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.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($457 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
At the moment, my focus is to pay school fees on time for my children. I have been working hard to ensure that they are not sent home from school and am glad that the elder one will soon be sitting for her final examination. As a single mother, it is still a burden that I am getting prepared to face starting next year when she joins the next level.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The support in monetary form was the best gift we could get when we enrolled in GiveDirectly. We had been struggling with various challenges that only such assistance would have solved. I am happy that we also got the freedom to spend on anything we needed in our households. I appreciated the entire effort by GiveDirectly that has facilitated a great transformation in our families.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Upon receiving the second transfer, I spent KES 28000 constructing a spacious house compared to the small kitchen we had been living in with my family of six. I also spent KES 17000 on a heifer I am currently rearing together with the one I had. Selling a few liters of milk from a single cow has been of great support to my family. Adding another cow will potentially increase our income and thus will help to pay school fees for my children. I also paid KES 2000 tuition fees for my five children and later spent the remaining on buying clothes for my children.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($482 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was a few minutes past 5 pm when I was going through my phone checking on all unread messages while on my way to our nearest shopping center when a Mpesa message caught my attention. My heart was filled with joy as I read the message indicating that money from GiveDirectly had been sent over and over again. I knew that my desire to own a piece of land had finally been fulfilled.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Even though I still live at home, I have been able to live in peace with my siblings for the past three weeks. This is because they know that I have been able to buy a piece of land and that I would be relocating once I build a house. Because of this, I can at least relax in my own house and do some house chores without anyone shouting at me or labeling me as a failure.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a single mother of five and I have been doing some menial jobs to support my family. My parents were forced by the villagers to give me a small piece of land since I was not married and had children to take care of. This was the beginning of misery to me since my parents would always find fault in anything that I do and would sometimes falsely accuse my children. This would lead to arguments between my siblings and me and I always had to accept everything that they say for peace to reign. When I received my transfer, I spent KES 50000 to buy two points of land and used the remaining amount on food and to pay school fees for my children who had been sent back home. I am glad that they were able to sit for their examinations and I will be moving into my own place very soon.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I separated from my spouse eleven years ago, this left me with no option but to come back to my parent where she gave me a piece of land to live and raise my five children. I do farm weeding to earn a living and buy food for my children. This casual job pays little money about KES 200 daily and when I budget this money it is only enough to buy food for my household. When I receive this money I will set aside KES 50000 to buy a 0.1-acre piece of land and build a better house made of iron sheet. This will make me feel happy now that my family will have better housing. Milk is lucrative in our area and stable food for children. To enable me to tap more income, I will buy a cow with KES 30000 to enable me to produce milk for domestic and commercial consumption.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I felt sick in July, this made life difficult for me and my children now that we had no one to provide for us. It reached a point where I got stressed up. As days unfolded, I got well and I was really happy to see myself work and provide for my children.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am struggling financially to provide food and family basic needs for my five children. Being single means that I am the only sole breadwinner for the family and my children depend on me in everything. Things are tough now that I do not have a stable source of income.
