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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.
Stages:
 
Enrollment
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Transfers
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Completed
Newsfeed > Neema's Profile
Neema's family
Neema
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Casual labor
faceAge:
36
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($467 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My new goal is to start a small shop business selling maize flour and dry fish within the village. With the drought and famine in our village, I will have a ready market something that will earn me a good profit. I will use the income to fund the education of my 8 children. Furthermore, I am planning to repair my house which is collapsing on one side.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly did well in coming up with a cash transfer program. What I feel was done well is the sending of transfers directly to our phones and the fact that it is unconditional and I had the right to decide on how to use it. With all this, I feel there is nothing I can say was not done well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 22,000 of the transfer to start livestock rearing by purchasing 7 goats. I have wished to own livestock which would help me when I encounter a financial emergency. Similarly, it's a long-term investment for my kids, I will be able to sell them to further their studies when they grow up. I also used KES 15,000 to pay off the fee arrears for my 8 children who had a huge fee balance. They were frequently out of school something that kept me worried about their future. For the remaining amount, I bought new clothes for every child and food since I had insufficient food because of the famine that we currently experience.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($495 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I learned that I had received my first transfer at around 9 in the morning when I was preparing breakfast for my family. It was truly an exciting moment becasue that was the day we had all been eagerly been waiting for as a family. I can remember we celebrated the whole day for receiving this gift that has now transformed our lives positively.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that through the transfers, I was able to pay school fees for my son who recently joined college. I was very stressed up becasue I had no idea where I would acquire the required cash to aid his further studies. As a single parent, this was a very big challenge becasue I still had eight family members to take care of. I have been running a business (selling a variety of vegetables) whereby in a day I would make a profit of KES 200 but then this was still not enough. My children have been on and off in school and this could affect their academic performance. However, after receiving the money I had to prioritize their education journey since it has laws been my dream to see all my children getting better education considering I never had a chance to go to school. I am thankful to GiveDirectly for the far it has brought me, may God bless the entire organization.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first transfer on buyng new school uniforms for my six children who are in primary schools at a total of KES 5000 . Their previous ones have been worn out and they were even mocked by their friends and this used to lower self-esteem in school. In addition, I bought three mattresses at KES 8700 which were to replace old mats on the floor which was never comfortable. I later cleared school fees of KES 10000 for my son who was stuck because of the huge arrears. In addition, I bought two goats at a total of KES 5700 to serve as the security whenever I experience any emergency. With the remaining amount of money, I am using it in buying enough foodstuffs for my family.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means access to education for my children. I am a divorced woman with a family of eight children. All of them look up to me to meet their basic needs. I depend on casual jobs like washing other people's clothes to earn an income which is less that $ 3 a day. Seven of the eight children need to attend school but currently they are home due to lack of school fees. I have tried my best to help them attend school, but the income I get is not sufficient to make this happen. All I get is spent on food and water. I intend to use the first cash transfer to clear school fees for my seven children, then use the remaining amount of money to buy food. I will then use the second cash transfer to build a house that will cost $200. I will then use the remaining amount of money to buy goats to keep as an investment for my children education.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I do not have a specific time of the day that I become happy. This is because, my mind is troubled always just thinking of how I will raise my eight children without their fathers. To make matters worse their fathers are still alive but they are irresponsible for their children. This pains my heart a lot and denies me an opportunity to be happy. The only time I become happy is when I get some money to help my children eat.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship that I have ever faced in my life are the several divorce cases that I have encountered in my life. I am the only child in my family and my father vowed that I will not leave my home because my mother will have no one around. This has in the long run affected my social life since every man that attempts to marry me changes his mind after impregnating me. I have suffered 5 divorce cases in my life. All this contributed to me having eight children who do not have a common father and all depend on me for their survival. Taking care of them without a stable income has really made life unbearable for me. However, I have nothing to do but to struggle making ends meet.