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 ($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?
As we speak, I am planning to expand my maize business by adding more maize stock. I am also planning to focus more on sukuma wiki and maize and dairy farming to pay school fees promptly.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
During enrollment in our village, GiveDirectly officers went from house to house, therefore, showing no partiality at all. I do not see anything wrong with GiveDirectly operations because all my life I have slept on an animal hides for lack of a mattress but when GiveDirectly transfers came I bought a bed and mattress. For this, I am happy and grateful to GiveDirectly because nowadays I sleep comfortably and peacefully.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
As a single mum and a mother of three boys and a girl life have not been easy bringing up my kids. Imagine, instead of having tea for breakfast, I would cook porridge due to the lack of dairy cows. But when GiveDirectly transfers came in, I have managed to buy two heifers at KES 19,000 each of which one is due.
Four years ago, when my kids started high school I ventured into a cereals business to pay school fees. But the journey has been tough because currently, I have two kids in high school. I had furthermore started sukuma wiki, and maize farming on half of my acre piece of land to get food and school fees as well.
But when GiveDirectly came, I cleared my kid's school fees arrears by topping up part of my second transfers with a part of the money from the first. I spent KES 20,000 each on each kid and now I am grateful.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($485 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 11am when I heard an SMS notification on my phone. Since I don't know how to read I gave the phone to my kid who confirmed that it was GiveDirectly transfers.I was very excited and that day my family ate a special diet of beef and ugali which we hardly afford.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is happiness because through the transfers I have adequate food, decent clothing and have paid school fees for my kids.This is because initially, I used to rely on crop and vegetable farming for food and school fees.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent most of my transfer on payment of school fees arrears. This is because, Initially I relied on maize and vegetable farming in order to pay school fees.I also bought a heifer which will grow and be a source of milk.The rest I spent on purchase and planting of maize seeds.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
As a single mother it has been so much struggle to raise my kids. I have three of them currently in high school and they all need a total of KES. 70,000 yearly. I have no income at all and I mostly depend on casual labor which is hard to come by. I have sold all the cows that I had to meet this demand for school fees. Receiving this money is now a reprieve for me since I shall be able to pay for them all the arrears and also buy some other cows which will also help me in paying their final year school fee in the year 2023 and 2024. I really appreciate your help as Give Directly because I will feel your support for the next 5 years.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Most of the time I find the morning hours being the happiest part of my day since I get to see off my children as they walk to school. It gives me a lot of satisfaction since with school I know they'll have a brighter future.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Paying high school fees as a single parent has not been an easy task for me. At least for the first 2 years they have been in high school I had the cows which I sold to meet their need for school fees but this year I faced the biggest hardship since I had to look for casual jobs to help me pay for the school fees. I was even thinking that they will drop out of school next year.
