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.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
These funds have catered for most of my needs, especially school fees and food. So, to me give directly has done very well. However, in January, I missed my transfer. This made me feel very sad and left out since everyone in my village was celebrating that they had received the funds. I called the helpline and I was advised that someone tried to contact me but I was unreachable. So nowadays I am very careful and I make sure that I have my phone with me all the time. Even so, I would be very happy if there could be a chance to reduce this.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Being unemployed, I am forced to depend on my husband for financial support. He works as a motorcyclist. The business is not consistent when it comes to earnings. This has been worse nowadays since every day, whenever he comes home, he always says he has not made any money. leaving us without funds to buy a meal and school fee payment becomes a challenge. When I received the first transfer, I had fee arrears of KES2700. So, I used KES700 to reduce the debt and I bought food with the remaining KES500. Even when concentrating on food and School fees bills, I also wanted to start a saving routine. Therefore, when I received my second transfer, I saved KES1000 in the Chama, and the remaining KES2,000 I used equally on the food and school fees bill.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($11 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was very happy and my children too were happy. They had just been chased home from school due to school fees arrears but I immediately took them back and paid KES 700 for their school fees. I did not have any other means of getting that money at that time but the transfer was timely and I am happy they went to school.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I am now better. The transfer has helped me take my kids back to school. They had been chased from school on the day I received the transfer and I was able to take them back to school immediately using the transfers.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received the transfer, my 2 children had just been chased out of school due to school fees arrears. I therefore used KES 750 for their fees and the rest was spent on food. My children were very happy to go back to school as I was. They would probably be home longer had I not gotten the transfers.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I plan to invest in livestock farming, I am a subsistence farmer and I have always thought farming would be more productive when I have a cow or two to help in plowing.
My goal is to buy about four cows by the end of this project. I have savings in a group called Silk, we usually take loans and pay at an interest. I will take a loan of about 15,000 KES shillings and buy a calf, the money I get from GiveDirectly will be used to offset the loan.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In September this year, I was blessed with a baby boy, his birth was very seamless, with no complications at all. I remember holding him in my arms, it was a joy to behold him. He is my third son. I am blessed with two girls and three boys now.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
This year has been tough on us farmers, we usually expect rains the last four to three months. It has not rained and this has affected our productivity.
We have no water and food is scarce, especially vegetables.
We have to walk for kilometers to get water and this is time-consuming and tiresome. I have five children and it is hard finding time to go to the stream to fetch water. I have to ask for assistance from other people in the compound.
We no longer have a variety of vegetables to choose from, we eat silver cyprinid regularly. This is not nutritious, especially for young children.
