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.
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($436 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
check
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I wish to devote much of my time to farming, whereby I would be planting at the right season to get a pamper harvest. This would help me to pay the school fees for my son and get enough food for the family.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The field officers from GiveDirectlky were very kind and polite, The training and the enrollment were perfectly done without any discrimination. We are so grateful for the support because it has improved our living standard. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent $200 on paying school fees for my son who is in secondary. This was my main concern since he used to be sent home and this was affecting his performance in school. I rely on small-scale farming whereby I plant maize and beans. I take the produce to school as a way of paying for the school fees. Whenever the harvest is not good and I have not delivered the maize to school on time my son would be sent home. It is the dream of every parent to ensure that their children get the best education. I would always struggle to ensure that my son is studying well. Currently, he is in school and he is no longer being sent home like before since I have paid his school fees. I am so grateful for the support because were it not GiveDirectly all this could not have happened on time. I spend $150 on purchasing the sofa set seats. Since I built my house I have never owned decent seats, I am so happy now that I have good seats and whenever I have some visitors at home they have a place to relax. The remaining amount of money I spent on food, clothes and household items. We are so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has changed our living standard.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($461 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I felt so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. It was around 8:00 pm when I learnt that GiveDirectly had sent us money. I informed my husband and entire family that we had indeed received money from GiveDirectly and they were all happy. We later aligned with the entire family on what we needed to do with the money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the amount of assets that I bought. I would have been unable to buy these since I rely on small business to earn income. The livestock investment that we made is a long term investment that will definitely help us in future in terms of payment of school fees and other expenses that we may need.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 25000 to pay school fees for my son who is in secondary school and bought goats worth KES 15000 and used the remainder to buy food for my family. The money came at a time when I had huge school fees arears and I could not raise the entire amount through the farming practices that we normally rely on.
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means more profit and a stabilized business. I earn KES. 3,500 monthly by buying and selling of vegetables in a nearby market. This amount of money is supposed to cater for the basic needs of my children as well as their school fees. The amount of school fees I am required to pay yearly is KES.45,000 which when you compare with my income it is impossible to raise that amount. I also have a debt of KES. 15,000 from the last academic year. My plan therefore is to use the transfers to clear all the school fee arrears. The remaining amount I will use to buy more stock for my business and diversify the products I am selling.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My son was performing poorly in his studies in the first and the second term of school calendar. We had a discussion about it when he was starting the third term last January and I supported him to study every evening at home. When the schools closed for holiday in March I was so happy that he managed to be among the top ten best students in his class.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest challenge I am facing at the moment is insufficient income. I struggle a lot but I am unable to raise enough income. I am so worried that as my children progress with school it will reach a point where some of them might drop out. I anyway strongly believe that with your help my life will change for the better and I will not be struggling anymore to meet the needs of my children.
