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 ($437 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My main focus now is to continue farming in order to get enough food for my family and sell the surplus produce to pay school fees for my children. It is the dream of every parent to ensure that their children get the best education. This is my concern now and I will accomplish it.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The training was perfectly done and most of the people in our village really understood the program. Since the money was unconditional they invested in various income-generating projects and this has changed their living standard.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I lived in a small house that could not host all my family members comfortably. I had always wished to build a better house but I did not have the money. I rely on small-scale farming, I plant maize and beans but this is the majority for consumption. I would sell the surplus produce to pay school fees for my children in various schools. I have two children in the university, two in secondary school and two in primary. My main focus at that time was to ensure that I pay the school fees on time. I spent $250 on building an extension room for my children. They used to sleep in the small kitchen house and they were not comfortable. Currently, they are so happy because they have a decent and spacious room to do their studies. I spent $150 on paying school fees for my children, Currently, they are studying well without being sent home like before. This was affecting their performance since they would miss some of the lessons. The remaining amount of money I spent on food and household items that we were missing at home. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($484 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was in the morning and we had just woken up. I decided to get my phone from where I had placed it last night to check for any missed calls or a new message. I was surprised when I saw a message from my mobile money provider. I decided to check the contents of the SMS and I could not believe my eyes when I read the SMS which was saying that we had received KES 55000 from GiveDirectly. I don't know when the SMS got into my phone but I guessed it must have been the night before when we were asleep. We had heard that other people had received the transfers during the day before and hence we kept on hoping that we were also going to receive them. Nevertheless, I was so happy on seeing the SMS and I immediately told my husband the good news. He was so happy too on hearing this and we celebrated giving thanks for the blessing. We then sat down and planned on how we were going to spend it.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The transfer has brought a very big difference in our lives as a family. We were able to accomplish the plans that we had always had but due to a lack of money, we had not managed to achieve. We were able to clear the school fee balances for our two children who are in secondary school and hence they were no longer sent home due to arrears. We were also able to place the ceiling board on our house and we bought a calf which is going to be of great help to us in future. May God bless you so much GiveDirectly for the help.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We spent most of the transfer money on paying school fees for our two children who are in secondary school. We took out KES 24000 and we used it in clearing the arrears. We also bought a calf at KES 15000. Apart from that, we spent part of the money in putting up the ceiling board for the house that we were living in and with the remaining amount, we used it in buying food for our family of eleven. Paying school fees was our main goal since the children were about to be sent home due to the arrears and we didn't know where we were going to get such a huge of money in a short time to clear the balances. We hence decided to prioritize the school fees payment so that the children could continue smoothly with their studies. School fees payment has always been our biggest challenge since we have nine school-going children and we do not have a stable source of income. We depend on farming and sale of milk from our cows to earn a living which is not much enough to pay for school fees for all our children. We are therefore so much grateful to GiveDirectly for the help.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Additional KES 200 daily income to my household is what receiving this money means to me. I will prioritize adding one lactating cow to the three that I have, and this will cost me KES 40000. Dairy farming is what I rely on to educate as well as provide other needs such as food and proper healthcare to my children, thus more income equates to reduced struggles in doing so. I will then use KES 30000 to clear school fees arrears for my four children; two in secondary school and two in the university.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My second-born son joined Kabarak University in the year 2016, to undertake a Bachelor of Commerce Degree course. Supporting his education through the four years was taking a toll on us since we also have four other school-going children. It was a joyous moment in May this year when he graduated and the joy overflowed the same month when he secured a job, an assurance that he will soon be chipping in to support us in educating his siblings.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Imagine having four children in school; two in secondary and two in the university, yet the only source of livelihood in this family is dairy farming! Worst of all is the low prices that come with selling milk, that is KES 120 from selling 3 liters of milk daily. This is the biggest challenge we face in this family. Our alternative source of income is maize and beans farming, yet the prolonged droughts in this region have resulted to poor land productivity hence low yields. We have been forced to sell our livestock on many occasions to support our children's education.
