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?
One of my daughters is in highschool and before receiving the money from GiveDirectly she was literally on the verge of being kicked out of school since the amount I pay in school fees is higher compared to the one of her siblings who are in primary. She was about to get sent home because the school administration demanded KES 10,000 in school fees which I did not have at the moment. Fortunately a day later I received the transfers from GiveDirectly and I ended up paying KES 2,000 in tuition fee. I was not even close to clearing my debt, but the little amount I sent was better than nothing and it would buy me more time while I looked for more money. Then I used the balance of what was left which was KES 1,000 and bought eight packets of maize flour since there was no food in the house an the only way we can get food is by buying it because the farms were dry due to drought.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($27 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well in terms of ensuring that every needy person within a village has an equal opportunity to get enrolled. With GiveDirectly have not seen instances of biasness or favoritism towards anybody or certain members of the community. This has made it easy for us the community to welcome them freely and we are grateful that it is changing the lives of many people.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
With no source of income to depend on, it has been very challenging for me to be able to provide for my family. This makes me very sad. I have heavily depended on my farm to earn a living. It is now three years and we have not received any rain yet. Everything we planted on the farm dried up. All our investment went to the drain. This has left us hopeless and with nothing to depend on. The manual jobs I am currently engaging in are few and pay very little. The little I get from these jobs are used to buy food for my family. In short, we live from hand to mouth. When I received the money I spent KSH 1000 on buying food for my family. I did this because we did not have anything left to eat in the house. In addition to buying food, I spent KSH 2000 paying school fees for my children. I have 4 children who are in primary school. I shared out KSH 500 each so that I could partially reduce their respective school fee balances.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($11 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I saw the text at around 7 pm. My phone had been charging all day and I was just from the field where I had spent the whole day grazing my livestock. When I put my phone on I found that I had received the cash from GiveDirectly. I told my wife about it we were all happy about it.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The difference is that the cash helped me pay some of my bills that currently I am struggling to pay. My older children who have been taking care of me are currently struggling too and do not have the means to help me and they do it is very little. I that GiveDirectly for coming through and helping out.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am getting old day by day. I had a job a long time ago and things were good back then. I could provide for my family. After I retired from work things started becoming bad and now as I speak to it is even worse. I am now old and cannot go out and find something for myself anymore like I used to. So when I received cash from GiveDirectly I was very happy. I spent KSH 500 on paying school fees for my younger sons. I chose to pay school fees for them so that they can get a good education and be able to have a good life in days to come. I also spent KSH 650 on food. At the time before receiving the money I did not have food at all. So I saw it wise to invest in buying food for me and my family.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am glad I will be able to repair my house, it has cracks and it is falling apart. I live here with my wife and I want her to stay in a decent and comfortable house. I will use the transfer to buy the materials need to start the repair.
Two children of my thirteen children just cleared highschool and are yet to join college. One wants to pursue teaching and the other a wiring course. I will see to it that they get to fulfill their dreams.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I can only be grateful for the gift of life. This year kicked of well but with the change of weather it has made it impossible to get a stable source of income. Despite this challenge I choose to focus on the fact that I am alive and well.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Finances have are my major challenge at the moment. I retired about ten years ago after working for about thirty three years as a Chef. After retirement I engaged myself in farming and once in awhile do outside catering especially in weddings. Covid-19 has affected the latter to a great extent. I now depend on farming which also has shortcomings especially now with the drought that we are facing. I cannot afford food, I stay in a house that is falling apart and five of my children still are in school. I am struggling and money is nowhere to be found.
