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 ($517 USD)
access_time 4 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 currently different in that I now have my own cart business that has changed my life a great deal. I make more income from my cart business and I am raising a happier family than the one that I raised before I received GiveDirectly funds. I can now pay school fees easily from the income I make. I also bought a cow that has given us enough milk for local consumption while we also sell the surplus to meet other family needs.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Give Directly has been of great support to my family and community at large. Looking at our living standards now there is a great difference as compared to before we started receiving the transfers. I can not record any bad incidences with GD.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
When I received my second transfer, I decided to empower my son so I took some amount and facilitated his driving lessons. In doing this I believe he will be able to get an opening once he is through with the course. I spent some amount to pay school fees for my other children and ensured there was enough food in the household.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($545 USD)
access_time 4 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
My daughter had been unemployed despite having completed her course in tailoring. Since then, she has been hiring a sewing machine from a friend with a daily payback of KES 400. When I received the money, I bought a new sewing machine for her and opened the business premises. At least she can even get more customers as opposed to working from home where only a few friends knew about her business. Apart from her being self-employed, this has been a source of income not only to her but for our entire family. To me, this is the biggest difference in my daily life because the income has been helping us fulfil our family's basic needs without much struggle.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I remember hearing a vibration sound on my phone. Due to curiosity, I decided to check the content of the message. I couldn't hold back the joy that instantly filled my heart after noticing that I had received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. It was the beginning of a change in my life that I had yearned for a very long time.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
Upon receiving my first transfer, the immediate thought that I had was to clear school fees for my two sons who are currently in high school. They had actually been sent home due to fees arrears. The fact that I see them going to school like other children make me happy. I also spent KES 10000 to buy a sewing machine for my daughter. She has been hiring a sewing machine from friends which was expensive. I am glad that she has even gotten the courage of opening her own shop. At least, she can be found in a designated business location. To say the truth, this is a source of income not only for her but for all of us. I also purchased an ox. I am planning to buy another one so that they can make up a pair to aid in my farming. Lastly, I decided to use the remaining amount on basic needs such as foodstuffs and household expenses.
Enrolled
access_time over 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
A bright future for my children through education has been my greatest desire in my life. This is because I believe through education, they can get better jobs and help me when I get aged. As of now, I have struggled a lot to make sure they are in school but many times, they are sent home due to lack of school fees. Receiving this money means enabling me to clear fee arrears and that of the proceeding term come in January 2020. Therefore, I plan to spend utmost $400 on fees and this will mean settling them in school, something that will bring maximum concentration to them. On the other hand, I intend to use $120 on purchasing a sewing machine for my daughter in order to do her dress making work. The remaining amount will help me to buy an oxen to upscale my farming and this will result to more harvests.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I spend the better portion of my day working in my farm and I usually come back home at around noon. In the evening, I feel relaxed and much happier since I get at least 15 minutes to phone call my husband and also to get time to share our dinner with my children.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of a reliable source of income to facilitate on paying the school fees for my children has been my greatest challenge. As of today, I depend on my husband whose current casual jobs does not earn him much to support the children in school. As a result, they have been sent home in most of the time, something that does not make them to concentrate in class. I was worried that, they may not proceed to the next class come in January 2020 due to the huge fee arrears but the grant gift from GiveDirectly will assure them to be back in school.
