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.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The persistent drought that has struck us for almost a year left us helpless because we depend majorly on subsistence farming. We could not afford three meals a day but because of the transfers, providing food for our families is no longer a challenge. In my opinion, giving us unconditional transfers is what GiveDirectly has done well so far. I do not see anything that it has not done well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am grateful to GiveDirectly for coming through at a time when I was in my worst financial situation. Our region has been hit hard by drought which has made it impossible to do farming. It has been a challenge buying foodstuffs daily since I do not have a source of income to rely on. I used to sell milk from my cows but because of the drought, it even became hard to maintain them. Ever since I received the transfers, I never lacked food in my household. I bought enough foodstuffs like maize flour that served us for some weeks. In addition to this, I also saved KES 400 in a savings group that I am a member of in our village. I am happy that despite the financial hardship, I managed to save part of the transfer to help me in case of an emergency.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($10 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was quite occupied in the farm looking after livestock when I received the message that the funds had finally come through. I was ecstatic because I had no idea GiveDirectly would keep its word because I had never seen nor heard of such an organization and it seemed slightly like a hoax. But I ma glad I took the opportunity and I was most definitely pleased to be a part of its great work.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
There has not been quite a significant change when it comes to my daily life but I ma glad for the slight changes I see so far and that includes having finances that enable me to have food on the table. Over time I plan on using the funds to pay tuition fee for my kids because keeping them in school has always been challenging. Now I too can chip in financially and take care of my family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My biggest priority after receiving the money from this organization was to ensure that my kids and I had food in the house especially since providing and having a meal has been one of our biggest obstacles. Therefore as soon as I received the money, I went ahead and bought five packets of maize flour for KES 550, a packet of wheat flour for KES 150 and then I used KES 100 and bought myself some mangoes because I had really craved them. I was left with about KES 400 and I ended using KES 100 by storing it in my savings account so that I could be prepared in case of any emergency and when I need the urgency for cash. Then ended using the KES 300 as offering in church because before meeting GiveDirectly I had so many financial problems and coming to contact with it seemed like a miracle to me, so I wanted to be grateful to God for the opportunity and for life in general.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Two of our children are still in school. The fees that we are required to pay are well above KES 70,000 per term. This is besides other expenses like basic needs. My husband runs a retail shop and I do not work. Quick math, if we combine both transfers every month and make a deposit to both schools, we would be able to clear the fees. In two years, one will have finished college, and the other will be done with secondary school. We can use transfers of the remaining three years to grow the business and sustain ourselves better.
What is the happiest part of your day?
After four years of joblessness, my second-born son got a teaching job towards the end of 2021. He works in another county. I miss his presence because I was so used to having him near me all the time, but I cannot stop giving thanks to God for this opening. I pray that all my children will be blessed with jobs and be able to live comfortable lives.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am afraid if our financial situation does not improve here, we will easily go hungry. The retail shop only makes small margins in profit. As little as KES 3,000 a month. The dilemma is what bills to settle with the money at hand. We eat what's available, for instance, for one and a half months, we have constantly had ugali and cabbage. This poor diet is taking a toll on my health. I've lost so much weight and I fall sick often because I am hypertensive. I hope this improves.
