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 ($467 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I still have one child in secondary school who will be sitting for her final examinations next month. It is my wish to continue supporting her in her education so that she will not rush into getting married as her siblings did. Since I have been able to finish paying for the land that I acquired in the year 2020, I am hopeful that paying her school fees and meeting our basic needs will not be challenging for me since I will channel all my resources here.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly officers were polite and gave us meaningful information on the security of the transfers that we were yet to receive and how best we could spend it to improve our lives. This is evident with how people in my village spent the transfer and I am happy that God used GiveDirectly to transform my life.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I sell cooked maize mixed with beans and porridge in our neighboring trading centers. I have been saving part of my daily income from this business in our merry-go-round group so that I would later use it in paying school fees for my daughter and to achieve some of my goals. I purchase a piece of land shortly after the outbreak of Covid 19 and had been paying for it in bits for a period of 16 months. My transfer came in handy as it enabled me to clear a balance of KES 35000 that had remained. After this, I used KES 8000 on paying school fees for my daughter so that she would not be sent back home and spent the remaining amount on food.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($495 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was at home getting ready to go and open my business that I operate in our nearby market when I received the Mpesa message confirming that GiveDirectly had deposited the promised money into my account. My heart was filled with joy on seeing this and it made me believe that God can indeed uplift people in different ways at His own time. I immediately informed my son who was at home at that time and he was equally excited that the transfer had finally been sent and we would be able to clear his school fee arrears.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
As a widow, I shoulder all the responsibilities of my household, and paying school fees for my children on time had been a challenge to me since my business of making Githeri and Uji at home and selling them in our neighboring market is not reliable. Because of this, my children are often out of school due to fee arrears and I am happy that they will be able to concentrate on their studies this year without worrying about anything as I was able to pay their school fees using part of the transfer. This has given me peace of mind and allowed me to save some money that I can later use in paying their school fees when they proceed to their next class.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my transfer, I spent KES 21000 to buy a heifer as a way of investing this money. Apart from being able to save the money that I would otherwise use in buying milk when it calves, I will be using the income from the sale of milk to pay school fees for my children. In addition to this, I spent KES 18000 and KES 15000 to pay school fees for my son in polytechnic and my daughter who is in high school respectively. I settled on this so that they would concentrate on their studies and be able to sit for their examinations. I used the remaining KES 700 to buy food to last us for some time. I am happy that GiveDirectly was able to put a smile on our faces and that of our neighbors in different ways.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have always wanted to venture into poultry farming but due to lack of finances, this has not been possible. I love it because it is a way of employing yourself and it does not require a lot of space. To start off this journey, I plan to buy 20 chicken each costing KES 450. I also plan to spend an extra KES 10000 to build a nice structure for the same. Out of this business, I am certain that I will collect not less than 15 eggs per day which I will then sell at KES 15 at our local market. Receiving this money will mean a lot to me as it will help actualize my dream.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I live with my last-born daughter who is a day scholar in a nearby high school. Being with her every evening is my ultimate source of happiness. We talk, crack jokes as we laugh and this is truly the happiest part of the day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Being a widow with 7 children has not been easy. I have single-handedly struggled to see them through school because my husband passed on when our firstborn had not yet joined high school. In the year 2016, for example, I had three children in high school all at the same time. I relied on village fundraising which made me go through a lot of shaming because a section of neighbors was bold enough to tell me that my job is to give birth with the expectation that the community will help me raise school fees.
