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.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I am currently in Form Three, which means I still have one year ahead to complete my secondary school education. Since I want to become a doctor, I need to concentrate on my studies to achieve the best results. Therefore, in the coming year and beyond, I aim to focus intensely on my studies to meet my goals. To achieve this, I plan to use part of my transfers to ensure that I pay my fees on time, so I am not sent home for unpaid school fees. With the remaining income after paying my fees, I will support my younger siblings' education. I am grateful for the financial support, as it has also enabled me to invest in poultry farming, which will help secure my future financially.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
As a student, when I received my most recent transfer, I spent $10 on bus fare to school, which helped me a lot since I didn't have to wait for my parents to give me the fare. I also spent $17 on required school items for the journey back to school. Additionally, I allocated $24 for my fee payment to clear a balance. I saved $10 as pocket money while in school. Besides this, I spent $29 on food for my family because our house was running out of supplies. Lastly, I bought four small chickens for rearing, as I decided to invest in poultry keeping since they multiply quickly and will provide future financial security. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial support.
26th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($27 USD)
access_time 6 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Being that I am still a student, I have so many things that I wish to achieve in life. The most important one to me is to become a doctor so that I can help people by treating the sick. I know that I can only achieve this by working extra hard in school so that I can be able to continue with my studies. Currently, my aim is to continue supporting my brother in paying for my school fees using part of my transfers. This will always enable me to concentrate with my studies since I will not be in and out of school due to fee arrears.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a form three student and being that I do not have any job or business, my transfers usually comes in handy in paying part of my school fees. My elder brother is always responsible in paying for my school fees and being that he has his own family, it has always been my pleasure to chip in where necessary since he does not earn much from his carpentry workshop. With my recent transfers, I spent $ 50 on paying for my school fees since I had huge amount of arrears and I did not want to be sent back home. In addition, I used $ 14 on food items as a way of supporting my parents and $ 24 on some personal stuffs that I needed as a lady in order to improve my hygiene. Using the remaining $ 14, I bought five hens as a way of investing my transfers on something that will enable me to earn more money in future.
22nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($23 USD)
access_time 11 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Currently, in my second year of high school, I am optimistic about completing my high school education in the next few years. Although my brother is ideally responsible for covering my tuition, the cash transfers have become a vital resource, bridging the financial gap and enabling me to continue my education smoothly. My goal is to persist in paying for my school fees until I complete my high school education in a couple of years.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My brother, who works as a carpenter, is the primary provider for our family. However, his income from carpentry is often insufficient to cover all our needs such as food and my school fees. That is why over the last three months, I have utilized the cash transfers to manage my school fees and sanitary supplies, as my brother's earnings are often stretched thin. I directed $65 towards clearing my school fees balances that had accumulated over the academic term. I also allocated $31 for my sanitary supplies, recognizing their importance for me as a girl. The cash transfers have been a crucial support, ensuring that I can sustain my education and basic personal needs. With the remaining $6, I invested in three chickens, hoping that they would reproduce and provide a source of income for my future needs.
18th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($25 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I am currently in my second year of high school, and my goal is to finish my studies without being interrupted due to lack of school fees. My parents are not financially stable enough to fund my education, so I rely solely on transfers to pay the fees on time. The program arrived on time, and I believe that by the end of it, I will have completed high school and will be ready to continue my education by enrolling in college. This is what I hope to accomplish in the coming year and beyond.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I started high school last year, I was worried about how I would manage to get through it. My parents are not well-off, so raising fees was a significant challenge for them. My brother works as a carpenter and had promised to do everything in his power to ensure that I finish high school. However, in addition to being the breadwinner, he has a large family to care for. Receiving the monthly transfers gave me great relief because I knew my fees would be paid. Since then, I have been committing $20 to paying the fees each month, which has helped to reduce the fee balance. I enjoy going to school and have never been sent home because of fees. I am currently in my second year and believe I will be able to finish high school within the program's time frame. In addition to the fees, I spent the remaining funds on personal needs such as stationery and shopping for personal effects while at school. This has improved my school experience and allowed me to focus on my studies.
