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.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Ensuring my children can stay in school and concentrate with their studies despite financial challenges I am facing is my top priority. That's why I used $70 of my transfers to cover their school fees, allowing them to continue their education without worries. Their learning journey means everything to me, and I'm determined to see them succeed. I further invested $20 in a goat as my way of planning for the future, hoping it multiplies and becomes a valuable asset for supporting my family's needs, including education expenses or unexpected situations. With the remaining $12, I made sure we have enough food and household essentials. It feels good to take care of my family's immediate needs while also laying the groundwork for a brighter tomorrow.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My goal is to continue using my transfers to invest in my children's education and expand my goat herd, with the hope that they'll multiply and become a valuable asset in the future. Selling goats could provide crucial financial support for my children's education, which remains my utmost priority. It fills me with determination and hope to envision a path where I can ensure my children's educational needs are met, thanks to GiveDirectly and careful planning and resourcefulness.
18th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($21 USD)
access_time 7 months ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
In November I had planned on using my cash on preparing for the holiday season. In our village the holidays are a big deal, you need to look good, I spent $20 from my November transfers on clothes for two of my children and bought myself a wrapper in December at $5. I also knew we would need to have food befitting for the holidays, In November I spent $14 on food while in December I spent $15 which included wheat flour to make pastries that people would have throughout the holidays. I also got chicken for eating at $5 while in January I got 2 chicken for rearing at $10. Since my children were going back to school in January I spent $24 in paying school fees of $5 each for the four and buying them books at $4.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I have five children, 4 school going and one yet to join school. I am a farmer while my husband used to work at a bakery bit is no longer employed now. My goal is to create a way of ensuring we are financially protected whatever the eventualities of life. I am working on building an animal her of goats and chicken, I now have 4 goats and two chicken. I hope to buy more even as they also reproduce. This animals can be sold at times of emergencies to cover any financial needs. Best thing about animals is they reproduce which gives an assurance for multiplication.
14th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($24 USD)
access_time 12 months ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a mother of five children, all of whom are currently in school, and my goal is to see them achieve their dreams. The moment I received my transfers, the first thing that came to my mind was paying their school fees. I used $30 for their fees, and the remaining $4 I spent on buying detergent for cleaning.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I want to invest in goats. I currently have four and aim to increase them to ten with savings from my transfers. I believe that through this goat investment, we can secure our future, including my children's education.
10th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($25 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We have always struggled to pay school fees for our 4 children who are all in school. The eldest is a candidate in class 8. followed by another one in grade 4, grade 1 and the last on in PP3. I paid kshs.500 for each one of them.This has become our greatest accomplishment. We are happy that the children can comfortably stay in school, unlike before.
I bought a Goat worth kshs.2500 which has already given birth to a kid. I also bought a bundle of maize flour but not at once. I have been buying packets in bits which has now filled up a bundle.I would say the packets costed between kshs,170 and kshs.210, bringing this to an of average of kshs,2280.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
We are planing to construct a house since the one we are currently living in is falling apart. We have a floor that needs to be reconstructed. This will ensure we have a safe place to live in together with my family. Having a better house has been my dream and at this point I feel its coming to pass. We are also hopeful that we still manage paying school fees for our children. This has also been a struggle but with the transfers we have being able to meet the school requirements.
In addition to all this, I will add about Five goats to help us generate income. Keeping them in large scale.
5th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($28 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
In my family, we do not have the luxury of enjoying all the basic needs such as food, clothing, and school fees for the children. My husband’s part-time job at the baking company can only cover as much as food costs, and nothing beyond that. Besides, given the rising cost of living, the $6 he makes after every two days hardly provides regular meals for our four children. Being my only source of income, the cash transfers allow me to reach essentials that my husband’s earnings would hardly afford. For instance, I spent $20 from the December transfer to buy new clothes for my children to enjoy the festivities in. For them, dressing up in new attire is what glazes the Christmas celebrations and it is my priority as their parent to bring them that joy. Apart from clothes, I spent $25 from the October transfer to buy a goat and $8 from the November transfer to buy two chickens. When these animals multiply in the future, I could sell them to generate money and support the needs of my family. Finally, I had to budget the remaining amount from each of these three transfers to buy food, which was worth $45. At least, this relieved the burden off my husband’s back and bought him time to raise enough money; he was happy.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($25 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am grateful to my husband for shouldering the burden of paying school fees for my five children as well as ensuring adequate food for our family of seven. When I receive the most recent transfer, I make certain that I contribute and relieve him of some expenses. My five children each required $2 in examination fees. I was delighted to fill in and pay after receiving the transfer. I also spent $10 on maize flour, which is currently expensive in our community due to the severe drought. I spent $5 of the remaining funds on two chickens and the rest on the construction coop where the two chickens are currently housed.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly's work and the assistance we received were so beneficial in so many ways that most families are now living a better life. After receiving the funds, many people paid their children's school fees. The organization did an excellent job, and I wish the program would extend to other village after completing the current project in our village. I saw nothing wrong with the entire process and am grateful to have been a part of it.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($10 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Since my husband had not earned enough money from his job at a bakery in Mombasa, I used KES 800 from the transfer to pay examination fees for my four children. They had been sent home from school to collect these fees, failure to which they would be unable to take their mid-term tests. In addition, I purchased food with the remaining funds to last us the next two days while I waited for my spouse to send money for household necessities.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The ability to eat rice after consuming corn meal for over a month was the greatest highlight I drew from the transfer. In my community, rice is regarded as a festive food that elicits positive feelings when consumed. That is why being able to eat this meal on an ordinary day meant so much to me.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
At around 9 p.m., I was getting ready for bed when my phone beeped with a message alert. I checked its contents right away and confirmed that Give Directly had sent my first transfer. A wave of relief washed over me because I had been waiting for this money to help alleviate the household's hardships.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My husband decided to concentrate more on paying school fees for our children because his work does not pay much to have the luxury of eating three meals per day. My children lack proper nutrition because they do not get enough food to eat and I am afraid that they will end up having edematous malnutrition. The insufficient money in the family is therefore the current challenge that I face.
What is the happiest part of your day?
It has been long since we ate chicken in our family but during Eid al-Fitr, my husband came back home and we celebrated together as a family. What made me most happy is that he bought us a chicken that was slaughtered to celebrate the feats of fast-breaking.
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My husband is the sole breadwinner of the family, his job however does not pay him much to fully support the family's basic needs. I have always desired to help him with some responsibilities in the household because seeing him struggle every day to meet our needs breaks my heart. Fee payment for our 4 children has been the biggest challenge for him and this is why I plan to channel all my transfers towards our children's education as he concentrates on buying us food. Receiving these transfers, therefore, means that my children will go to school without any disruption of school fees.