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.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
About three days prior to receiving the funds from GiveDirectly my two children had been kicked out of school due to pending balance in school fee and I had also yet to pay the for their examination fee. As soon as I received the money I went ahead and paid KES 1,200 to the school so that they would go back and continue with their education. I was left with about KES 1,800 where I went ahead and bought six packets of maize flour for KES 760 and used KES 250 to send for six gallons of drinking water which was scarce in our area. I then went on to use the remaining balance of KES 830 and bought items that I needed in the house like body lotion, laundry detergent, sugar, tomatoes, bread and even beans.
3rd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($27 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I had wished to end the year with my family enjoying the best meals. This forced me to spend my entire transfer (KES 3000) on purchasing foodstuff that we used during the Christmas season. This made my family so happy because it was their best festival ever.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($27 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well in terms of helping the needy in society. I can tell you for sure that there are many people whose dreams have died because they did not get that little push they wanted. I am happy that my son’s dream of wanting to study hard and become successful later in life is going to be achieved through the help I am getting from GiveDirectly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have a child who is a form, three student. Since I am passionate about education, I always try my best to ensure that she is always in school. Ever since I lost my job at the beginning of this year, it has been very hard for me to be able to pay school fees for my children. When I received the transfer I decided to use it all to pay school fees. I wanted to avoid a situation where she was going to be sent home. That will make her lose valuable time and it will be hard for her to catch up with the other students. I am happy that she is still in school.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($27 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 9:30 am when I was in my house sweeping after coming back from fetching water for the household. I was with the daughter at the time when I received the message on my phone. I confirmed that it was the transfer from GiveDirectly. I felt very happy for receiving such a good amount of money which would help me settle fees for my daughter.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The difference in my life is big. The only option I had was to borrow money from a friend which would translate to loans and debts. With the help of the funds, my daughter was able to go back to school and I am also stress-free from paying off debts and loans that I would I have incurred.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have a daughter who is currently in form 2 in Ngala Memorial Girls High School. For days before receiving the money. My daughter was sent back home due to school fee arrears. Since then I have been trying to find means of getting money so that she could get back to school but I was still not successful in any of that. When I received the money my priority was to pay school fees for my daughter. I spent the whole KSH 3000 to pay school fees for my daughter so that should get back to school and continue with her learning.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Seeing that my husband is the sole breadwinner at the moment, I intend to use these transfers from Give Directly to take care of our food situation at home so that my husband takes care of our children's school fees and transport. I feel like the financial burden will be lesser on my husband who works as a driver in Mombasa and this will improve our quality of life as a family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am very grateful for my good health as well as that of my family. What makes me happy is the fact that we do not have any family member in hospital or battling any chronic disease that requires us to be in and out of hospital with huge bills to pay. I cannot help but praise God for this blessing.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I have a school going child who has fees arrears that amount to 50,000 KES and is on the verge of being sent home. The headteacher called us and reported that the school will not keep my child in school but I cannot even afford to send them bus fare so I pleaded with the school to give me some time for pulling a few resources although the truth is, I just cannot seem to get any money and my husband does not have any either. I feel so stuck at this point.
