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 ($520 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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What did you spend your second transfer on?
I used my recent transfers to pay school fee arrears for my children. Their school fees had accumulated for a long time and I was afraid they might not do exams. By failing to do exams meant they won't be promoted to the next class. That is why I paid immediately once I got the chance to pay. Apart from that, I also bought a heifer. I have one but I felt it was important to add another one because of the value I am already seeing on the previous one. I really thank God for the progress I have made. I don't think I would have reached this far were it not for Give Directly.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, I loved that Givedirectly was fair when choosing eligible households. You didn't have to know someone in order to get enrolled. I also like the fact that the transfers were unconditional. This makes me do whatever I feel will improve my life forever without fear of being asked why. In my opinion, everything they did was good.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is different from how it would in that I was able to pay school fees arrears that had accumulated over time. It had reached a point where we were planning to sell a piece of our land to cater for all the expenses I had. I can't express my joy for retaining my piece of land because of the help I receive from Give Directly. I am glad that my son would be finishing school next year, this means my expenses will have reduced and I will have enough money to start other projects before I think of taking him to college.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($550 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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What did you spend your first transfer on?
Paying school fees for my two children in college has been a hard task to me since I do not have any stable source of income as I depend on doing odd jobs which pays less. When I received my first transfer, I used a good amount from to pay school fees for my daughter who is pursuing nursing. She was almost starting her examinations and she was so much stressed up since she could not sit for her examinations because she had not paid her school fees. Buying maize flour in small quantities has been my daily routine and my family has sometimes been taking one meal a day when I do not have money. For this reason, I decided to use the remaining amount to buy two sacks of maize so that it will last us for some time and it is also quite cheaper.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was in the morning as I was preparing breakfast for my family when my daughter came in and informed me that I had received some money from GiveDirectly. At that time I started singinng happily thanking God for His blessings. This money gave me hope that my child would be able to sit for her examinations.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I am now a happy parent. This is because my daughter was able to sit for her examinations and I am now sure that she will finish her college studies at the end of this year. When I had not paid her school fees, I used to have sleepless nights thinking of where to source money to use but I am now glad that I now sleep well.
Enrolled
access_time almost 6 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I have been worried that my son will not be able to clear his college studies well because of lack of resources. When he was to join college, we had no money and we tried selling a piece of land to raise his school fees but there were no one to buy and he had to call off his first semester in college.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My usual day involves working on my vegetable garden and the happiest part is in the evening when i get vegetables from my garden and my husband brings us maize so that we are able to share a male together . When we got nothing to share, I am still happy because I am hopeful that the next day will bring us a blessing .
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My son is in a medical training college but because i have no source of income and my husband does plumbing which is seasonal, it is has been a real struggle gathering for his fees. I have always wished that he clears his studies so that he can have a bright future. Receiving this money will mean that i will use my first transfer to pay for his fees and use the second transfer to buy some basic needs like food and atleast improve my house by roofing it.