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.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My goal is to pay school fees for my children who are now in upper primary school. They will be joining the secondary school in the next two years and will do so in quick succession which means that I have to get ready early. I will keep saving part of the transs=fers for this reason.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the solar lighting systems that I bought some a few months ago. Lighting my home had always been a problem because of the poor light from the paraffin lamp. Additionally, it was very expensive to always have enough paraffin on a daily basis. My chidlren are using this for their studies. It is very convenient as I don't have to buy paraffin like before as it was very expansive.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect my life to have changed in the coming six months because of the savings that I have in a merry go with my fellow single mothers. I will be finding a lot of peace from the issue of school fees for my children who will be joining secondary school. Being ready with enough savings for their education will give some peace of mind. I expect this to happen so that I stop worrying about them.
24th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I have one goal that I am looking forward to accomplishing over the next four months. The goal is to make sure that I accumulate enough money that would enable me to take my child from the current day primary school to a boarding private school. It has always been my dream to make sure that I give my children the best education that I can and receiving these transfers has given me this golden opportunity. I am therefore looking forward to taking him to a boarding school and realizing good results in the long run.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my life that has been made possible over the last four months is the dairy cow that I bought with money gotten from our monthly merry go round. For a long time, I had the desire of owning at least one dairy cow that will help me feed my family well by being a source of protein as well as selling the surplus to meet other family expenses. I have also improved my grass thatched house to an iron roofed one and I consider this one of my biggest achievements as well.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months or so, I expect my life to have changed positively and in a tremendous way in that; I will have already accumulated enough money to take my child to a boarding school and put her in the path of realizing his dream of having a bright future. I also expect that I will have installed the solar powered lighting system in my house that will enable the younger children have ample time with their studies at home. With the current savings plan through the merry go round, I also expect to be more financially independent and in a position to venture into more profitable businesses that will benefit the family.
20th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
I recently bought a cow using the transfers I received from Give Directly. I bought a heifer that was almost giving birth. I did this using the money I saved form the transfers in a merry go round group. Apart from that I also bought about 12 chickens and are about to start hatching. I know from this I will be getting constant income from this business very soon. I feel like I have grown financially and very soon I will be stable once these two assets start generating profits.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My next goal in the next four months is to buy a 40 watts solar panel. This is in order to have good lighting system and stop using the expensive paraffin on a daily basis. I also feel that solar panel lighting is clean energy and we won't risk contracting respiratory diseases. It is also cheaper and more effective compared to the kerosene lamp since It is recharged by sunlight and lights brighter for a long period of time.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the fact that my child attends school every day. I bought her all the required materials includIng school uniforms and school shoes. I also managed to pay school fees for the whole term. She is rarely sent back at home nowadays and I believe this gives her ample time to study well. I believe that her performance will improve this time around. I feel proud and happy as a parent when I know she won't get distracted especially by things I fail to do as a parent.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect my life to change in the next six months because I will have expanded the house I am currently living in. I want to add an extra room so that my young girls will have a separate room from the boys. They are growing and I felt it was wiser if we separate them early enough. Apart from that since I also bought a solar lantern I will also be having a proper lighting system.
15th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life currently different from how it was four months ago is that I used to do a casual job of tea plucking at my neighbor's farm and I could be paid a small amount of money which was not able to feed us. Currently, we have hopes that will be able able to save some money in the group to enable us to meet our daily household needs.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My new goal is to save some amount. I plan to renovate our house because it looks old and shoddy. I'm planning to buy a few iron sheets to replace the grass-thatched roof which will help me harvest water during the rainy seasons. This will save me time, especially during the dry seasons because the water point is usually very far. I thank Give Directly for allowing me to achieve this goal
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer is that I have bought a heifer which I did not have before. I used to do casual jobs which paid very little. I used to spend all that I got without saving because my expenditure was higher than the wages I got from casual jobs. I'm so happy now because I know in the near future I won't be buying milk. I know the heifer will grow and reproduce and soon my cowshed will be full.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
My life is currently different from how it was four months ago. Initially, I used to depend on casual jobs. I normally depend on plucking tea at my neighbor's farm. I used to earn very little which could not cater for most of our needs. Currently, we have hopes that will be able able to save some money in our Sacco which will enable us to goal and realize our family goals.
12th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time almost 6 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
Before we started receiving the transfers from Givedirectly, we never had any cow. We used to spend so much buying milk from milk vendors and villagers. When we started receiving the transfers, we started a merry go round group and started to keep some money for future use from the transfers that we get. When my turn of receiving the accumulated savings came, I immediately bought a dairy cow. Right now we milk our own cow and have enough milk for us and even some extra to sell to our neighbors. This has also acted as an extra income for us. We also have enough and healthy food for us and our living standard as a family has greatly improved.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I am planning to build a new house for our family because the one we live in is a leaking grass thatched house. It is sometimes uncomfortable to live in such and could even lead to infection with children.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
We live in a tea-growing area and that means we are majorly involved in tea plucking as our major source of income. For different reasons, the tea that we pluck may be rejected by the quality officer and that means there is no pay for us after a long day. Before we started getting the transfers from Givedirectly, it was really tough getting food for that day but now we do not need to worry since we have an alternative income. We can also comfortably take food and other items on credit from the shops as we wait for the transfers because even the shopkeepers know that we get some transfers monthly. My children now have enough food to eat as compared to before.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
My prayer and expectation in the near future is to have finished building a new and a more comfortable house for us. Staying in a comfortable house allows one to rest well and have enough energy to face the activities of a new day. I also want my children to be studying well and with enough learning materials to improve their grades. I generally wish that our general lifestyle would improve just like the rest of my villagers.
7th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 6 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life currently is different since my family do not lack food.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
The new goals I now have is to buy a cow and start my own business.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life is happiness since I now days do not lack food.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect my life to change in that I will have bought a cow and started my own business.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 6 years ago
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Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
I have a new goal of buying a small piece of land because i am not married and currently living in someones home that makes me and my children uncomfortable.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I managed to buy my child some compulsary books that were required in school that if i did not get the GD transfer i could not buy .
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months,I am planning to start a large scale farming by Gods will.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I am happy about the transfer because it has enabled me to buy sugar for my children who had thought getting sugar is when there are visitors in the house only.
Enrolled
access_time almost 7 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced in my life is when my boss underpays me after picking tea in his farm.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of day is afternoon,that is when I am done with the day's work after picking tea and iam relaxing at home.
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
I am planning to spend my transfer to school fees for my daughters who are now in class eight and class four.
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
The achievement that I am proud of is when I do my casual job whereby I do tea picking and after the work I have some money to cater for my family needs,for exampke buy food for my family members.