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 ($492 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 life is different than how it would have been had I not received the transfer as I now have seats that I did not have before. Due to this, I always feel happy and do not shy off welcoming anyone to my house as they will be having a place to sit on comfortably. In addition, my life is different because my children were able to resume their studies after staying at home for some time. This always gives me satisfaction and peace of mind knowing that two of them will be through with their studies this year unlike before when I had lost all hopes of them completing their secondary school education.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well by giving out out financial aid and I do not see anything that they do not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my transfer, I spent KES 30000 to pay school fees for my children who had been sent back home. They had stayed at home for weeks h ence they had been left behind in syllabus hence the need for them to resume their studies as I had always dreamed of educating all of them to tertiary level. Using the remaining amount, I bought food, clothes and three sets of seats for my family.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($502 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 2 PM when I saw the Mpesa message from GiveDirectly. At first, I could not believe it but when I looked closely, I realized that the message was genuine. I felt so happy because I knew my life will never be the same again. I really thank God for bringing this organization to this village and for choosing me to be among the beneficiaries.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that my family now lives in a more presentable house. This would not have been possible had it not have been for GD. With my paltry income from subsistence farming and casual jobs, meeting all the family needs has been challenging for me. Both daily household and children's education needs are my priority thus, I spend much of income on leaving me with none to improve our home. I am now glad since I can concentrate on other income-generating activities whenever I get money because I am done with my home improvement. I spent part of my transfer on household items and the furniture in my house is the biggest difference in my daily life. I a proud owner of my home, I can seat comfortably and even have the pleasure of letting any visitor into my house unlike before.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My life has greatly changed since I received my first transfer. It is always my happiness to see my family happy and healthy thus I always struggle to put a meal on the table and bring in more assets that we can lean on as a family during hard times. When I received my first transfer from GiveDirectly, I spent part of my first transfer on buying some building materials such as iron sheets, building poles, nails, and timber. I decided to build a new house because the previous one was small and with a grass-thatched leaky roof. We used to suffer a lot during the winter seasons because we would always be rained on. Also, I purchased some new school uniforms for my children who are in primary and secondary schools. In addition, I cleared their school fees arrears so that they can study without disturbances. With the remaining amount of money, I am using it in buying enough foodstuffs for my family.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that I will finally buy materials to fence my one acre piece of land.In a village set up where there are crop farms,it is very easy for livestock to cause conflict among neighbours.I personally keep goats and a cow and I would not want this to happen to me.In my old age too,I cannot keep up with tending to my livestock and I prefer that they are enclosed in a portion of my land.Having done this,I will also buy a few chairs for my house and food to feed my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Despite my age,I still gather some strength to work in my piece of land.In it,I mostly plant maize because this is one of the most common food crop in this area.Even though doing this wears me out,It is what I depend on to get that little food that keeps me going.Am usually at my happiest during this time as I go about my work in the farm-I just enjoy doing this.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I have been planting maize in my 0.5 acre piece of land for so many years.About 10 years ago,I would harvest up to five bags from it.This was enough to feed my family until the next harvest.However,eventually the produce dropped very significantly.This was mainly caused by recent prolonged droughts.For a few years now,I have been harvesting about one sack.This cannot keep the family even for two months.This has therefore forced me to depend on my children because of my old age.This is often difficult because they also have dependants who they need to fend for,and has at some point left me without food to eat.This has been the biggest hardship I have faced.
