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 ($441 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
At the moment, I have a new goal to facilitate the payment of my two children's school fees that will allow them to join the tertiary level of studies. Even though I still have one in secondary and facing the constant challenge of raising the school fees, I am working hard on casual labor and farming activities to raise more money to fund their education to the end.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly enrolled everyone in the village and later gave an equal amount of transfer. Everyone was happy with the selection criteria, which was fair, unlike in other organizations that normally target a specific group of people. I was also glad that no one was treated differently since they did not expect us to pay anything to be enrolled. Like any other person in the village, I saw nothing wrong with the whole process and I will forever be grateful for the progress since I received the first transfer.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Upon receiving the second transfer, I spent KES 15000 on starting a new business that is currently operational in the village. For the past two months, I have been buying secondhand clothes and selling them in pieces from door to door in the village. I am glad that the business has been profitable and the operation time is flexible since I always open it after working on my farm. I also spent KES 30000 on buying a before that I am currently rearing to provide milk for my family of four in the future. In addition, I spent KES 6000 on buying foodstuff and the remaining amount on buying new clothes for my two children.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($485 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was at home relaxing after a long day at the farm of preparing my land for the next planting season, that was when I heard my phone ringing , I can vividly recall how excited I was upon reading the text message, this was the happiest day in my life, I was relieved because school fees have been my major challenge, thus knew that I will be able to offset the arrears with the transfer that I had received.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I am a mother of three, working as a casual labourer is not easy because it is not guaranteed that you will find work to do every day, we depend on not what I earn daily for our daily needs, school fees have been my major challenge, this is because I have three children who are in school yet I don't have a reliable source of income, the biggest difference in my life is that I have managed to clear all the pending arrears, my children are happy and grateful for the transfer which brought so much happiness and transformation in their lives.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
when I received my transfer, my top priority was to pay the school fees arrears, this was because I wanted my children to focus on their education so that they can better their lives, thus I used a sum of KES 30,000, I then used the remaining part of the money in buying foodstuffs and clothes, I am very happy because my children are settled, this comes as a relief because I will no longer sell any of our household items.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means quality education for my children. I am a single parent struggling to make ends meet through casual labor within the village. Getting any casual job to do in the village is hard to come by and when luck arises, the cash I get as the wage a day is approximately KES 100 which is unsustainable. Keeping in mind that I have two children who are both in the secondary level. I, therefore, intend to meet their educational expenses and make their dreams come true. In this way, I will have fulfilled my duties as a parent.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Stunning performance for my 2 school-going children has been the joy of my life. Seeing my children come home with great performances makes me feel the value of the school fees I am paying for them. Two months ago when they closed school for the first term, the one who is in form four was position 2 and the other one in form three was position 3. This is what has brought happiness to my life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial turmoil has been the biggest challenge that I am facing currently. Fending for a family of 4 single-handedly with no reliable sources of income is an uphill task. I am a casual laborer and since we are in hard economic times, getting any job to do in the village is hard to come by. The kind of job that I normally do is weeding, planting, harvesting, and or even doing any household chores whenever the need arises. On average, I earn KES 100 a day as an unsustainable wage.
