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.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($483 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My son is almost completing his university studies and it is my wish to continue supporting him by making sure that his school fees are paid on time. Apart from this, my major concern is to make sure that my spouse and I eat healthy foods and dress well since we do not have many responsibilities anymore.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly did well by deciding to give out monetary aid to people without dictating to them how it should be spent. Personally, there are so many things that I would not have achieved had it not have been for GiveDirectly. This is because I was overwhelmed with the responsibilities of paying school fees for my son. Other people in my village were also able to achieve their goals in life.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We've been depending on both crop and dairy farming to educate our children and to provide basic needs for a family of three. When I received my transfer, I spent KES 20000 to pay school fees for my son in the university after tithing KES 5000. Also, I spent 5000 KES to purchase a gas cooker so that it would make work easier when making breakfast, spent KES 10000 on my husband's treatment since he was sick, and used the remaining KES 14000 on food and clothes.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($504 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was really excited the moment I received the notification of the first transfer on my phone. It was early in the morning as I was still taking breakfast with my house help in the kitchen. Even though she was not better than me in confirming the authenticity of the message's information, I had to involve her in it. Looking at such a huge amount indicated in the message, none of us could believe that it was really true. I had to call out for my helper who came with an option of checking the account's balance as that was the only sure confirmation that we had received the transfer. We celebrated later, thanking God for the great provision and bringing back the hope of doing great with the transfer in our household.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the availability of enough water in the recently installed water tank. This has facilitated a lot in that the clean water from the roof is useful not only for the livestock but also in laundry and other household cleaning activities. This has finally stopped the expenses of buying extra pots from the water vendors as I have even excess currently as it has been raining.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Despite the great challenges I had been having on my one-year venture into livestock farming, I had been enjoying the outcome as it has been one of the reliable sources of income in my household. Currently, I have two Friesian cows under a Zero-grazing Unit. Supplying them with feeds has never been that hard as fodder and other commercials have been available. Water had been a major challenge to me, especially during dry seasons when I have to buy a lot from the water vendors. This has been quite expensive and had been hoping to find a lasting solution. Receiving the first transfer offered me a great option of installing a large water reservoir at $200. This has served quite a great purpose as I collect rainwater from the roof during rainy seasons that will be useful in case a drier one comes in. I also sent $100 to my son currently in university for upkeep and used the remaining on replenishing foodstuff in our store.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have a beautiful house where I carry out all household activities including cooking. Since firewood is our main source of fuel, smoke soot from the kitchen has coloured the walls of the house. This has destroyed the initial cream paintings that had brought glamour to my house. Receiving this money means that I will be able to use 80,000 shillings to build a separate brick kitchen. This will ensure that the problem of soot is a thing of the past. I intend to use the remaining 15,000 shillings to buy a water tank to store rain water for my domestic use during dry periods.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am a housewife and as a result spend most of my day in the compound. In the morning I am majorly dealing with household chores then do some farming in my garden. The happiest part of my day is in the evening when resting as I meditate and account for the days accomplishment.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My husband is a retired civil servant and the little he gets from the pension scheme is used to cater for our basic needs. A chunk of the money goes to cater for the school fees of my last born who is in his last academic year at Karatina University. From our separate savings, we managed to construct a beautiful permanent house. The savings was not enough to construct a separate kitchen and so we had to use the inbuilt kitchen for cooking. Firewood being the main source of fuel, smoke + soot has painted the walls of my house. The initial glamour of my house has been lost to an extend of sometimes forcing me to mob the walls.
