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
53200 KES ($484 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is now different since Give directly transfers have allowed me to live in peace. My child school fees was troubling me a lot not to mention the land debt I had. This needs taken care off brought happiness to me and my family. Apart from my needs being taken care of very soon I will have a continuous source of income from selling milk from the cow I bought with this transfers. Surely my life has been totally transformed and I am a different person now.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Giving us unconditional transfers is one of the best initiative done by GiveDirectly since one is able to take care of the things on need basis. I was able to care of the school fees and and clear my land debts at ease since they were more pressing and stressing at that moment. This has also enabled me to buy a cow that very soon I will start milking and the produce will be used partly at home while the rest will be taken to the market hence ensuring a continuous flow of cash.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my transfers to pay school fees for my son who was joining form 1.This really reduced the stress I had about his schooling finances and gave me more time to save for the next schooling year. This transfers also assisted me in offsetting a long time land debt that I had hence allowing me till the land for more harvest.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($508 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 10 am when I was milking, I saw my neighbour jumping up and down, on asking I was told that they had already received their transfer, I rushed to the house to look for my phone, I was so happy when I saw a message alert that I had received my transfer, my son too was equally happy because he was sure that with the transfer he was certain that he will join his dream school to pursue his secondary education.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference is that, before; I was worried if I will get enough money to send my son to a good secondary school because of financial constraints, my only source of income was my business which had gone down because of the economical status in our country today, I was making little out of it when I was promised of the transfer from GiveDirectly, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel because finally my prayers were answered meaning that I was certain that my son would join a good school, I am so grateful for the support, may God reward GiveDirectly and our donors abundantly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The transfer was God sent, because it came at the right time when we needed it most. my son was to join form one but I did not have enough money to pay for his tuition fees and other requirements, therefore, when I received my transfer I spent KES 30,000 to pay school fees for him, then the remaining part of the transfer I used it in shopping for other school requirements because he will be joining a boarding school.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
When I got divorced about 10 years ago, I came back to my parents' home empty handed because my former husband sold all my assets including cows. I had to work hard to educate my 4 children through a small business of selling maize floor. Now that they are grow ups, I am planning to spend $900 of this money to buy them a 0.3 acre piece of land in an adjacent village. Owning such a property will immensely change my story and that of my children, which will greatly boost their esteem and dignity in the society and will no longer be called the children of a divorcee.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am a small business woman. I sell items like maize floor, maize, beans and vegetables during market days. I make a profit of around $30 on a good day. Coming back home at the end of the day makes me happy, because this is an assurance that my children will go to school.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am a single mother of 4. When I got married to my husband more than 20 years ago, I thought we would live happily ever after and raise educated children together. My husband was an alcoholic, binge drinking day and night and was an abusive lot. I could not go a day without being abused physically. One day, he beat me so much so that I was admitted to hospital. Upon intervention from our area administration and my father, I sought a divorce letter and came back home to stay with my parents, 10 years ago. However, I lost all assets that I had worked hard for and my first born son had to drop out of school. This is the biggest hardship I've faced.
