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
access_time 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My current priority is the education of my grandchildren. I decided to leave them education as an inheritance for the future because I don't have anything material they can inherit. I have been saving the meager money I earn from my occasional work for them, and even if it is insufficient, I am confident that God will find a way to help them.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly is an organization that gives people hope. I'm glad I was able to use it to acquire a house and some food for my grandchildren.
So far, so good; I have never observed any organizational flaws. It is a well-organized company that is well-aware of its goals.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The house I had was not big enough to house me and my three orphan grandchildren. I utilized $155 from the second transfer to build a room in the house. I am content right now since my grandchildren have a comfortable place to sleep. We stop squeezing. I then paid them $200 in school fees. One is in secondary school and needed $100, while the other two are in primary school and needed $100 as well due to outstanding balances from prior years' tuition. After resolving the two big concerns, I spent the remaining money on the family's maintenance and purchased two goats for $76.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES
access_time almost 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was exactly 7 in the evening when I was preparing a meal for my family when I heard my phone ringing so loudly. I decided to check who it was since it was so unusual. I later confirmed that I had received my first cash transfer as promised. At that instant, my heart was filled with happiness since I knew that I would achieve most of my goals. I will forever be grateful to GiveDirectly for changing my life.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that through the transfers, I have finally been able to own goats. I have been longing to keep them in my compound but I could not afford them because they were costly. I however opted for the goats because they will be of help, especially for my children's education since they are still young. I will not have to struggle once they transition to secondary schools and colleges. My spouse passed on ten years ago and I have been raising the four children singlehandedly. Therefore having the goats means a lot to me because within a short period I will have many of them. They will not only be of school support but also I will be selling some cater to other household expenses. I am grateful for this far GiveDirectly has brought me.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 14000 of my first cash transfer on buying livestock moreso four goats. I have been longing to own them but I couldn't afford them because they were very expensive. Additionally, I bought a bed at KES 5500 and a mattress at KES 4500. For so many years, I have been sleeping on traditional beds which I was not comfortable with at all. I used to wake up with lots of pains and fatigue every morning. Also, I cleared fees of KES 5000 for my three children in primary schools. With the remaining amount, I have been buying food and other basic needs.
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My firstborn daughter separated with her husband and returned with three children and a seven month pregnancy. Unfortunately, she passed away after giving birth to her forth child. I was left with the burden of raising four children without a stable source of income. Getting food and fees for the bereaved grandchildren has been a challenge. The last born is in her fifth year of age and has not joined school for lacking admission fees. The GiveDirectly grant will help in paying school fees for the two younger grandchildren as well as in enrolling the second born in a vocational training institute to pursue tailoring. I will spare 50 000KES for the school requisites as I direct the other funds towards food and other basic requirements.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I have a daughter who is employed in a cafe in town. She rarely pays me a visit neither send anything home. Infact I had forgotten her existence when she surprisingly made a call two weeks ago. After conversing for a while (giving her updates of the current economic condition), she made us happy when she sent cash transfer of 1000KES which helped us in buying for food that lasted for a week.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I have been relying on selling palm wine making a profit of 300KES daily which was mainly spent on providing food for the family. Whereas prolonged drought experienced for more than one year now led to reduction in the production of the wine, making a profit above 200KES in a day is almost impossible. Owing to the financial instability, skipping meals especially lunch is the order of the day leading to deteriorated health condition of the children. The youngest grandchild has not joined school while her siblings are frequently missing classes for lacking school fees.
