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.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Recently, I received $450 from GiveDirectly, which came at a crucial time. My house was old, torn, and falling apart, posing a serious security concern for my family of eight children. With the funds, I spent $90 on iron sheets, frames, and other building materials. I demolished the old house and used both the reusable materials and the new ones to construct a new home. We are now happy and grateful to God and GiveDirectly for this support.
Before receiving the funds, I didn't have a mattress or bed and used old clothing as bedding. Now, I can't wait for the night to enjoy my sleep because I invested $94 in buying a comfortable mattress and bed.
Living close to a river in a forest, it was risky and we were afraid of harmful snakes. Therefore, I used $15 to pay a deposit for a solar light. Now, we don't have to fear anything at night.
I also spent $100 on school fees for two of my children. Previously, I had to rely on casual jobs, which were not guaranteed, to keep my kids in school. Additionally, my children had worn-out clothes and nothing to change into, so I used $60 to buy new clothes for them.
As a family, we are now happy and extremely thankful to GiveDirectly for their support.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly has done amazingly well. Their officers are so kind and respectful, which really stood out to me. What I want GiveDirectly to do now is to go to other villages and enroll more people so that they can also experience the same benefits we have in my village. We have GiveDirectly at heart and wish them the very best in achieving whatever they set out to do.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
This year, I want to start farming beans. Recently, I wasn't able to plant maize with the Kenya Seed Company because I couldn't get a space. However, I have 1.25 acres of land that I want to use for beans farming. My plan is to use my last transfer of $450 from GiveDirectly to make this dream come true. I hope to get a good harvest and use the produce to pay the school fees for two of my kids.
I want to see my children succeed and finish school, and this is possible when they stay in school without any fee balance. The thought of accomplishing this fills me with gratitude and happiness.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
18240 KES ($138 USD)
access_time 5 months ago
attach_money
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I've been relying on casual jobs, with support from my elder son who had to drop out of university in his second year because we couldn't afford the fees. Life has been challenging, especially as the sole provider for my eight children since my husband passed away nearly nine years ago. Despite these hardships, I prioritize my children's education, hoping to secure them a better future, though it's tough without a stable income. I dropped out of school at the elementary level, a decision I regret because I believe education could have made life better. I'm determined to prevent my children from experiencing similar regrets, particularly seeing my daughter and son unable to continue their university studies for the past two years due to lack of funds pains me. Though, I remain hopeful. Farming, which could have been an alternative, was not an option for us since my 1.25-acre piece of land lay fallow for two years due to lack of capital. However, when I received support from GiveDirectly, I invested $30 in preparing the land, hoping to plant maize with the coming rains to help sustain us. Two weeks before the GiveDirectly transfer, my son in high school was sent home due to a fee arrears of $178. I paid $70 of his arrears so he could return to school. My daughter and another son in elementary school needed desks, a requirement from their school, so I spent $30 on that. The remaining $40 went towards buying food, which has been a serious challenge for us. Thank you GiveDirectly.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Seeing my land ready for farming after it was bare for two years makes me feel hopeful about the future. It's a change that means we can grow our food and earn income by selling the surplus produce. At the same time, my son, who had to stay home for two weeks because I couldn't afford school fees, is now back in class. This help from GiveDirectly has made a difference for us. I'm very thankful for their support. It has given us a chance to improve our lives and restored our hope for tomorrow.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
While my two sons and I were slashing our farm, my two sons. My elder son, who was holding my phone, saw a text message come in at around 3 pm. confirming the receipt of $18.24 from GiveDirectly. We were overjoyed and thanked God for this timely support, especially since we had nothing planned for dinner that evening. I quickly asked my elder son to withdraw $10 to cover our meal for the night. We decided to budget the rest the following morning. A big thank you to GiveDirectly for fulfilling their promise.
Enrolled
access_time 7 months ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
For the past 4 years, I have been unable to cultivate my 2 acre arable land due to lack of capital. The land has now been heavily infested with prosobis shrubs that is poisonous to both human and animals. This therefore meant that I have been buying all food varieties on a daily basis rather than producing some on my farm. I also live in a single room structure together with my 8 children. The house is less spacious and thus cannot accommodate all of us. As a result, my big boys have to go and sleep in the neighbors houses.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I solely depend on charcoal burning as my source of livelihood. Prolonged engagement with this activity has a long term effect on one's health. This has been a back and forth issue on my side as I am being subjected to lots of smoke and is also labour intensive. But for the past one month, I have been happy because I have had an alternative of working in other people's farms as a casual labourer. Though the wages are low, but my health has greatly improved.
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
Receiving this transfer means restoration of my arable land and construction of a spacious house for my family. I intend to reclaim my 2 acres piece of land that has been greatly infested by the poisonous prosopis plant for the past 4 years. I will use the first transfer to uproot and clear the shrubs and buy farm inputs. For the second transfer, I intend to build a spacious house to accommodate my family while for the third transfer, I plan to pay school fee arrears for my two boys who are in tertiary level.