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 ($467 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I do not have any new goals so far and I am thankful for the one I accomplished which was to buy goats. It has always been my desire to have them purposely for my children's education journey. Since this is the main challenge for now I am happy that my children will now be attending all the classes since whenever there will be a hiccup, I will sell one or two goats and sort out the arrears.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well in my entire region. The financial support has empowered the majority of us to own decent houses, livestock and managed to send our children to school. This was all a success because we were all given the chance to choose what to purchase depending on our needs. I do not see any sector that the organization needs to work on.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of the second transfer buying building materials such as iron sheets at KES 13000, building poles at KES 6000, and the labor charges of KES 13000. I had intended to construct a new house for my children who have been sleeping in my relative's houses for quite a long time because of the unavailability of space in my house. I also cleared school fees of KES 5000 for my eight children who are still in primary schools. Paying fees was the major challenge because I am a widow who relies on casual jobs. I have been trying to make ends meet but this was sometimes unsuccessful. Therefore I feel peace of mind because all my children are in school without any interference. Finally, with the remaining amount of money, I bought foodstuffs for the family and other household items.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($492 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 9am while I was at my charcoal selling business I received a message in my phone. I didn't bother to check because I don't know how to read. At around 11am, my children came from school and informed me that they have been sent back home die to examination money. One of them asked if I have received the transfer since he had heard some people talking about it. I gave them the phone to confirm and we were all filled with joy after seeing the transfer of KES 55000.00 from GiveDirectly. I immediately gave them some of the money I had got from the first sales of charcoal and they returned to school happily.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Seeing my desire of raring livestock coming to pass is my biggest difference in life. As of now I am a happy herder and I know within a short period of time I will be having so many goats and they will be my source of income since I am planning to do some business.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Having been desiring to raresome livestock for quite some time, I bought 7 goats for KES 20200.00. I also bought a bicycle for my son who is also my helper so that he could use it as a means of transport to and from school. The school is at a distance and he used to reach school late; and also paid KES 3000.00 for his school fees. The remaining amount, I took KES 6000.00 and paid some bills to a nearby shop where I used to take some food items. The rest I kept it for family upkeep.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means good education for children, good housing and food security for me. I have a family of 8 children. Three of these children are teenagers. Staying with them in the same house makes me uncomfortable. There is no privacy. I am planning to use 20,000 KES to build a house for the three children. Six of my children are in primary school, I will use a total of 6,000 KES to clear their school fees.I am also planning to use 25,000 KES to buy 10 goats. This place is very dry, we don't receive sufficient rainfall for maize production. This makes hunger a threat to my family. Goats being browsers ( feed on shrubs), can survive in this kind of a climate. After the goats increase in number and grow, I will sell them and use the income to buy foodstuffs for my family and even pay for school fees for my son who will join secondary school next year. Due to the lack of electricity in this area, I will use the money to buy a solar panel at a cost of 15,000 KES. The solar panel will be very useful, I will be charging my phone and my children will use it to study at night.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the morning. Waking up in the morning very healthy together with my children makes me very happy. Waking up healthy means my children will go to school and I will go to the forest for charcoal burning to earn a living.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have ever faced is food insecurity. Rainfall is not reliable in this area. This place is very dry. For the last three years, we have never received rainfall that can support maize production. This has forced me to buy the commercial maize flour which is very expensive for me. With a family of 8 children, we consume 4kgs of maize flour per day. This means I have to use 200 KES everyday. Working as a charcoal burner, this amount is very huge for me. Sometimes we have to consume only one meal per day.
