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.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was busy serving customers in the shop where I work when a child handed me her mother's phone to check a message. To my surprise, I saw that she had received cash from GiveDirectly, and just then, I heard a notification on my own phone confirming that I had also received the transfer. I was overjoyed because I had been patiently waiting for this money after being told I qualified. At that moment, school fees for my children were a pressing issue, and I had taken out a loan to pay for my two children's exams the previous term. With this cash, I knew I could pay off the loan and still have enough left to cover their expenses as they headed back to school. Thank you, GiveDirectly.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
My job only brings in $50 a month, which became increasingly limited after we lost our crops to floods. Our alternative source of income made it even tougher to pay for my children's school fees. The financial strain pushed me to take out a loan, and I was left wondering how I would ever manage to pay it back. Thankfully, I received my first transfer from GiveDirectly at the perfect time. With that money, I was able to clear my debt and buy essential items for my children, which was such a relief. Now, I can focus on other things without the weight of that burden on my shoulders. I am grateful to GiveDirectly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Last term, my two children in high school were about to miss their exams due to fee arrears totaling $120 for both. I had to borrow a loan of $100 to ensure they could sit for their exams, so when I received my first transfer from GiveDirectly, I immediately used it to clear the loan. I also spent $40 on shopping for their school supplies and $20 for their transport back to school. Unfortunately, right before returning to school, my daughter became unwell and was diagnosed with epilepsy, which required a hospital visit costing $10. With the remaining $11, I bought essential food items like sugar and maize flour, as we were running low on food. My work as a kiosk attendant provides a limited income of $50 per month, and my husband is a farmer; sadly, our crops, which we relied on, were swept away by floods. This made things tough for us, but with the support from GiveDirectly, we are hopeful.
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access_time 4 months ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
Receiving these cash transfers from Give Directly means so much to us. We currently have two children in secondary school whom we pay school fees for. We have planned that when we receive the first KES 18000 cash transfers we shall use it to pay for their school fees. This will relieve us of the burden of school fees for the third term of this year's academic calendar. In addition to this, we do not have land and a house of our own since we currently live in a borrowed house belonging to our relatives. With the second and third transfers we intend to purchase a piece of land and also build a house for our family. For the first KES 45000 we intend to purchase the piece of land and for the third cash transfer of KES 45000 we intend to purchase building materials for our house. Receiving these cash transfers will surely change our lives positively and we are grateful for it.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My happiness over the past 6 months despite the challenges we are facing, is the wellbeing of our children. We have not had to seek any medical assistance over the past 6 months which greatly delights me. I'm grateful to God for his love and giving us good health.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My biggest challenge currently is where I live. Over the past 10 years we have lived together in our relatives house which we find very difficult because we don't have a place of our own. Recently, they have asked us to look for a place to move to which is challenging since we don't have money to purchase land or even build a house. We have three children which makes our situation even more dire.
