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.
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($463 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I currently have one child in secondary school and have five in their primary level of education. I am staring at a near future where I will be required to dig deeper into my pockets to be able to pay school fees for all my children once they join secondary school. It is for this very reason that I have a new goal of strting a small business especially agribusiness. I want to improve my farming practices to make sure that I earn money from it and be able to save up and pay their school fees in future.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly did very well in enrolling everyone unconditionally and giving us the freedom to choose how best we could invest the money to reap maximum benefits from it. There was no Bias nor discrimination whatsoever in how people were enrolled. All that deserrve to be enrolled were enrolled and they benefitted from the program.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 30000 to buy livestock and used another KES 3000 to buy household furniture. I had had to sell all my livestock in the recent past to be able to pay school fees for one of my children who is now in secondary school and I saw this as an opportunity to reposses those livestock and be able to take care of them since they will be of great importance in meeting such needs even in the future. The remaining amount was used to buy food, clothes and other basic household needs for the family.
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 8 am and I was still at home with my family when I decided to get my phone from where I had placed it the previous night. I checked it and to my surprise, there was an M-pesa message saying that the promised transfer of KES 55000 from GiveDirectly had been sent. I was so happy on seeing the wonderful message as I told my family the piece of good news. They were so delighted on hearing this and we celebrated together thanking God. We do not know the time the message got into my phone but it was then at that time that we started hearing people in the neighborhood saying that they had already received the transfers.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The transfer brought a big difference in our lives as a family. We were able to achieve a lot with the transfer. We had been strained financially and there was a lot for us to do such paying school fees for our child in secondary school and building another house. We now have some peace of mind unlike before.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We spent the transfer money on various things that had become quite a challenge for us to do due to lack of money. First we took out KES 5000 and we used it in buying food. We then spent KES 20000 on building another house, KES 10000 on paying school fees for my child who is in secondary school, KES 7000 on buying a calf, and with the remaining amount, we used it in farming and buying clothes for our children. Paying school fees and buying the calf were our main goals upon receiving the transfer. My child was about to be sent home due to arrears and I wanted the calf so that it could help us in future especially with the childrens' education. School fees has always been our biggest challenge because we do not have do not have a stable source of income. We practice farming where we grow maize and vegetables for sale. We also engage in casual jobs to make ends meet. The money that we usually get from these activities is what we use in buying food for our family of eleven and paying school fees for our children. We are so much grateful to GiveDirectly since my child was not sent home due to school fees arrears and we were able to acquire a calf that we had always desired to have.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I engage in subsistence farming and carpentry within the village to make my family ends meet. I am happy that these two jobs have helped my household though not to satisfaction. I had built two houses, one iron roofed and a grass-thatched I used it as a kitchen. I had planned that with time I would construct a separate house for my children. This has been a dream that I had lost hope of fulfilling. My family needs became overwhelming thus I diverted my attention and resources to them. When my daughters grew up, I was forced to ask them to spend their nights in this old grass-thatched house. With its inhabitable state, I feel always feel I have failed my children. Receiving this money means a good home for us. I will use KES 20000 to renovate my kitchen. I will renew the walls and change it roof to iron sheets. Completing this will be my happiness since am assured of a comfortable and secure place for my children to call home. I am planning to use the remaining amount to pay my children's school fees and on farming.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I do not have a formal job to depend on. I live a hand-to-mouth life relying on casual jobs and carpentry. I started practicing mixed farming to enhance my income. In the last six months, I have been selling approximately four litres a day from my dairy farm after my two cows calved down. Milk sales have brought joy in my life since this has been a better source of income in my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I have children in various schools and farming is my main source of income, it is challenging to settle their fees at once. I prioritize my daily household need mainly food. Financial instability is the biggest challenge I am currently facing.
