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 ($440 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?
The new goal that I have now is to purchase a piece of land. We live on a small piece of land and this limits our farming activities. I wish to save money from the casual jobs that I do in the village and from the small business that I do at the shopping center during the market days. When I buy the land I will be in a position to do horticultural farming and get enough food to feed my family.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
since I was married I have always lived in a grass thatched house because we were not able to build a better one. When GiveDirectly gave us the money I was able to build a better iron sheets house. We now live in a decent and more spacious house with my family. We can harvest clean water from rain which was not the case before. We are so grateful because GiveDirectly has brought change and made us live a better life. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 17,000 on school fees for my two children in secondary school. This was the main challenge that I was facing at that time. They are now studying well in school without being sent home like before. I hope to see a better performance this academic year since they did not miss any lessons. I rely on casual jobs and small-scale farming and sometimes I am not able to pay all the school fees at once. GiveDirectly has enabled me to pay on time and I am so grateful. Besides that, I spent KES 18,000 on purchasing a heifer. This will enable me to get milk when it reproduces in the future. I will cut the daily cost of purchasing milk which is so costly. The remaining amount of money I spent on Food, clothes and household items that we were missing. I am so happy because were it GiveDirectly we could not achieve all this on time. GiveDirectly has made a difference in our standard of living.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($471 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 8a.m and I was taking breakfast. With my house lacking network,I heard neighbors celebrating and immediately heard my phone ring and confirmed the same. I joined them in celebrating the good news. I was happy since I knew I was going to initiate the plans that had after we had discussed with my spouse when Givedirectly directed us during Barraza.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life of the achievements that I have met so far with my initial transfer. I am grateful for the support and hope to do more with the second transfer.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Construction of a three-roomed house was on top of my list. I spent KES 35,000 in obtaining all the construction materials inclusive of labor. The house is almost complete and soon we are going to move in and we are going to enjoy enough space. I also spent KES 8,000 on paying school fees for my daughter who joined form two. Clearance of school fees freed me of the burden I had been struggling with over the months. With the remaining part of my transfer, I spent in buying food for my household.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money will bring a new lease of life to our family. We have always longed to have a better house with iron sheet roofed but due to inadequate finances, it has remained just but a dream. The house we have at the moment is grass thatched, it seeps water and is in deplorable condition. It is also poorly ventilated and the smoke hardly gets out and as a result, it is not conducive to staying on. The clothes also retain the smell of the smoke and it has been disgraceful for my children since they are looked down at school by other pupils, they have been a subject of ridicule and that bothers me a lot. We cannot also harvest clean water and as such we do not have clean drinking water. This help has come at the right time, we will channel KES 35000 for the construction of a 24 iron sheets house and the rest of the money to buy a dairy cow.
What is the happiest part of your day?
There is no more joy than seeing your children progress well academically. Our children have been a motivating impetus to look for their school fees. We are blessed with intelligent children , one has cleared university and another one is ongoing , the 2 who are in secondary schools are doing exemplary well. It is the reason that we struggle each day and gives us the joy that their future is bright and that they will support us too when they get employment.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
We have a boy who is in the University of Eldoret and 2 in secondary schools, one in Moi Siongiroi girls and another one in Kaboson girls, both of the schools are in the level of extra County cadre of schools. It is an uphill task paying school fees for these children, Mark you are people of little means. We pay approximately KES 100000 per year which is a real struggle, we still have arrears of KES 30000 that we know not where to find the money. Sometimes we are devastated by the burden and the uncertainty of where to raise the money. It is the mother of our all problems.
