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 ($526 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Before we would travel for long distances to fetch water for use especially during dry Season when a nearby stream dry up. This would mean that we would waste a lot of time to and from main river. After we got the transfers and spend part of it on buying water pipes and connect it to our doorstep. We safe a lot the energy and time which we would have spend collecting water from the river.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Give Directly changed the livelihood of people through the nonrefundable transfers. Everyone spent the money based on their needs which was a good idea. To me there was nothing negative which I noted about Give Directly.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
The second transfer I spend Kes 10000 on buying water pipes for water connection. I also spend Kes 20000 to construct a house for my son. The remaining amount I spend Kes15000 on school fees and Kes 8000 on food.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($546 USD)
access_time almost 6 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
I have always wanted my children to study up to university level since I was not able to go even up to high school level. I have always seen education as an investment and it always saddens me when my children are sent back home from school to collect school fees. Since I was able to offset their arrears using my transfers, I have been able to pay their first terms school fees using the money I got from my daily hustles. This has always made me so happy and for the first time in my life, my children will attend school for three consecutive months without being sent back home. Without GiveDirectly, I would not be so happy as I am now and this is so far the biggest difference in my daily life.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 8 o'clock in the morning as I was going on with my daily activities when I received a message confirming that I had received some money from GiveDirectly. At that instant, I became so happy and I whispered a word of prayer to thank God for leading GiveDirectly to our village. For the first time in my life, I gained a lot of energy on that day which made me do a lot of work which I usually do in two days.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
Rains have been very inadequate in our region and this has led to so many rivers drying up. This has always made my wife and children travel for a long distance looking for water. When GiveDirectly came for enrolment in our village, we decided that each household that will benefit from the transfers should contribute at least some amount to use in connecting piped water to our village. When I received my transfers, I spent part of it as a contribution towards this project. Buying milk has been my daily routine and this is costly. I spent part of my transfers to buy a calf. I believe that two years after now, I will not be buying milk anymore as my cow will have reproduced. I also used some amount to pay school fees for my children in order to clear arrears I had and avoid being carried forward to this year. Studying in the evening had been very hard for my children since the kerosine lamp we were using used to produce a lot of smoke which irritates eyes. This prompted me to buy a solar panel so that my children will be comfortable doing their revision and it will help them not to develop eye problems.
Enrolled
access_time almost 6 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My greatest ambition in life is to see my children get proper education. I want them to have a brighter future through acquiring skills that will assist them in getting job opportunities in the near future. Now receiving this money will mean that I'll be able to clear their current fee arrears and the remaining cash transfer to start poultry farming. The returns from the poultry products will enable me pay for their school fees bit by bit for the remainder of their schooling years.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My usual day involves six hours in my quarter an acre farm where I start by watering the kales and thereafter weed the beans. Afterwards I come back into my house take lunch and have a rest- This is the time I feel relaxed, re-energized and ready to go to my usual night shift job as a security guard in a nearby local school.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My biggest worry is payment of school fees for my children. I have one who is in form three and the other one who is about to join secondary school. I am employed as a security guard at a nearby local school where the salary is very low and cannot sustain all of my family's basic needs. This has resulted in the first born dropping out of school and the other two having fee balances. This has been a continued hardship in my life.