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 ($528 USD)
access_time 4 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 it would have been if I never received the transfer in that I have to build a better house and paid school fees for my children.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly does well by giving out unconditional cash transfer to uplift the living standard of many people in the community. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well so far because the fulfilled all the promises.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
I spend my second transfer to pay school fees for my children in secondary and college and the rest of the money I used it to buy a goat, clothes and food for the family.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($542 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have paid school fees for my children in both secondary school and college. I depend on small scale farming including a poultry-keeping project to earn an income to meet all the basic needs of the family and pay school fees at the same time. Sometimes My children were sent home to collect school fees and because I did not have the money instantly they could stay at home for quite some time at this was affecting their performance in school. Currently, I have cleared all the fee areas and my children were not sent home as usual. Their performance was so improved as compared to previous terms and this made me so happy. I also had peace of mind to concentrate on other activities because I knew that they won't be sent home. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has given me hope to work smart to ensure that my children graduate on time.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment when I received my money I felt so happy. My phone was off during that time. A neighbor called my spouse to ask if we have received the money. Immediately I charged my phone and switched it on and within no time I got a message confirming that I have received a sum of 55000 KES. We felt so happy because we knew we would be in a position to clear all the school fees for children in school.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent my first transfer to pay part of the school fees for children in secondary school and in college and the rest of the money I used it to buy two goats, a donkey and food for the family.
Enrolled
access_time over 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that I will be able to offset this year's school fees arrears for my children.One of them joined college recently and another is in secondary school.We were able to pay a part of the fees from our farm proceeds but are yet to clear.Having done that,I will also expand on my poultry farm by first building a better unit and then buying more chicken as a means of investing my transfers
What is the happiest part of your day?
I teach at a nearby pre-school and so most of my mornings are spent there till noon.Teaching is a very tasking job and it requires a lot of patience especially when dealing with young children.By noon,am awfully tired and this is the time I come back home where I prepare lunch for my family.In the afternoon there isn't much to do and I therefore get time to rest for a while which is quite a relief.This is the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced is raising school fees for my children.My son recently completed University where he had been enrolled as a self sponsored student.The fees were very high and this forced us to sell most of our cows in order to manage as well as pay for the other children.This was with the hope that once he completes,he will secure a job and in turn assist us with paying for his siblings' fees.With the current unemployment crisis,he has not gotten one and we have therefore had to keep struggling more especially because we fully depend on farming which sometimes fails us.
