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.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
In the next one year and beyond, I will be concentrating on raising enough money to pay school fees for my grandson who recently joined form one. He is under my care and it is my responsibilty to make sure that he gets everything that he needs in school. GiveDirectly has come in handy to help me achieve this dream of giving him the best in terms of education, something that I would not have easily achieved. I also look forward to increasing the number of goats that I keep to a hundred within the next one year.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly does very well by enrolling everyone evenly and people like us who would have to struggled to make ends meet got to relax and enjoy the moment at that time. Looking back at what I have been able to achieve i can only be happy.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my most recent transfer of $450, I used $150 to putchase food for my family. I then used another $150 to buy goats which I now keep in my compound while the remaining $150 was used to build a new house for my family. The house will serve as a kitchen space and my children too will be using the space to sleep. I am so happy for all that I have been able to achieve with GiveDirectly transfers. I honestly do not know how life would have been without this transfer. It has brought a lot of hope and life to me and my family. I am extremely happy that I have been able to educate my grandson who is now in form one and I look forward to using subsequent transfers to make ends meet.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
18010 KES ($129 USD)
access_time 10 months ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 1300 hrs when I received a message notification on my phone. I looked for my daughter to check what the message was all about, and she broke the good news that that Givedirectly transfer had been sent! I was so thrilled and could not hide my joy!
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
We would typically sell a goat or two to get money to buy seeds, hire casual labor, and meet other household necessities. I'm relieved that this time around, that didn't happen. The transfers made it easier for me to satisfy these demands, and as things stand right now, I still have all of my goats that would have otherwise been sold, and now will be useful in the future. For now, we have Givedirectly!
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent approximately $80 on groceries for my family. Food has been in short supply for a while, and what is available is quite expensive. So when I got the transfer, I decided it would be wise to buy some food that would last us for a while. Additionally, I paid my grandchild's $50 in school expenses as his dad was unable to do so. I used the remaining money to hire some laborers to cultivate and ready my millet farm for planting, and I also purchased two kg of millet seeds. Currently, millet is the grain we choose to cultivate because it can withstand the hard weather better than other crops like maize.
Enrolled
access_time 1 year ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
The transfers have come in at a timely manner since we lack food. I plan to first purchase a bag of maize at 60 dollars and half a bag of beans at 40 dollars. This will ensure that we have enough food. I also plan to pay school fees for my grandson, Anderson who is in form two. In addition to this, I will also purchase 4 goats at 40 dollars each which I will add to my livestock. For the remaining amount I will keep it as a saving which I will use for the basic needs on our household and also for any emergency such as medical needs that arise.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My happiness in the past six months came from Red cross. I was happy because we received a humanitarian aid of 60 dollars from them. This assisted me in purchasing food for my household which greatly delighted me.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest challenge I'm faced with is the lack of food. I'm living with my daughter who is a returnee and I'm the sole provider for the seven of us. Food has become a challenge since we have experienced prolonged droughts which has led to our farms being unproductive. We long for rains to come so that we can grow some maize to sustain us through the rest of this year.
