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.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
As I look ahead to the future and beyond, my heartfelt ambition is to thrive in farming. The journey involves a steadfast commitment to leasing land and applying my best efforts to the farm, ensuring that each agricultural activity is executed with precision and timeliness to enhance overall production. This approach aims to guarantee that my children have an ample supply of food for consumption. Additionally, I intend to sell any surplus produce to generate income, specifically earmarked for supporting their education. The commitment to farming becomes a means of providing for their immediate needs and investing in their educational pursuits, fostering a sustainable and brighter future for my family.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
What I appreciate about GD is the unrestricted nature of their cash transfers. Thanks to it, I've achieved significant milestones. I am genuinely delighted that my children now have a home to sleep in, providing them with the chance to study at home and ensuring a brighter future for them. Additionally, the transfer has enabled me to lease land near a river, allowing me to engage in productive farming. This ensures an ample food supply at home and generates income to contribute to my children's school fees. I am truly thankful for these positive changes.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My four grown boys have been seeking shelter at my neighbours' homes for the longest time since my financial constraints could not allow me to construct a separate structure for them. Our cultural norms make it uncomfortable for them to share sleeping spaces with me. Asking our neighbours for accommodations has been embarrassing, as I felt we were intruding on their children's privacy. However, with $100 from the transfer, I was able to make a significant change. I used it to build a modest one-room home for my boys, complete with mud-smeared walls and an iron sheet roof. This not only provides them with a place to stay but also brings a sense of dignity and allows them to do their evening studies. Additionally, I leased an acre of land near the river for $100 open for cultivating maize to feed our family of 12, ensuring that they do not lack food for consumption. Furthermore, I invested $100 in two goats as a way of securing my children's education through the potential sales of goats, given their rapid reproduction in our area. With eight of them still in school, these goats play a crucial role in supporting their educational needs. I used $100 to buy clothes, ensuring that each family member had at least one decent outfit, bringing a touch of normalcy and pride. The remaining funds are spent on buying food for my family's sustainability.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
20000 KES ($131 USD)
access_time 1 year ago
attach_money
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
Receiving a substantial sum from GiveDirectly truly excited me, marking the first time I had such a significant amount in my account. The moment was special, and I happened to be in the nearby shopping center. Living alone, I decided to celebrate by myself before withdrawing the money on the third day with the aid of my helper. The sheer joy of this unexpected financial support from GiveDirectly made the experience even more memorable, bringing a sense of happiness and gratitude into my life since I knew I would do a lot that I had enlisted while awaiting the transfers.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Before I received the first transfer from GiveDirectly, paying school fees was a constant struggle, but now it's a burden lifted. The relief I feel is profound and makes the biggest difference in my daily life. With the financial support, I have successfully addressed the challenge of school fees, allowing my children to fully engage in their studies without the worry of being sent home, a huge difference from the previous months when they endured extended periods away from school. The joy of witnessing my children enjoy their education without disruptions is immeasurable, and I am deeply grateful for the positive impact this support has brought to our lives.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Having a daughter in Form 4 and two others in Forms 2 and 3 meant school fees were a constant challenge, but with the first transfer from GiveDirectly, things eased up significantly. Allocating $145, I settled their fees arrears, ensuring an undisturbed completion of the term. For my family of 12, I used $40 to buy maize, crucial as our reliance on charcoal production was hindered by recent restrictions on cutting trees. The money came as a relief, allowing us to secure food as we navigated the changing landscape of income sources, including subsistence farming and occasional goat sales. With wild animals like hyenas and leopards posing threats to our goats, this financial support was timely. The remaining $15 was joyfully spent on my son's school trip, adding a touch of enjoyment to his education and further deepening our gratitude for GiveDirectly's support.
Enrolled
access_time 1 year ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
Receiving this money is a major boost for us. We are eternally grateful that the unlikely and rare luck has befallen us especially at the moment when we're going through massive worries of challenges notable a struggle to raise school fees for our 3 children who are in various secondary schools. We owe the schools $ 500 which has proved to be an uphill task to pay. We have resigned everything to fate since our lives have been between a rock and a hard surface. We have nowhere to turn to. The transfers has come as a major reprieve and an enabler to my children's dream of leading a better life after excelling in their studies as the money will go along way in paying for their school fees. We plan to use $500 to clear the outstanding fees balance and to pay for next term fees when schools opens next week.We will use the rest of the money to purchase foodstuffs.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Nothing beats the peace and joy we experience here now that we don't hear the sound of guns from the bandits. At least we can afford to sleep well and live in harmony unlike before when we were constantly in worry and shock. Even though we go through challenges here it is nothing compared with what we went through in Arabal. We don't take it for granted and we thank God that we are alive and in good health. We are hopeful that peace will sometimes prevail in Arabal so that we go back to our past live.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
We are grappling with several challenges that have made our lives difficult. We were displaced by bandits in our ancestral lands in Arabal. We live like squatters here since we borrowed the land just to occupy it until peace and normalcy return in Arabal then we can go back to our homes. We struggle here day in and day out, putting food on the table is hard. We used to depend on charcoal burning but it has since been banned by the County government of Baringo therefore denying us our source of livelihood. We are forced to trek for long distances in search of casual labour which are hard to come by. It's hard to survive here.
