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.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Previously, I was entirely depending on my husband who is not even financially stable as I couldn't support him after my business collapsed. Right now I can provide some few basic needs without asking for his support and once my business picks up I'll be able fully support my children. Therefore, what GiveDirectly does well is empowering up to become financially independent.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I'm a mother of seven and being married in a polygamous family, life has not been easy as my husband who works as a casual labourer in a tea factory has a huge responsibility of providing for two families. Inorder to assist my husband with family responsibilities, I started rearing chicken which I would sell from time to time and pay bills. The high levels of poverty in my village attracted theft whereby some young men stole almost all my chicken and I decided to sell the remaining and quit the business. it's been harder to fend for my family through casual jobs and I have longing to come back to the business but I couldn't because of financial constraints. When GiveDirectly officer who was enrolling me asked what my goals were, I told him that I would like to start a poultry farming business. This is something that I started saving towards and I have also bought some chicken. I spend KES 1000 of my recent transfer to buy five small chicken, KES 1000 to by books and other stationaries for my children and saved the balance. I'm planning to use the savings at the end of the year to build chicken house and add more chicken.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($10 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was back from the farm after I had left early that morning in search of wood. After realising that I had received the funds as promised by GiveDirectly I was filled with so much excitement it could have spilled over if it were to measured by a cup. I had really been looking forward to seeing if this organization would live up to to its promises and fortunately it did.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Most crucial difference would be that now I have an opportunity to save some money unlike before. I have no job and I happen to be a stay home mom for most of the time, so this money has played a huge role in assisting me to provide for the day to day needs of my family. I cleared my debt which helped grow the relationship between my neighbour and I and lastly I was able to afford putting food on the table.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Prior to receiving the funds from GiveDirectly I had received a loan from my neighbour because I had requested for financial assistance so that I could take my son to hospital since he was sick an I had no money to cover the hospital bills. Luckily a few weeks after I received the transfers from GiveDirectly and the first thing I did was ensure that I settled my debt, so I gave back my neighbour KES 500 from the funds I had got. Then I took KES 400 from the balance I was left with and put it in my savings. I planned on saving a small amount every time I received money from this organization so that I would have enough to buy livestock and perhaps build a home for my boys since they were growing and would need their own space. I used the last bit of the money which was KES 300 and purchased rice and beans since my children were craving that sort of meal because they had missed having it for a while now. I just wanted to make them happy.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Currently I have three children who are in high school paying a total of 100000 KES per academic year. I also have two others in primary school paying levies of about 1500 KES per academic term. It's not easy for my husband who holds a low level job at a tea factory in Mombasa, to raise all that money in time to keep them in school. We solely depend on his income for every family's need. When I get this money I would like to support in paying school fees. This way I will be able to keep my children in school while other family needs aren't suffering either.
What is the happiest part of your day?
It's been tough times mostly struggling to pool resources to be able to pay school fees for our children. But I enjoyed a lot during Christmas. I had my whole family over and we managed to celebrate in style.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
We have a big challenge raising school fees for our children. Most of the time they don't get enough time to learn because they're always between school and home collecting areas. This is already showing negative impact on their academic performances. I have been trying a lot to solve this but it's not possible without income.