12th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($28 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I was quite relieved when GiveDirectly accepted me into the program because I was having a lot of difficulties in school, especially since my dad is unemployed. I was able to pay my tuition over the course of the previous year thanks to this money. In order to continue my studies, my plan for this year is to make sure that I use this money to pay for my school expenses. I can't even begin to tell you how much the money has transformed my life, and my father is also very appreciative because he no longer has to worry about me being sent back home like I used to.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We are four individuals in our family who benefit from GiveDirectly's assistance. We didn't have enough food in the house when we just got our transfer. As a result, we each provided $5 before going on to buy food for the rest of our household. I'm currently in my second year of secondary school, however, my dad, who pays for my tuition, occasionally feels overburdened. My mother died when I was still a child, leaving my father, who works occasionally on construction sites, to take care of my siblings and me. He does not frequently receive work, and occasionally he waits weeks for one. It has been difficult for him because of this to make on-time tuition payments for me. Therefore, I made a payment of $34 to the school to cover the arrears I owed, and I still have $20 in savings for this year's tuition. I invested $2 per chicken in three of them to increase our household income. I'm hoping to sell some of them in the future after they will have reproduced in order to pay for some of my personal care items and raise money for my school expenses. I spent the final $3 on personal care items. I'm delighted we joined the program since it has made our lives better. When I get my transfers for this month, I'll use them to pay for this year's school expenses, so I can help my dad catch up on his payments.
10th Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($25 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I attend Ngala Memorial Secondary School in Form II. My brother provides the financial support that I need. My father is too old and unable to work. My brother, a carpenter, stepped in to assist with covering my school expenses. Even though he assists me, he has a lot on his plate between providing for his family and my financial needs. For my brother, who is currently having financial difficulties, receiving this money was a huge relief. As soon as I got my transfer, I used half of my $15 to get home after closing the schools. I need a lot of money to make it easier for me to travel back home from school because my school is far from home. I also used the remaining half to pay off my school fee balance after my brother added another $25 to it. I'm glad that I won't be sent home from school next year because I won't have any school fee arrears from the previous term. This will allow me to fully focus on my studies.
6th Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($26 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My dad borrowed 20000 KES from a friend in May so that he could add to the 15000 KES he had and enrolled me in secondary school. My mother passed on five years ago leaving my dad as the sole breadwinner. He helps people on the farm and at times does casual work at the construction site to earn a living, but he does not earn much from it. When I received the recent transfer I gave him the whole of it so that he could pay for part of the debt.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($27 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, the transfers are really helpful. My dad could not afford school and food was hard to get but the money we receive from GiveDirectly has been of great assistance to me and my family. As to what the firm can do better, I do not have any suggestions since all I see is good.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
For the first transfer, I received KES 1200, which, I withdrew. I then used 500 to pay for my school fees. However, I still had a balance of KES 2000 at school. KES 300 went towards food. KES 200 was spent on personal items.
As for the second transfer, I used it to settle the KES 2000 school fees arrears I had at my school. I then used the remaining KES 1000 on food.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($11 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
On this very day, I was in school when the cash came in. Since I normally leave my phone at home, I was unable to confirm the receipt of the transfer. In the evening, when I got home from school, I saw the message. I felt excited and without a second thought, I prioritized my spending on school fees and sanitary towels.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I have seen such a great difference in my life ever since I started receiving these funds from give directly. I can now go to school with so much ease, unlike before where I was afraid of being sent home due to school fee arrears. Coming from a humble background, I also have hard challenges purchasing sanitary towels. Now I can afford to buy one. My learning has been smooth.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
In my family, I am the only one still in school, a class eight pupil to be precise. Ever since the demise of my mother on December 26th, 2019, my father, who works as a handyman at a construction site, has single-handedly been supporting us. What he makes is not enough to fend for us, so when I received the funds from give directly, I used 500 shillings to pay for my school fee arrears of KES1000. Since sanitary towels are a necessity for me, I bought two costing KES200. Using KES300 I bought two chickens and the remaining KES200, I contributed towards food purchases for the family.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I'm still a pupil and in the next four months I'll be finishing my primary education to join secondary school. This will require more money than my father can raise, even if he has to sell all his animals. First off, I want to start by saving for school fees and pocket money as well as purchasing some other requirements. If I do this correctly I'll be able to see myself through high school with that limited help from him. I love school and I'm determine to change the status of my family through getting good level of education that would open doors for me in future.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I was really happy when my sister delivered a baby without complications. This is because during that pregnancy she was constantly in and out of hospital, with all sorts of infections and sometimes bleeding. Her physicians felt she wasn't going to have a normal delivery, but I'm happy it didn't happen that way.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Currently I pay school fees of about 800 KES per academic term and this money is hardly available always. Sometimes I normally stay home for as long as a whole week for my father to raise that much and pay. This is because it always involve waiting until he finds a buyer to sell a goat to.