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?
GiveDirectly has made my children learning much easier. I took a solar lighting system for $150 on debt and have been able to make monthly payments of $10 from my transfers. Previously my children would be forced to go to our neighbours to seek for help to do their homework as they already had a solar lighting system. They however soon grew tired of our begging for their help and started giving excuses whenever the children would ask to go reads. Now we no longer have that problem as my children can do their homework at home thanks to the solar lights we now have and are paying for with my transfers. I also spent $30 on school fees for the four children from the transfers. I am also buying chicken and have so far bought 6 at $30. My children are also able to get breakfast which has cost me $12 from Givedirectly.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I have had a goal of building my flock of animals. Last we spoke I only had two goats. Now I have three goats. I sold the chicken I had to buy a kid which has joined the other two. I have also added chicken which now are 6 and I plan to increase their numbers which will allow me to meet my goal of buying more goats and in turn buying a cow. I also now have the plan to complete my solar payments so I do not have it reclaimed and continue to enjoy the comfort it affords us. I can continue working on this dream thanks to Givedirectly.
18th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($24 USD)
access_time 6 months ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
It was Friday afternoon when I was just chilling at home, and suddenly I received my transfer from GiveDirectly. As a mother of five children, the first thing that came to my mind upon receiving the transfers was my children's school fees. I allocated $20 to ensure they wouldn't be sent back home and their studies wouldn't be interrupted. Additionally, I set aside $12 to install solar panels in my house. Finally, the remaining $2 was spent on food for my family.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I currently have two goats and five chickens. I began purchasing this livestock and poultry the moment I started receiving my transfer. I want to invest in them so that I can easily sell them at a profit and use the earnings to pay my children's school fees. Once the chickens hatch, I can sell them to buy more goats, and then sell the goats to acquire dairy cows. I can milk the cow and sell the milk and generate income.
14th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($23 USD)
access_time 11 months ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I mostly use cash transfers to pay my four children's school fees. Sometimes, when I receive the cash transfers, the school has already sent them home the day before to collect outstanding fees. My husband and I depend on making and selling charcoal for our income. The $10 we make each week from this venture is not enough to cover school fees and put food on the table. That's why I'm so grateful that the cash transfers have played a significant role in financing our kids' education. In the past three months, I've spent a total of $70 on school fees. I'm delighted that they can attend school regularly. Thanks to the cash transfers, I could afford to pay the fees, and one of them will be able to take his primary school national exams next week. I used the remaining $32 to buy eight chickens for rearing. Having chickens assures me that if there's a financial emergency, I can sell the chickens to meet our needs.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
In the coming year and beyond, I hope to have a growing number of livestock, including chickens, goats, and cows. I feel that my husband's work of making and selling charcoal alone cannot cover our children's needs, especially their school fees. Having livestock will provide us with some financial security because I can sell these animals for funds. Currently, I have eight hens and one goat, which I obtained through previous cash transfers, and my goal is to continue acquiring more.
10th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES
access_time 1 year ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The transfer that I received from GiveDirectly was of great support since I received it at a time I was in dire need of money. 4 of my children had been sent home for school fees and I had no money to take them back and I therefore had to stay with them home till I found the money. Upon receiving the transfers, I felt a sigh of relief and I immediately took them back to school and paid $2 to each of them amounting to $10. Food was also a challenge owing to the fact that my husband and I do not have a reliable source of income and we depended on the little income from the charcoal-selling business. With the remaining amount of $5, I managed to buy 1 chick for rearing, and I felt so grateful.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I had already started a chicken-rearing project where I had already started with 6 chicken. My goal was therefore to have as many chicken as possible in the project, I would later sell some of them to venture into another project of rearing goats. To achieve this, I plan to buy at least a chick every month with the transfers that I would be receiving and upon multiplying, I would trade 6 chicken for 1 goat and have the two projects running.
6th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($27 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Living in a decent comfortable house is what I had desired for a long time after my house fell off. I have been slowly building step by step since I do not have a defined source of income. Currently, I was left with fixing two iron sheets, windows, and the door. Using the recent transfer, I bought one iron sheet for $8. I opted to buy only one because I had other vital demands to settle. I had a debt of $8 in school fees for my four lower elementary school children and I saw it wise to settle it. Since I started a local breed poultry farming, I used another $8 to buy two chickens to add to the five I had and as of now, I have seven chickens which is good progress. For the remaining $10, I opted to buy some food for my family.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My main goal for this year is to complete my house. The only remaining part is the door, windows, and one piece of iron sheet. This will not take long to accomplish. As per my plan, I would like to have completed by the next tree transfers so that I embark on livestock farming as an investment. To get the livestock, I will exchange the poultry I have. In our local calculations, six chicken is equivalent to a goat. Therefore, as my poultry reproduces, I will be in a better position to exchange for goats.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($25 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My husband and I are in the charcoal business, I am mostly involved in the process of making it and my husband takes it to the nearby market. I make seven to ten sacks a month which I sell at $6 making a profit of $4 a month. I use this money to buy food for my five children. I used the recent transfer to buy a goat($25) that I would like to start rearing and buy food($5) for my family.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
We are happy that the village is in harmony. Givedirectly has helped reduce theft which makes us so happy.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($10 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My husband, who makes and sells charcoal for a living, is the sole provider for our family. He can earn up to KES 2,000 in a good week. Due to the rising commodity prices, particularly food, this income barely meets all the necessities of my seven-person household. By the time I got the transfer, my four primary school children had been suspended from class for two days due to unpaid tuition costs. So, I settled the fee amount with KES 700 and they joyfully resumed school. I also spent the remaining funds on food because my family had gone to bed hungry the night before, after we ran out of maize flour.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
My four primary school children were routinely pulled out of class to collect overdue tuition amounts prior to the transfer. In reality, when I received the money from Give Directly, they had missed two days of class. I utilized the majority of the money to clear the outstanding balance. They resumed their studies and have not been sent home since.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I turned on my phone at about 2 p.m. after having charged it all day. It rang immediately with a message notification. After verifying its contents, I realized that Give Directly had sent me money. I was so delighted that I went to the mobile money outlet to withdraw the money and pay my four children's school tuition.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Imagine a life where getting food and other necessities requires one to prepare and sell charcoal to earn the living. It is a life full of stress and heartbreak that has exposed me to low self-esteem. Seeing my children sleeping or going to school hungry is the most painful thing that I have ever gone through. Our dressing is also wanting and this has turned us into a laughing stock in the village. I, therefore, consider financial crisis as the main struggle that I am currently facing.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In February this year, one remarkable thing happened in my life. My brother-in-law sponsored me a fare to accompany other family members to Mombasa to attend the wedding of his niece. This was one of the unique life opportunities that I enjoyed most especially being away from home with other people where we ate and dance a lot. I, therefore, consider this chance as what has brought joy to my life.
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means improving the livelihood of my household. Currently, my family and I are living a very miserable life, say; the nature of our house and also spending our nights on the floor. This is something that has robbed away my joy and I have had the desire to change this status quo. This program has awakened my hope and I am determined to complete the roofing of my house and purchasing of new beddings to replace the old ones. To ensure this is achieved, I plan to save my monthly transfers to raise 40000 KES that I will spend to offset these desires. By doing this, our life will have a new chapter courtesy of GiveDirectly.