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 ($481 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
We lived a pitiful life before; our living situation was not pleasing since I relied on making and selling charcoals and selling sisal for a living. We have been living is a small grass house as well as staying for a while without food, no decent clothes and no school fees. But since the day I received your support life has changed positively. We have a big decent house, my elder son is happy having collected his results and the ones who are still in school are also happy since they are now full time students unlike before when they could stay at home for almost 3 weeks because of school fees. Thanks to Give Directly for seeing us through this situation which was depriving us of some happiness.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly is a unique organization in terms of giving money unconditionally. So far so good the homes in our village are full of good new houses unlike before when we had hats. I can attest that GiveDirectly is faultless in whatever it does. I pray it continues that way.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a mother of 6 children. One completed his secondary education this last year, the second one is in form 2 and the other four are in primary school. On receiving the 2nd transfer, I saw it prudent to complete the construction of our new house which I had already started using the 1st transfer. I made this decision because the house was a grass-house and was leaking profusely during rain seasons. I also took KES 6000 to pay school fee balance for my 1st born who completed his secondary education so as to be given his results, and also paid KES 4000 for the secondary school child. I also bought 4 goats, some clothes for the family and some food.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($511 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 10 AM when I was in my house resting then I saw a message notification on my mobile phone. But since I couldn't read clearly, I asked my helper to check what the notification was all about. Upon checking, he realized that it was an Mpesa message from SEGOVIA TECHNOLOGY. I was overwhelmed with joy and without wasting time, I decided to plan on how best I could utilize it without wasting even a single coin.
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 managed to pay school fees for my children who are both in primary and secondary schools. Initially, my children used to be sent home regularly for fees and they could stay for weeks simply because of my poverty life. Some had opted to drop our school and the other one had even started to involve himself with unruly friends in the village. I was afraid this could mentally affect him. Since I only depended on the meager casual jobs and I could only earn KES 100 in a day which could not sustain this. However, GiveDirectly came at the right time because finally sent them back to school and I am and they are now having ample time for their studies, unlike before.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 10000 of my first transfer on paying school fees for my children who are both in boarding and day schools. I had to prioritize that since they have always been sent home frequently for fees that were affecting them academically. Also, I bought some building materials like iron sheets, building poles, threads, and nails. I intended to Construction of a new house because the previous one was in very poor condition and almost collapsing. With the remaining amount of money, I purchase enough food for my family and at least for now, we no longer skip meals.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means a better house and new beddings for my family. Currently, I live in a small and grass-thatched house that is leaking when it is raining which cause shifting of bed at nights. I plan to spend utmost $300 of my first transfer to ensure the house is complete and $200 will cater for the bedding expenses. With my second transfer, I plan to spend $150 to buy 5 goats to start livestock keeping that will act as my long-term investment project. The remaining amount will help me to pay school fees for my children.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I consider the evening as the happiest part of my day because it is at this time when I find ample time to relax at home and share a meal with my family. Unlike in the morning and afternoon hours when I am always busy doing my charcoal work, a job that is very tiresome.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am a charcoal vendor and this is the job that I have been doing ever since I got married. It is a very tiresome job and its income is generally low since making even 10 sacks takes me 1 month, and imagine selling them at $5 each. My income is never enough to sustain my family's basic needs and hence, the lack of a reliable source of income is the biggest hardship that I have ever faced in my life.