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
53150 KES ($463 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?
After accomplishing my main goal of providing a better quality education for my children. I have a new goal of renovating my house by putting up a new roof since the iron sheets rooftop is very rusty and has started leaking. I intend to use personal savings in reconstructing a new iron roof.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly did well in sending the unconditional cash transfer directly to our phones without any government influence. This has reduced fraud cases because of the fewer intermediaries. In addition, we had the right to decide on who to use on transfer. With all the good things about the organisation, I do not see anything that they did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 20,000 to support the education of my child by completing the payment of his school fees. He is in secondary school and I had been encountering a lot of challenges in educating him because I have an unreliable job. I also used KES 3000 to purchase enough food for the family. With the remaining amount, I save it to use to continue supporting my kid's educational needs because he is about to complete his 12th grade next year.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($485 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 exactly 8 AM when I was preparing breakfast for my family when I heard some of my neighbors singing while mentioning GiveDirectly. I suspected that there was some good news in the village and before I could utter a word, I heard someone calling my name. I was so curious since she was holding my phone smiling. I was overwhelmed with joy after getting such wonderful news that morning that I had received my transfers. I just wish you could see how I reacted. I had to share the information with the remaining family members who also couldnt contain their joy.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life ever since I started receiving the cash transfer is that I am now at peace and very hopeful. My life has been full of sorrows and troubles from the day I got married. I have been jobless and my spouse who is a taxi driver has been the breadwinner of six. This has never been easy for him at all since his job wasn't stable. Therefore most of the days he could barely make the ends meet. My children used to be sent home regularly for fees and they would stay for weeks as a result of the financial hardships that we were facing. I however had to think of a permanent solution that would settle all these troubles once and for all. Therefore I settled for goats which I believe very soon will multiply and increase in number. Also, goats can do better n my region since it is semi-arid which assures me that they will cope very fast. My plan is once they multiply I will be selling some and sorting all the household basic needs. Also paying for school for my children will no longer be a big issue since I can opt also to one or two and clear the arrears. I am so happy and thankful for GiveDirectly for coming into my life the time I needed their help the most.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first transfer on buying three goats worthy of KES 10000. I had been longing to keep them for years but this was attainable since I had a lot of responsibilities to cater for. Also, I bought a bicycle at KES 12000 which has been of help especially in transporting water from the dam which is 12 Km away from the village. For all that time, I have been using my hand which was very tiresome and at times I was complaining of backaches. For now, I feel there is a great relief. I also cleared school fees of KES 3000 for my children who are in secondary schools. I am so happy that they have been attending classes without hiccups. In addition to that, I bought new school uniforms and stationery which has been their learning so smoothly. With the remaining amount of money, I bought foodtufs for the family.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means access to basic education for my children. I have a family of four children. One is in form two and three are in primary school. Raising these children has really been difficult. Imagine having four children attending school without a stable source of income. Over the years I have been depending on charcoal burning business. However this business is no longer reliable because of long periods of drought that has made it impossible for charcoal burning because there are no more trees. In a month I can only get four sacks of charcoal that I sell at 600 KES each. This income is not enough to meet the basic needs of my family. Consequently, my children have been on and off school due to fee balances. Upon receiving this money, I will clear the school fees balances and buy 10 goats at a cost of 30000 KES which I will rear and sell when they multiply as an investment for my children education.
What is the happiest part of your day?
During the last school break, my children assisted me to dig tree trunks that we burnt for charcoal. We managed to get ten sacks of charcoal that when I sold, I made a profit of 6000KES. This helped me save 4000 KES for my children shopping when they reported back to school. This made me happy because it relieved me of the burden of raising that amount of money alone.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Persistent drought in our village is the main challenge that I am facing. Water is very scarce and it has become very expensive to get it. Imagine walking for 5 kilometres to buy a 20Litre drum at 50 KES. This has become very expensive because there is no money to buy water. I also waste a lot of time looking for water that I would have used to burn charcoal for sale. This has made life more difficult for me and my family. Upon receiving the cash transfer, I will buy a 5000Litre tank that I will use to store rain water.
