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 ($461 USD)
access_time 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 a new goal of purchasing a piece of land once I accumukate enough money from the work that I do. I am happy and grateful for the things that I was able to do but I look forward to buying a piece of land soon that would enable me practice advanced agricultura activities. Right now I am so limited in terms of what I can do since the farm that I built in is very small.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly did well by giving money unconditionally and giving us education on how to spend the money before the disbursement. I feeel everything that they did was just in order and there is nothing that I thought they could do better.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 10000 to bring to completion a house that I had built with the first transfer and used another KES 20000 to pay school fees for my two children who are still in their secondary school studies. The remaining amount was used to buy food for family . I normally rely on sale of milk to earn income and this could hardly be enough to just buy food and meet just a few of other family's needs.I am happy that GiveDirectly came in handy to give a helping hand and I cannot stop being grateful.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($485 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 at home when I heard a message notification from my phone. It was around 11am. When I checked it out I felt so happy, it was a message confirming that I have received money from GiveDirectly. I have never received such amount of money before. I inform my family members and they were so happy. I went and withdrew the money the same day and planned on how to spend it with my family.
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 have paid school fees for my daughter who is in secondary school. This was my priority and focus. I depend on casual jobs at the quarry. This jobs earn me a small income which I use it on school fees. My children used to be sent home to collect the school fees. This was affecting their performance since the were missing lessons. Currently I have been able to pay all the school fees on time and I hope for better results. I am so grateful for the support because currently I have peace of mind to do other activities. I have devoted much of my time on farming and saving for the next academic year.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 20,000 to renovate my house to look decent. This was always my wish but I didn't had the money. I bought a goat, food and clothes for my children. The rest of the money I paid school fees for my daughter who is in secondary school. I am so happy because she was able to study without being sent home. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has improved our living standards.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My family depends on subsistence farming of maize and selling milk. I'm forced to work in mining to support my family of 3. I own 2 cows and the milk produced from them we sell and get KSH 3600 per month.I hope to use this money in purchasing one dairy cow worth KSH 40,000. This will enable our income to grow from selling milk produced from the 3 cows. I will then use the remaining amount to pay school fees for my child, buy clothes for the family and repair my house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I'm the past 6 months my daughter who is 24 years of age came to aid for the family. After her secondary education I was not able to raise her school fees for college but she has been understanding and decided to look for a job. She was fortunate enough to land a job at a small supermarket in the next town and since then she sends remittances home. By her chipping in I'm worried less and I'm not forced to over work so as to provide for my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I'm currently facing financial challenges to improve my family's livelihood. I depend on farming of maize and selling of milk but I only get around KSH 120 in a day from the milk sold. I'm forced to work in mining or stone cutting to get extra income. When I'm able to cut a lot of stones, I hawk them at construction sites. But on most days I don't sell. On days that I sell the stones I get KSH 1500. My son's school fees is also a challenge because I'm not able to pay for his fees all the time. Sometimes I subsidize farm produce as school fees when the principal is in good favour.
