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 ($437 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?
My primary goal as a single mother is to make sure my children receive the necessary educational support. In the past years, I have been struggling with this. To make sure they can continue their studies in the upcoming year, I have thought about exploiting possible avenues of raising additional money for the family. For instance, I will work toward paying fees in advance to prevent them from being sent home, giving them more time to concentrate on their studies. I am confident that I can succeed in this by continuing to look for part-time jobs to make sure they accomplish their academic goals.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well by giving financial assistance through an unrestricted cash transfers program. It makes us aware of the program, its advantages, and how to avoid fraudsters. It guarantees that all transfers are sent via the mobile money platform and that no one can know when we receive them. Courtesy of the unconditional transfer, most people have managed to buy new assets such as livestock. Some who were struggling to educate their children got relief from the financial burden they had at first. There is currently nothing that it does not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Because we have been experiencing famine, I prioritized buying food for my family of five members. I am a single mother and opted to spend $100 on food to supplement the little I had for the family. Since I have a daughter, Mercy who is in secondary school, I spent $150 on paying her school fees. I am glad that she is progressing well with her studies. Lastly, I spent the rest on acquiring water for domestic use. We have a water shortage owing to drought issues. I am so glad that since my enrollment in the program, my children have comfortably been learning, and I do not struggle as I used to.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($486 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I learned that I had received my first transfer at exactly 9:30 in the morning when I was preparing breakfast for my family. At that instant, my heart was filled with happiness since I knew that I would send my children to school. I couldn't even continue with what I was handling and started celebrating with my family for this blessing. I will forever be grateful to GiveDirectly for changing my life positively.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Having the goats that I am currently keeping in my homestead has brought the biggest difference in my daily life. Previously, I couldn't afford to buy any at my own cost and this is because of my financial status. I settled to buy them because they are valuable assets that can be relied on when a financial need arises. In addition to that, their pastures are readily available and reproduce twice a year, unlike the other domestic animals. Therefore I am hopeful that with time, they will multiply and have many of them. I will be able to cater to my family's basic needs more so paying school fees for my children with ease. This has been my major challenge and I am so glad my children will no longer be sent home regularly life before concerning the issuer of school fees. Being a single parent of four t has never been easy at all and I am grateful to GiveDirectly since they came into my life at the right time.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first transfer on paying school fees of KES 20000, for my son who is in his second year. He has been on ad off for the entire team because of the huge arrears which used to frustrate him a lot. Also, I bought a new wooden bed and a high-density mattress at KES 8000 for my children since they have been sleeping on the traditional bed made of rope. They have been complaining of back pains every morning. I am so glad that their health has now improved since there are no more pains like before. Also, I started a business selling vegetables in the village and I am glad the business had picked so well and it's now my main source of income. Also, I bought four gaits at KES 12000 that now serves as the security. With the remaining amount of money, I bought foodstuffs
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means paying school fees for my children. I am a single mother with a family of four children. One is in form two and three are in primary school. Paying their school fees and meeting their basic needs has really been very difficult. This is because I depend on charcoal burning business to meet the basic needs of my family. This business is not reliable since it earns me less than 2000 KES a month. This is not enough to cater for my basic needs and raise school fees for my children. I have also been depending on bursaries from our local leaders to pay fees for my son in secondary school but this is not reliable since sometimes I miss and my son is sent home to stays for a month or two, then go back with some money that I shall have earned from my business. Upon receiving this money, I will be able to pay school fees for my four children. I will then use the remaining amount to buy five goats which I will sell when they multiply to meet other basic needs.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Due to the current situation, I may not have a particular time of the day that I become happy. This is because, I may spend the whole day looking for tree trunks to dig in order to burn for charcoal. Most of the time, I do not get enough and I come back in the evening tired and without anything to eat. The only time I become happy is when I get something for my children to eat.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of a reliable source of income has been the biggest hardship that I have ever faced. Imagine being a single mother with a family of four children to take care of. What makes it worse is the fact that our land is affected by drought, there are no jobs. This makes it difficult to make ends meet for my children. Over the years, I have been depending on charcoal burning. However, due to the persistent drought, there are no more trees for burning charcoal. I have now started digging the tree trunks to burn in order to get charcoal for selling. I spend a lot of energy to get at least one sack of charcoal that goes for 300KES. This is not enough to meet the needs of my family. I intend to use the cash transfers to pay school fees for my four children. I will then use the remaining amount to buy goats which survive dry weather conditions. When they multiply, I will sell and get profit which will be an income generating activity for my family.
