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.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I am a farmer and I have been struggling to purchase farm inputs due lack of finances. I had also obtained a loan and spent it on paying school fees for my child who is in high school. The moment I received my transfer, I felt relieved as I knew that this money would help me repay the loan and acquire farm inputs.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I am happy that my children can eat well like those others. I had bought maize and now we have milk from our dairy cow and we get a balanced diet meal every day. Before we would have anything that we could afford at that moment. Again, I am happy that I was able to plant maize in good time and my crops are doing well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The money I received, I spent KES 8500 on repaying a loan that I had obtained to pay school fees. I then spent KES 4500 on paying fees for ploughing a piece of land for planting maize. I then spent KES 2000 on buying maize seeds for planting and KES 3000 on buying foodstuffs. The remaining amount of KES 37000, I spent on acquiring a lactating dairy cow for milk production.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Parenthood comes with a lot of responsibilities and the greatest of all is giving children the best education. I have four children who are in different schools and I desire to have them study to university level. Every year I pay KES 50,000 as school fees and raising this amount is not easy considering that I am just a farmer. I have a 0.5-acre piece of land that I cultivate and the portion is too small to raise school fees. I have a daughter who had to drop out of school because of my inability to pay her school fees. Her life is miserable because she has given birth to two children out of wedlock and this has created friction between me and my husband. Receiving this money will help me pay school fees so that no other child drop out of school because of unpaid school fees.
What is the happiest part of your day?
On 23rd February this year, villagers decided to do a fundraiser to aid my children's school fees and a total of KES 78,000 was raised. I am happy that I cleared outstanding school fees arrears with that amount.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial constraints is the biggest challenge that I face. I am a farmer with a 0.5-acre piece of land and I entirely depend on this farm for everything. I have school fees to pay and a family to feed from the same portion. I plant maize, beans and sweet potatoes and when I sell the produce all I get is KES 15000 profit every year. This money is not enough to pay for school fees for my four children.
