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.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect my life to change in the next six months in that I will have improved harvest which will help me meet my family needs well. This will reduce the struggles I go through since I do not have a stable source of income. When I have a good harvest, I will have enough to feed my family and sell the rest to start a business to boost my income.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
As a farmer, I do not always have much income from the harvest especially after having ploughed the same farm for years now. The soil fertility has reduced and the harvest keeps on reducing on a yearly basis. This is why life has been very difficult on my side because I do not have a stable source of income to help me meet my family needs in time. Receiving these transfers has been very helpful because I am able to pay school fees for my children in time and ensure the basic needs of the family are met even if not the whole of it. I am glad the money has been a boost in my life.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My new goal in the next four months is to continue paying school fees for my children. It is always my pleasure when they are in school studying because their performance is not affected. I want to ensure I give them the best they need while in school.
How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
The other difference in my life in the last four months is that I have always had food in my house for my family. Before the transfers, I used to struggle to meet all my family needs because my income from farming was not enough. This is why I would struggle to provide all the three meals a day for my family. We would be forced to skip some meals and the most meals we would have in a day is two. Since I started receiving these transfers, I have been buying food in bulk which has really helped me is feeding my family.
16th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect my life to change in the next six months in that I will be having a new kitchen. I want to use my monthly transfers to buy building materials such as iron sheets and nails which I will use in building a new kitchen. This is where my children will sleep too so that I can have some privacy in my main house.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
Before the transfers, I used to struggle to raise money for paying school fees for my children. This is because I only depended on the outcome of my farm. It would be difficult to raise money for school fees because of other family needs. The whole family only depends on my income. Since I started receiving these transfers, I have been paying their fees arrears bit by bit on a monthly basis. As at now, I have managed to clear most the arrears and this has given me respect with the teachers.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My new goal in the four months is to keep on paying school fees for my children. I would want to give them the best in education. This is the best gift a parent can give to a child. I am determined to achieve this and give the best by paying the arrears in advance.
How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life is different from how it would have been four months ago in that my children have never been sent home for the same since the year began. This is a big improvement in my life which has been a burden in my life. Due to low income, I have never managed to pay their fees as I would want to. With GD transfers, I have managed to pay most of their arrears and I feel happy. This is because I am delivering as a parent.
11th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect my life to change in the next six months because I will have managed to invest in farming. By hiring labourers, I was able to cultivate a large piece of land which I believe will guarantee me more yields that will be enough to sustain my family for a long time and earn me more income from its sales.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life in the last four months is that I managed to reduced fee arrears for my four children. I have been having huge pending arrears and I had to talk with the teachers and tell them my plan of paying the fees. With the payment which I normally receive monthly from Give Directly, I was able to reduce the amount as promised and I am now sure of completing the payments. This has given me a piece of mind. Thanks to GiveDirectly.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My new goal is to buy a bull , one of my bulls has become weak and is not effective. I have to buy another one because I normally dig people's land to get money. I have to replace the non-efficient bull so that it doesn't slow the other strong bulls.
How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life is currently different from how it was since I have been able to reduce the outstanding school fees balance for my four children. My kids are hardworking and I did not want to fail them in any way. I don't know what I could have done without Give Directly coming through. The huge arrears gave me sleepless nights but now I am peaceful because I have a means of reducing the accumulated fee arrears.
8th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time almost 6 years ago
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How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I expect to be acquiring resources necessary for putting up a local mini hardware within the marketplace. Besides that, my son will have enrolled in secondary school and a percentage of his school fees paid.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference is that I am currently able to pay school fees for my children with much ease. Initially, I would struggle to raise school fees for my children and they were sent home frequently. This disrupted their learning and you could tell from their overall performances. Of late, their performances have improved and they also seem happy and less stressed. All this has been made possible thanks to the transfers I received from GD.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I am planning to save money in my Mshwari saving plan. Once I reach the amount I require, I will withdraw and start a mini hardware shop. I realized that most people from the community travel long distances to buy building materials. This will solve their problem as well as act as a source of income for my family.
How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life is currently different in that I can pay school fees comfortable and my children no longer have to be sent home for school fees every now and then. Before the transfers, I was caught between providing food and shelter versus school fees and in most cases, basic needs came first so my children's learning was disrupted but that not the case anymore.
3rd Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time 6 years ago
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Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
I have a new goal of saving in Mshwari so that I'll be able to get access to Shari loans to boost my business.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Had I not received the money by now I wouldn't be having a goal of saving some money in Mshwari.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I expect to have taken my son back to school to study his masters.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
It's early to talk of a bigger difference in my dailuy life but I believe in future I'll notice a difference in my daily life.
Enrolled
access_time over 6 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced is lack of enough money to pay fees for my six children.Seing four of them through college was so stressful.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening.This is the time that I am back from the farm and l relax with my family as we share a meal watching the day's news.
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
I am planning to use my transfers to buy farm inputs like fertilizer and seeds.This will improve my harvest and increase my family's income and food supply.
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
The achievement that am proudest of was buying land to build my own home.It was quite a struggle because I didn't have a reliable income but through farming I managed to save,buy land and eventually built my house.Am proud to be a home owner just like any other person.