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 ($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?
My new goal is to take my son who graduated from primary school to vocational collage. Although I didn't get to save towards his school fees from the transfers that I received, I'm hopeful that my husband will be in a position to pay school fees because we have already achieved our main goal which was to build a house and he doesn't have to bother about that again.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
What GiveDirectly does well is allowing us to make choices on how to spend our transfers. We understand better our priority of needs and therefore make best choises.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My husband who is a casual labourer is the the breadwinner of the family. Life has not been easy for us because with an average daily wage of 200 KES, he has to provide basic necessities for our nine kids and pay school fees for seven school going children. This has drained him financially that he has not been able to add some more rooms to our single room which we all live in. The space in the single room is very small that I had to request my neighbors to be offering some of our older children a place to sleep during the night. I have always wished to have all my family spend night under one roof but financial constraints has been the biggest challenge. I spend 30000 KES to buy building materials inclusive of iron sheets and poles and paid mason 14000 KES. I'm happy that I was able to add two rooms courtesy of the transfers and we have a fair shared space for my family. I'm thankful to GiveDirectly for making this happen.
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?
The SMS confirming that I had received the money from GiveDirectly arrived in the morning but I didn't see it until in the afternoon when I found out about it. I was so happy when I got the money because I had so many things I desired in my heart but had no means as o solely relied on my charcoal burning and selling business which hardly raised enough to even meet my family's immediate needs let alone the things I desired. Therefore, receiving this transfer from GiveDirectly was a very huge relief to me.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving money from GiveDirectly is the great improvements I can see in my life. I now have the things that I lacked before, especially a bigger and better house, some household items as well as new and better clothes for my children. I am so happy and grateful to GiveDirectly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent most of the transfer which was KES 35000 on materials and labor charges for building a bigger and better house for my family. I desired for so long, and had the house as priority for a longtime. This was because we were previously living in a very small house that was in a very good poor condition with no enough space, which used to make me so unhappy and gave me sleepless nights. Therefore, when I received the money I made sure I get all the requirements for building this bigger and better house, which makes me so happy and proud right now, all thanks to GiveDirectly. I also spent KES 10000 on settling my son's school fees arrears which had accumulated over time and constantly disrupted his education. I did this because I didn't want him to suffer from disruption due to school fees arrears, since I know as well that his good education will not only benefit him alone but also I stand to gain when he is employed in the future. I will be able to count on him to help me address the financial challenges I will be facing, all thanks to GiveDirectly.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means building a house for my family. I have a family of nine children. I live is a small hut that is not spacious enough to accommodate all my children and my spouse. In most cases, when my spouse comes home, all the children are forced to borrow shelter from neighbours because we cannot share the same room. This exposes my children to high risks. However, I have no choice because I cannot afford a bigger house. I depend on charcoal burning business that earns me 5000 KES a month. This money is not enough to pay school fees, buy food and save to build a house. This makes life more unbearable for me and my children. Upon receiving this money, I will build a three bedroom house that will cost 40000 KES, I will also buy three beds and mattresses for my children. This will help me restore my dignity as neighbors have been seeing me as a failure who sire children but cannot afford shelter for them.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Last week, some donors came to our village and sponsored our women group to a training on fish farming. We spent two days in mombasa for this training and the donors promised to fund this project . This brought a lot of joy to me because this will be an opportunity to earn some income to meet my basic needs.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Persistent drought in our village is the main challenge that is facing me. This has made life more difficult because I spend around five hours to walk to long distance to look for water. The five hours I spend on searching for water I would have used it to cut logs for charcoal burning. This has in the long run affected the education of my children because they are sent home due to school fees arrears. This brings a lot of stress to me. My desire has been to keep goats that survive dry weather conditions which I will sell when they multiply to educate my children. I will therefore use part of the money to buy five goats as an investment for my children education.
