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 ($468 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 not been working anywhere since I am a stay at home mother. I knew that this transfer had come at such an opportune time, my goal was to make sure my children were well fed by buying a cow whose milk I would sell to make money for food. I would have as well used the milk to feed my children. I was able to get a cow that was expectant and now has three months to deliver. I had also wanted to purchase a piece of land on which I would farm and use the proceeds of the farm as food and for economic purposes. I however changed my mind and paid school fees for my children instead since they had a very large fee balance that was still outstanding.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The help you are giving is so good and we appreciate it. It has helped me make sure my children are in school.Without this transfer my children in secondary school would have been sent away from school which would mean I would be home with my kids, and with no source of income to pay their school fees they might have had to wait for so long before resuming school.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my first transfer of 55,000 shillings I knew I needed to sort out the aim i had of buying a cow, I sort out for a cow and I got one that was expecting at 38,000 shillings. I am already anticipating the much help the cow will be to my family especially now that it's almost putting to bed. I also got Two sacks of maize in October each for 4000 shillings. Although it is almost running out now it has been of help for a long while to my family. I was also able to buy clothes for my children since they didn’t have enough. A small amount went into sorting out purchases of items such as sugar and oil to use in the house. My second transfer which I had thought of using to purchase land, was redirected to fee payment. My husband used to sort out the school fee for our three children in secondary school. He has however been unable to do so since he has been out of work since March 2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We had an outstanding balance of 58,000 shillings cumulatively, we took 40,000 to reduce the balance to a more manageable amount. We used some of the money left to purchase food items for the home and afew clothes for myself.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($493 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was working on the farm when at 9.28 a.m, I received a message notification. I checked my phone and saw that I had received KES 55,000. My eyes could not believe it as I had never received such a huge amount of money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I am so happy that this transfer has enabled me to provide for my family's basic needs. Until a few weeks ago, we had to buy milk daily, at KES 40 a litre. This was costly for us, especially since I am unemployed and have no source of income. But now, our circumstances have changed. I bought a dairy cow that supplies us with enough milk for use at home. My children are so excited because of this, as they love to drink it. We also have enough food for the eight of us, and I couldn't be more grateful.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Food insecurity has been a cause of stress for my family for a while now. So I was glad to spend KES 10,000 on foodstuff including maize, beans, rice and sugar. I then spent KES 40,000 on buying a dairy cow that can supply our household with milk. Before, we had to spend money on buying milk, at KES 40 a litre, so this was such a relief.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means quality education for my children. I have 6 six children; 3 at the secondary level and 2 at the primary level. I have various school arrears totaling KES 30,000 and we have been figuring out where to get that amount to clear their school fees. My husband works as a house construction within and outside the village. He seldom gets a job and when he gets one, most of the cash is spent on household expenses, and he hardly saves some that can cater to the school expenses. My children are always sent home due to school fees arrears and this has affected their performance in school. Now that I am a beneficiary of Give Directly, I will settle all school fees arrears and have them get quality education. What a sigh of relief for my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am a housewife and my job starts early in the morning after my school-going children have left for school. I start on my routine household chores such as cleaning dishes, washing clothes, and sweeping the compound before preparing lunch for my family. I spend my afternoon hours fetching clean water for domestic use and later fetch firewood. Seeing my husband coming home with food in the evening is the happiest part of my day. This is an indication that my family will not go to bed empty stomach.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The unfavorable climatic condition has been the biggest hardship we have faced in life. Before climate change, we used to grow maize in our one-acre piece of land and harvest approximately 8 bags. We used to sell the surplus maize and earn some cash to cater to the household expenses. This was the situation 10 years ago. Currently, the land has become futile because nothing grows at all due to changes in the climate. When we grow maize, it is attacked by unknown disease when it is just at knee height rendering it futile. We used to rely on maize for both commercial and domestic use and this has become something of the past.
