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 was at my sister's house when I received an SMS on my phone that I did not understand it at first after reading it and I requested my sister to help me read it and when she informed me that I had received the transfer from GiveDirectly, I was overwhelmed with joy. I quickly rushed home, informed my family about the good news, and prepared my sons who had been sent back home because of fee arrears so that he would go back to school the following day. This money gave us so much joy as a family and we will forever be grateful to GiveDirectly for the support.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
My children had stayed at home for a week after being sent back home to collect fee arrears and since I did not have any money to give them, they had to study at home on their own. My transfer came in handy in clearing this and paying school fees for the next term and I am glad that they are all doing well in school. Seeing them always happy has made me a happy person and I am glad that they're no longer known of staying at home for a long time due to lack of school fees.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
It had always been my dream to own a wall unit so that my utensils will be in good shape and not breaking all the time. When I received my transfer, I saw it as an opportunity to achieve this hence I spent KES 16000 on it. Also, I used KES 6000 to pay school fees for my two sons in secondary school who had been sent back home, spent KES 3400 to repay a debt that I had, and used KES 18000 to buy a heifer as an investment that I can rely on in paying school fees for my children through the sale of milk when it calves. Using the remaining KES 11000, I bought some clothes for my children, one sack of maize, and other foodstuffs to last for some time.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that I will be able to finally expand my milk selling business. I run a small business where I buy milk from some people in the village and sell them in a nearby shopping center. Receiving money from GiveDirectly will enable me to buy a dairy cow. I will also buy modern urns that will keep the milk fresh for longer periods, all these at about $ 600. This investment will increase the volumes that I sell as well as profits up from approximately $3 a day to about $ 7. This will help me in paying school fees for my children. I hope to give them a good education so that they can have a better life when they get employed.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening. This is the time I go home to rest, counting the money that I usually make from my milk vending business. It makes me happy to see how much I make before I go to bed with renewed determination for the next day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I face is school fee payment. I pay about $300 per year, for all my children in various schools. Adding this to other education costs like school uniforms, education materials and personal effects make it impossible for me to clear school fees on time. I dislike it when my children are sent back from school as I struggle to pay the school fees. Being that I am a small business person, raising this family alone, makes it hard to cover the education needs of my children. I will use part of the transfers to ease this pressure.
