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 ($482 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I do not have any new goals at the moment. I plan to continue struggling to get money for educating my children so that they can have a better life in the future. I am a single mother and I still have two children who are in secondary school. I have been practicing mixed farming where I usually grow maize, keep some cows and some poultry. I usually sell milk and when the cow is dry, I usually sell the calf and some chickens to get money for paying school fees for the children. I plan to continue with the same way of getting money and that is why I bought another calf with part of the second transfer so that it can help me in the future when it calves.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly did well because they taught us well through the meeting that they held with the community members. They taught us that the transfers are only sent twice and hence they advised us to use them wisely to change our livelihoods for the better. I do not see anything wrong with how they were conducting their work.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 5000 of the recent transfer money on paying school fees for one of my children whom I had not managed to clear his balance with the first transfer. I had a huge debt that I owed the schools that my children are studying. I am glad that GiveDirectly transfers came through and I was able to settle the debt. I have been able to rest a bit from stressing thinking about where to get money for school fee payment. The calf that I had has grown and the chickens have increased in number since I have not sold them. Other than that, I also bought another calf at KES 25000 to add to the one that I have. I bought the calf so that it can help me in the future with the children's school fees when it calves. I also bought a bag of maize at KES 3000 for our consumption. With the remaining amount of money, I used part of it in tilling my land and buying maize seeds for planting. The maize that I planted is about to ripen and be ready for consumption. I also managed to save up some of the remaining money for upkeep, that is, for buying household goods such as sugar, soap, etc. I am thus happy and grateful to GiveDirectly for their help.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($486 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received was around 10 o'clock in the morning while preparing 10 o'clock tea. I was very excited and couldn't help but spread the good news to my neighbors who were equally excited because they had received theirs almost the same time.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving the transfers is peace and happiness due to availability of adequate food andnd payment of school fees for my family which were quite a burden for me as a widow.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent most of my transfer on payment of school fees for my kids which were in arrears. Initially, I used rely on crop and dairy farming in order to pay school fees.I also spent some on cementing my son's house and the rest on food for my family.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means my kids will access quality education. I am a single mother of three and my kids have undergone emotional stresses due to being sent back and forth from school. This is a result of my inability to pay their school fees on time. I am a jobless mother who solely depends on my one cow for a living. This funds will enable me settle a school fee debt of KES 22000 at Kipsuter secondary school.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The evening is the happiest part of my day because I get to interact with my kids after a long time in the fields.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest challenge I have faced is when I lost my two dairy cows, a year ago, to a throat disease and the effects of drought. They were my source of income hence their death affected my family in terms of food security and income for household sustainability and fee payments. School fees have piled up at schools because of these losses.
