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 ($492 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I spend all the second transfer to clear the debts that I borrowed to pay school fees for my two sons that were studying in the university. I do small scale farming and my spouse do casual jobs in town. The amount of money that we get is so small and cannot meet all the basic needs of the family including paying school fees for our children. It was so stressful because we didn't had other source of income. We opted to borrowed some loans so that our children could finish their studies on time. When we received the second transfer we found it wise to pay the debts to make us free. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has given us freedom and enable us to concentrate on our daily work. My children are so happy too because they were a able to complete there studies without defering .
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly does well by giving money to the poor in the community to build better houses and to buy dairy cows. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spend all the second transfer to clear the debts that I borrowed to pay school fees for my two sons that were studying in the university. I do small scale farming and my spouse do casual jobs in town. The amount of money that we get is so small and cannot meet all the basic needs of the family including paying school fees for our children. It was so stressful because we didn't had other source of income. We borrowed some money and paid the university fees to enable them to sit for exams.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($499 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was at home busy preparing lunch for my family when I heard my phone ringing notifying me of an incoming SMS. I decided to check it and to my surprise, it was an M-Pesa message saying that we had received the lump sum transfer of 55000/= from GiveDirectly. I became so happy on seeing this that I jumped up with joy. A neighbor called me at the time and she asked me if I had received the good news. I told her that I had received it, and I rejoiced giving thanks to God. I immediately called my husband and he was so happy to learn the great news. He asked me to immediately pay the person that we owed some money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The transfer has brought a big difference in my family's life. We have been able to pay the loan that we owed someone and pay for our children's school fees. We have however not been able to complete making the school fee payment but we hope that with the money that we are going to get from the self-help group that we are in, we will be able to. Having paid the debt and part of the school fee, we feel relieved and with peace of mind. We hence no longer have to worry about where we are going to get the money especially to pay the money that we had borrowed.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The transfer from GiveDirectly helped me a lot. I took 20000/= and I used it in paying a debt that I owed someone. I had borrowed the money to pay school fees arrears for my two children who are in their final years of study. One of them is at the University and the other one is in college. The remaining amount of the money, I used in paying school fees for my two children. One is in a primary boarding school and the other is in a secondary school. We still owe some money to the school and we have planned to use the 30000/= that we are going to get from the self-help group that we are in it. School fee has always been our challenge because we do not stable jobs. I am a small scale farmer and I at times sell some farm produce to get money. My husband on the other hand works as a security guard in Nairobi. The little money that we get usually goes to the payment of school fees for our children. Thank you GiveDirectly for the support.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money will mean a debt free life in my family. We incurred a lot of debt educating my 2 children who recently completed their college level. We have been having sleepless nights thinking on how we will clear the debts from the person who gave us money to clear School fees. The debt we incurred is Ksh 50,000 for both children yet the debtor is on our necks who need his money. Give Directly's entry into this village has brought a sigh of relieve even though we are yet to receive the transfer.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening. This because I use morning hours working in our 1.5 acre of land which is under cultivation. We have subdivided this land into portions in which we have grown kales, maize and bananas for domestic use. I use my afternoon herding my 2 cows within the compound while I engage on other household chores. Having time to relax with my children in the evening and plan on the next day's activity, brings a sigh of fulfillment as a parent.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial constrains has been the biggest hardship we have faced in life. Having two children in college level became an eye opener in acknowledging the fact that having an alternative source of income is a necessary evil in attaining financial success. Life became unbearable to an extent of forcing my husband to work as a guard in the city with a meagre salary of Ksh 15,000. We had opted to sell part of our land in order to educate my children but we only own 3 acres of land which is hardly enough to solve all our financial problems. Our future plan therefore, is to venture into dairy farming to fend for our family without much hustle.
