home, I overheard some neighbours talking about receiving transfers from GiveDirectly. That's when I remembered that I had received some messages too. I thought they might also be about the transfers, so I called my helper to check and she confirmed that I had indeed received my first transfer. I was overwhelmed with joy as I thought about all the things I had been unable to do because of financial constraints. With this transfer, I could now fulfil those dreams, including paying for my children's school fees.
Enrolled
access_time 6 months ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of reliable source of income is the challenge I am currently facing in life. I do casual jobs that with very little income which caters for food only. I have two children that have stayed away from school for two years now. I lack the capacity to enroll them.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Food security brought happiness in my life. We have been under famine for the past three years. However, last year on October we received rain and planted maize on my one acre piece of land. I harvested one sack of maize Worthy 100 kg and it sustained the family for two months. I lacked farm inputs and also the heavy rain washed away my maize plans that's why I got low yields. The harvest brought happiness in my life.
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
I am a widow living with my four children. I do casual jobs that gives me little income that caters for food only. I have two children who did their KCSE last year but one but they are yet to join college due to lack of funds. I will use $500 to enroll the two children to college. I will also use $250 to buy seven goats as an investment. This will bring sustainable income and help me raise school fees for the two children who will join college.