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 ($469 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I am planning to rear more goats because they multiply fast and doesn't require alot of feeds. I am also planning to plant tomatoes and Sukumawiki because they are short seasoned and very marketable.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly does well because it gave me capital to start livestock and crop farming. Initially, I used to rely on casual labor to feed my family. Nowadays, I am preoccupied because I now have a cow and poultry to keep and no longer do any casual labor.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent most of recent transfer on purchase of a dairy cow because there's scarcity of milk in my area hence high milk demand. I also bought a water pipe in order to make water easily accessible within my farm.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($495 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was at home overseeing some of my projects and showing my spouse where I would like to construct a chicken coop as a way of starting poultry farming when I get money. It was at this time that I heard my phone ring and my heart was filled with joy when I read the Mpesa message that I had just received. I informed her and she was equally happy and informed me that we would finally achieve our goals using this money. We celebrated the good news as a family by making a delicious meal for dinner.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I had so many goals that I had wished to accomplish but I had not been able to due to financial constraints. One of them was to start a poultry keeping project since I had already started irrigation farming and the only thing remaining was to mechanize it. Being able to build a chicken coop is so far the biggest achievement that has made my life different and I am so happy and grateful to have achieved it. I am planning to buy more chicken soon very soon using the amount that I still have from the transfer. I will be using income from this project to meet our basic needs and to pay school fees for my children on time.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
On receiving the transfer, I spent KES 16000 to purchase a generator. This had been my priority and dream goal since I live near a river and I plant trees, tomatoes, and vegetables for sale. I am planning to be using it to pump water for irrigation purposes since I have been doing it manually and it is so tiresome and time-consuming. In addition, I spent KES 21000 buying some building materials like iron sheets, nails, cement, and timber to use in building a chicken coop as I am planning to start a poultry project. I still have KES 17000 that I am planning to use in starting up this project by buying some chicks and their feeds.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means I will have a stable source of income. When I completed form four in 2008, I lacked school fees to proceed with college education I then resorted to being a farmer. Living near the river is a blessing but i have not had enough money to start up a irrigation project. I plan on putting my 2 acres of land under irrigation. I want to plant vegetables like tomatoes,onions and kales which mature after 3 months and sell to the nearest market. This will be giving me Ksh 10,000 per month and from this my family will have enough money for use. Installing the irrigation system will cost me 67,000. I plan on spending Ksh 18,000 in purchasing a water pump,Ksh 4000 on pipes,Ksh 15,000 on water tank and Ksh 30,000 will go to purchasing seeds,labour and fuel.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the morning when I wake up. I love working in the farm because I know at the end of the season I may harvest and get enough food for the family. This motivates me to work harder.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Being a farmer,living in a semi-arid area has been a big hardship.It hardly rains here and even when it does we do not harvest well because sometimes it fails to rain completely and crops dry up in the farms. This forces us to do casual jobs sometimes because we cannot fully rely on farming. Having an irrigation system would make my farm productive and life would be easier.
