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 home relaxing with my three children when I received a message notifying me that I had received $200 from GiveDirectly. I immediately told my children, and we were all so happy. It came as a complete surprise because I wasn’t expecting the money at all.
The first thought that came to my mind was to use the money to address the school fees burden. Knowing I could now take care of this important need filled me with relief and gratitude. The unexpected blessing brought joy to our home, and I felt reassured that I could support my children’s education.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference since I started receiving cash transfers from GiveDirectly has been in my children's education and providing food for my family. Before, my children would often have to stay home because I couldn't afford their school fees, and they would miss several days of school. But with GiveDirectly’s support, I was able to pay their fees, and for the first time, they will complete a whole term without missing a single day of studies.
On the food front, the cash transfers have enabled my family to have regular meals. After the floods destroyed my farm and left me with no harvest, it was a struggle to feed my family. Thanks to GiveDirectly, we now have enough food, and I no longer have to worry about where our next meal will come from.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Recently, I received $200 from GiveDirectly, and this support came at the perfect time, as the floods that swept through my village had left me feeling hopeless. I have two children in secondary school, and I was worried about how to pay their school fees. They were on the verge of staying home and possibly dropping out of school. But when I received the money from GiveDirectly, I used $120 to pay for their fees. Now, they haven’t missed a day of school, and this fills my heart with joy and gratitude.
I also used $37 to buy food since I no longer had a farm to rely on after the floods destroyed everything. At least now we have enough food to eat, which is a great relief.
The recent floods also swept away my bedding, so I used $32 to buy a bed, which has greatly improved my sleep and comfort. With this, I can now rest well after a long day. Lastly, I spent the remaining money on clothes for going to events. I didn’t have any nice clothes before, but now I can go out confidently, feeling good about how I look.
Thank you, GiveDirectly, for this life-changing support.
Enrolled
access_time 3 months ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
When I get my GiveDirectly cash transfers I wil set aside KES 30,000 to clear school fees for my 4 school going children so that they can stay comfortable and study in school because they usually miss a lot when they are being send back home for fees.iam planning again to use KES 30,000 to lease agricultural land buy farm inputs like seeds, fertilizer and pesticides and cultivate it to provide food for my family in future. I will use the remaining money to renovate my house and buy household items which I lost during floods and buy food and clothes for my children so that they will look presentable and comfortable.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Despite the financial constraints iam experiencing in my family, iam very grateful because I managed to educate my children on my own and some of them have completed their senior secondary level and some are still in school.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The recent flash floods that invaded our village brought a lot of destruction to my family I lost my 1 acre piece of land which I planted Maize like one months before the floods all the plants was swept away, my poultry business was brought down because all the chicken died and some were swept away by the floods my house was also destroyed iam now living in a small mud wall house with my family due to lack of finance to renovate the other house. I am now struggling to cater for my family of 7 single handedly depending on casual labour and charcoal burning which is very uncertain because the wages are not enough for my family.
