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
53200 KES ($486 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is different than how it would have been if I never received the transfers in that I have paid school fees for my son who was joining form one. I depend on casual jobs in the village, the amount of money that I get through this casual jobs is so small and cannot meet all the basic needs. I run a grocery store, This earns me a profits of KES 300 per day. I have needs at home which I spent all this money. Saving is not easy because of the recurrent needs. I didn't know how to raise the school fees. When I received the second transfer I found it Worth to start by paying all the fees for that term. My son now is studying well in school. This has given me peace of mind to work hard and ensure that I save some money to pay for next academic term. GiveDirectly has enabled me to educate my son and to start embracing the saving culture. This will ensure I pay school fees for my son until he clears the secondary school.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly does well by giving money to the poor in the community to build better houses and to buy dairy cows. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of the money I received from GiveDirectly on completing the construction of a new house that I started using the previous transfer. Currently my son live in a decent house. I paid KES 15,000 school fees for my son who was joining form one. This could have been hard because I had no money. Finally I bought food and clothes for my children. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has changed our living standard.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($510 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I became so happy the moment I realized that GD had honored their promise of sending the transfer. Having this money in my account gave me hope that I would be able to fulfil my dreams.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I am now a happy parent. This is because I have been able to start building a house for my son. With this, I will be guaranteed of his safety since he will not be walking around the neighborhood at night. In addition to this, he will be having enough time in the evening to study and I believe that this will impact his performance positively.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my transfer, I spent KES 50000 to build a house for my son and a spacious kitchen for my family. We settled to build a house for our son as a family so that he will not be sleeping at my neighbors house anymore. This is because his security is not always guaranteed as he have to walk for about 20 mins at night heading to my neighbors house to sleep. Due to this, he always have ni time to study in the evening as he always have to leave early enough before it becomes too dark. Building a kitchen was also my priority since I used to use my bedroom as a kitchen. Because of this, our clothes are always full of soot. I spent the remaining amount to buy food to last us for some time.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means an increase in self-esteem. We have only one house which serves as a kitchen and at the same time for sleeping. In our culture, a grown-up son cannot sleep with their parents under one roof. My son usually looks for somewhere to sleep within the village, something that has brought a feeling of shame and has lowered my self-esteem as a parent. My ambition is to take away the shame from my family by building him a new house from the transfer. I intent to spend Ksh 20,000 of my transfer from Give Directly to build it from the start to finish. This will fulfill my duty as a caring parent to my children.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening. I use my morning hours to attend to normal household chores such as cleaning utensils, washing clothes, and cooking food for my children. I spend my afternoon hours in my grocery store selling my merchandise until late in the evening. Going back home with my hard-earned cash brightens my evening.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial inadequacy has been the biggest hardship we have faced in life. I am a business lady in a nearby center selling groceries earning a profit of approximately Ksh 300 a day. Owing to the difficult economic times we are in, that amount of money cannot sustain a family of 5. I have 3 school-going children who are all in primary school. The money I get from my small business is not enough to cater for food and meet other school expenses.
