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
55000 KES ($458 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
check
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Apparently, I do not have any new goal except, enhancing the growth of our existing business.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
What impressed me is the fact that GiveDirectly is committed to uplift our living standard. Nothing indeed went wrong
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Since I was already running a business which deals in school uniforms, I decided to inject more capital on it using the second transfer thus increasing my capital portfolio. I am glad because the first transfer cash was instrumental in starting up the said business. Besides, my husband who used to work as a sales person for somebody and his enumeration could not help us run our bills can now have a business of his own to run which is very viable in terms of generating sufficient income. Being a mother of ten who is a stay at home wife made even life more difficult. However, that is not the case since our business is up and running. Thank you GiveDirectly.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($482 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I had just buried my sister on my way home from the burial site when I got a message notification. Since I was on the way, I did not bother to check on it until I got home. It was a moment of mixed reaction learning that I had received KES 55000 immediately after burying my sister. I still managed a smile amidst the somber mood that surrounded us. I later shared the news with my spouse, and he was equally happy.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Since we started receiving the payments from Give Directly our lives have improved. My spouse is now self-employed and whatever he earns has been of great support to our family. We no longer struggle to meet the household needs as was the case before. In addition, we can afford a peaceful night's sleep. We no longer experience pain in our ribs which resulted from the previous poor sleeping conditions because we managed to purchase a new mattress. This is the biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving the payments from Give Directly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
For a longer period, we only had a mat on our bed after our mattress got worn out. Our income could not afford a new mattress because of the huge responsibilities of paying for our children's school fees and meeting other household expenses. Still, life had to move on and that is why we resorted to spreading a papyrus reed mat. The discomfort that it came with resulted in pain in the ribs. The moment we received the first transfer we bought a mattress worth KES 7000. Finally, we can afford a comfortable and peaceful sleep. KES 30000 my spouse spent on a business where he mainly sells mattresses. He was previously employed in someone's shop where he earned KES 6000 monthly. Since he is the main income earner in our family, the salary could not meet even half of our household needs, so he had to look for an alternative source of income. I am glad he currently makes almost triple what he used to earn. We can now afford most of our household's needs. I have two daughters in secondary school and since we could not afford the boarding school fees, we enrolled them in a day school which is a bit far from home. We, therefore have rented for them a house next to the school, and at the time when I received the money they owed the landlord one month's house rent arrears. I then gave them KES 7000 for both the house rent and their upkeep. The rest of the money (KES 10000) I spent on foodstuffs for the family.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have a family of six children. Out of the three, two are in secondary school and four are in primary school. Educating these children has been very difficult. My family depends on my spouse who works as a shopkeeper in a another village. He earns KES 6000 monthly stipend. This money is not enough to meet our basic needs. Much of it is used on food and other basic needs. This has made my two children in secondary to be consistently out of school due to fee arrears. My desire is to see my children go through formal education so that they do not struggle getting jobs like their mother in future. However, due to lack of enough money, this has remained a wish. Upon receiving the cash transfers, I will be able to clear the fee balances and pay for their subsequent academic years.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Last month I delivered a baby boy safely. What made me happy is the fact that despite the pregnancy complications I have had that almost cost my life, I delivered safely. My clan values male children and this brought happiness to the whole family. We had a big celebration everyone congratulating me for delivering a baby boy safely. This was the most happiest moment In my life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of a reliable source of income is the main challenge that I am currently facing. Have you imagined having a family of six children without any source of income to meet their basic needs? This is the situation that I am facing now. My spouse who works as a shopkeeper earns a stipend of KES 6000 monthly, which is not enough to sustain my family. My ambition is to start a kiosk business in our village. This will help me earn much profit since there in none at the moment. However, due to lack of capital, this has always remained a dream. I intend to use KES 20000 of the cash transfers to invest in the business so that it can help me earn an income to take care of my family. I will then use the remaining amount to educate my children.
