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 ($426 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My goal for this year is to keep up with the education of every one of my children, especially the secondary schoolers because it still falls heavily on my shoulders to do so while still juggling the primary students. Since I used a portion of my transfer to grow my business, I am hoping and praying that it will succeed so I can pay for their school. I shall also rely on the crops from my farm to some extent. Harvest them and sell them to cover their educational expenses as well as their basic requirements for food and other items.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I'm grateful for the transfers from GiveDirectly. Indeed, it has significantly improved both my life and the life of my entire family. I sincerely appreciate your wonderful kindness in providing this kind of help. I have nothing to be unhappy about because I have advanced to a new stage of life.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have eight children and am a widow. three males and five girls. To meet my family's basic requirements and pay for their school expenses, I also run a small maize business and farm maize, beans, and sweet potatoes. Life was terribly hard until I started getting these transfers. Due to a scarcity of food and a poor crop from my farm, my children would go without food for days at a time. Due to insufficient nutrition and a balanced diet, this had an impact on their health and made them more susceptible to illness. They could be sent home from school each day in addition to having bad health, which had an impact on their performance as their peers thrived. Therefore, the second transfer came at the perfect time, and I used some of the money to boost my maize business, pay the secondary school tuition fees for two of my children while one of them is still at home and waiting to start form one. Due to a lack of funds, I am still trapped and unsure of how to acquire the supplies he needs to enroll in school. I also succeeded in building a house that is at least larger than the one I had previously. Because it was so little, my kids occasionally had to go and sleet at my neighbor's house. Thank you so much GiveDirectly for your support.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($493 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received the money I felt so happy. I remember it vividly that it was around 9am. When I was at the merry go round group that we started in our village. Everyone started celebrating with joy.Thats when I checked my phone too. I got a message confirming that I have received money from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy because I have never received such amount of money before. My family members felt so happy. I knew I would be able to pay school fees for my children. I am so grateful because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards.
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 have paid school fees for my children in various schools. This gave me peace of mind to conduct other activities. I spend on small scale farming and causal jobs. This gives me small about on income. I was not able to pay the school fees on time. My children were being sent home to collect the school fees and this was affecting their performance in school. This was so demoralizing and stressful. Whenever I had no money my children could take much time to return back to schoo. When I received the money from GiveDirectly I felt so happy. I was able to play all the school fees and my children were able to study well. They attended all the lessons and their performance changed. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has supported us to educate our children. I ha e devoted much of my time on my farming activities. I am so grateful for support because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent the money I received from GiveDirectly on paying school fees for my children in various schools. I am so happy because my children were able to study well without being sent home. I paid the debt what I had with my neighbor. This gave me peace of mind to do other activities. The rest of the money I bought food and clothes for my children.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
From the time my husband passed on in the year 2019 I stopped working as a waiter in a hotel at Kaboson. I have been working on my farm planting, weeding and harvesting the various food crops we plant here such as maize ,beans and sweet potatoes. Our farms have not produced good yields in the past few years due to effects of drought and diseases . Therefore this money will enable me meet the basic needs of my family such as food ,shelter and clothing. I shall buy five sacks of maize and beans for my family at an estimate costs of KES 20000.This will take us through a long period of time of being food secure. I shall also built a good house to accommodate my family members and visitors as you can see this one is quite small and old. The house will cost me KES 30000 and for the remaining amount I shall use KES 20000 to pay school fees for my two kids in secondary school .This amount is the cost for a whole year for both my kids ,I shall have adequate time to relax and save more for next year.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Evening is the happiest part of my day because I get to rest after a day of working in the farm , herding and taking the cattle to the river to drink water.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The death of my spouse who was the bread winner for this family is the greatest hardship I have endured in my life. My husband worked as a carpenter and he provided everything for the family. After his demise I lost my job as a waiter because I had to take care of my children fully.Currently I work on my farm for subsistence purposes and sometimes I look for casual work within the village so that I can get some income to buy food and clothings for my kids .