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
53150 KES
access_time 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
In the coming year and beyond, I intend to ensure that I have enough food security for the family. I am planning to prepare my farm on time to produce enough food for the family. With enough food in the family, I can save some amount from the casual activity that I do every day to invest in other development projects. Furthermore, my children are still schooling and I intend to continue to support their education.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly did well in coming to our village to support the less fortunate without any discrimination. Conducting a meeting to elaborate more on the program before the sending of cash transfers was such a good idea. Everything went well and I don't see anything that they should improve.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent most of my recent to support the education of our 6 children who are still in school both at primary, secondary and college levels. I spent $350 to pay part of the fee arrears for them. Previously, they had to miss classes due to huge fee balances something that was bothering my mind. Currently, I am happy that they are learning without any challenge something that relieved stress. In addition, I used the remaining amount to purchase enough food for the family since it had been over 3 years since we harvested sufficient food from our farm because of the climate change resulting in drought and famine.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($466 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was at my daily hustle at exactly 5 in the evening when my mobile phone started ringing continuously. I was nervous and asked my sister-in-law to confirm who could have sent the message at such an hour. Upon reading, she realized that it was an Mpesa message from GiveDirectly, they had sent my first cash transfers as promised. I was overjoyed with happiness because I was certain that finally my children will go back to school and continue with their studies.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I was able to clear the fees arrears for my five children who are in primary and secondary schools respectively. This has been my major challenge considering that I depend on the fish business which is not profitable and the little profits have not even been enough for our daily meals. My spouse too relies on temporary jobs therefore I have been the breadwinner for the last five years. This has been affecting my children's academic journey in such a way that they would fail to sit for their exams in most of the semesters. This has generally been demoralizing them and two had opted to drop out. I am so thankful to GiveDirectly for coming into our lives during these hard times. My children are now in school without any hiccups like before.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first cash transfer on settling the huge fees arrears of KES 9000 for my five children who are in primary and secondary schools. This had to be a priority because they have been staying home for weeks and I was even worried that they would miss the exam which was in three weeks. I later bought a new bed and a mattress at total cash of KES 7500. This was for my kids since they have been sleeping on the floor for a couple of years. It is now a relief to them because they no longer complain about the pains and fatigue. To add to that, I cleared a debt of KES 15000 for the piece of land that I has purchased earlier on credit. With the remaining cash, I have been using it to buy foodstuffs and other household basics needs.
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am a member of a poultry farm group in our village where we keep 100 birds. The training has impressed me and I have been thinking of starting mine so that I enjoy full benefits from the sales. Receiving this money means realizing my dream of beginning this business. I plan to spend KES 70,000 to build the chicken coop and buy 50 indigenous chickens. A portion of the transfers will help me get three mattresses to replenish the old ones. As they grow I will sell at a profit and use the income to cater to the education of my children. The remaining amount will use to buy food and other basic needs such as medical care. Once I meet this target, my heart will be full of pleasure because I will have utilized the knowledge I gained from the group to improve my household.
What is the happiest part of your day?
One thing that I have liked the most is the coming of Givedirectly to our village. This is because the transfers will help me achieve my goal of starting chicken farming. It has brought joy and happiness since, in the end, I will have an income to add to what my husband is giving to the family and meet our needs as a household.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My husband and I depend on casual jobs which are not reliable for all the basic needs of the family. I have 6 children, one in secondary school while the others are in primary. I require KES 600 to be able to feed us in a day. Our total income per week is KES 4500 which is not enough. A big portion of the money goes to food leaving the other necessities unattended. Due to this, I have been finding it hard to pay school fees for my kids. Last term my daughter who is in her third year at high school was sent back home which affected her preparation for exams. Thus lack of finances is the major challenge that I am currently facing.
