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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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Newsfeed > Margaret's Profile
Margaret's family
Margaret
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Raising livestock
faceAge:
39
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
Upcoming Stage
Next Payment
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Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
18010 KES ($134 USD)
access_time 2 months ago
attach_money
 
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I received the money at around 3:00 pm when I heard my phone ring. Upon checking and reading the name Segovia I could not read further. I had already paid school fees for my daughter who is doing her form four this year. I knew very well that failing to plan this cash would be detrimental because of the many needs that we had. The money came at a time that we hardly had any food within our household. I took almost a week organizing myself on how I was going to spend the money. I later withdrew the money and used it to fence a compound that now hosts my livestock.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my life since I started receiving this transfer is that my stress levels have greatly reduced. Over the recent past some of my livestock were eaten up by a hyena since we stay close to a forest. Such happenings and failing to raise enough money to pay school fees are just but a few incidences that increases my stress levels occasionally. GiveDirectly came in handy and stood in the gap to help me reduce such stresses. I am personally very happy that I was considered to be part of this program. I am sure my life and that of my family shall henceforth change and we shall forever be indebted to GiveDirectly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received a sum of $180, I used $60 to buy fencing posts and another $50 was used to hire a piece of land for farming under irrigation. $20 was used to cater for labour by people who helped me put up the fence. $15 was used to pay school fees for one of my children and the remaining amount was used to meet other needs of my family. I am eternally grateful that this transfer has completely turned around my life by enabling me achieve things that would otherwise have remained as just dreams. Being a single mother of four who relies on livestock keeping and irrigation farming to earn a living, things had been tough for me especially with the drought situation that we have been experiencing. We have hardly had any rains over the last three years making our lives very difficult. I am so happy and grateful to God for the mitigation that this transfer has brought not just in my life but for everyone within my village that has received this transfer. We look forward to achieving much more with the transfers that we are expecting and on top of my priority list is to clear school fees for my children and make them .kre comfortable in school.
 
Enrolled
access_time 5 months ago
 
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
The transfer will help me pay school fees. I will first pay $200 areas. To ensure they continue with their studies smoothly, I will use the other $800 to pay school fees for the year. Additionally, I will have to do farming when the rain begins. This will help me support my children in terms of food, transport and other school needs. I have half a acre piece of land that I inherited from my father. I will plant maize and also rent another acre. This will produce about 12 bags combined. For food security, I will store 6 bags and sell the rest.
What is the happiest part of your day?
What makes me happy are my children. They are well educated. My son completed university, now a job seeker. I also have another daughter in university. It makes me happy seeing my children excel in their education.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I separated with my husband 20 years ago. Life's not easy being a single mother of 4. My biggest challenge now is paying school fees. I have one girl in secondary school and another studying in the university. I need to clear fees areas of $200. I am worried about this year. I will have to raise another $800 to support them fully. I depend on farming to sustain them. This year has been difficult because of the drought. I normally plant maize for sell to support my family. Now I cannot do irrigation because the river source has dried completely.