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
55000 KES ($471 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Yes definitely. My new goal is to buy a piece of land because the ancestral land that I have settled on is not enough for both subsistence farming and grazing my cattle. Although I don't have enough money for now, I'm planning to save towards achieving this goal.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, what GiveDirectly does well is doing follow up after sending the transfers just to access the impact of cash transfers. Although the cash transfers are unconditional, I personally feel that I should be accountable for the cash transfers and I should spend it well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
For the longest time, my husband and I have desired to have livestock but this is a dream that seemed unachievable because he has been relying on casual farm jobs to provide for his family. Earning averagely KES 800 per week, he was only capable of providing two meals per day and pay school fees for our two children and therefore, he couldn't afford to buy livestock. With the first transfer, we were able to build a decent house for our family and our new goal was to buy livestock. I spend KES 34,000 of my recent transfer to buy two young bulls which hopefully, will be of great help with farm labour. I also spend KES 5,000 to fix our house door and the balance to buy food and clothing for our children. I'm so happy that I was able to achieve my long life dream, buy enough food to take us through the month and my children nolonger walk around with torn clothes.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($484 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I received my second transfer when I was just at home. It was in the evening at about 5pm and I was preparing myself to begin making meals for my household members. Upon confirmation of the Mpesa message, I felt extremely happy since that was the second time I was receiving such amount of money in my life time. My excitement doubled because I had anxiously been waiting for that transfer to help me complete building my house which I had started building with the first transfer but was halfway. I am so happy I am a beneficiary of GiveDirectly's transfers.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Since I started receiving my transfers, the biggest difference in my life is owning a better house. In the past, I had been living in a small house that could not accommodate all my family members comfortably. In addition, as result of my irregular source of income, I could not reinovate it despite the fact that it was weak and had signs that it could fall when subjected to strong winds and heavy rainfall. In addition, I currently own a solar lighting system which provides adequate lights for my school going children. As a result, my children's evening studies is made easier.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 40,000 from my most recent transfer to buy 6 additional iron sheets and other building materials which I used to complete building my new house. Completion of this house would restore my self-esteem because, for years I have been living in an old and weak single house that could fall anytime. Whenever the wind blew or when it rained, I was always feeling afraid that it could fall anytime. Thanks to God that as a result of the GiveDirectly's transfers, I shall soon begin to live not only in a better, but a spacious two bedroomed house.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have been struggling building my house until the stage I have reached now and it needs 44,000 KES to be completed. I want to live comfortably with my 2 children in a good house! That's why I have been struggling up to this level. Receiving this money means I will complete building my house, have food security for my family by buying food stock and start a business inside my house of selling retail food items like maize flour, sugar,rice, and other domestic products. Our compound is big with many houses and the shops we buy domestic products are very far and I believe if I start this business here at home, I will make more profits because nobody will accept to travel for a long distance to the shops while I have all the items here at the compound.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I got relief food from the government last month of 10 kilograms rice and 5 kilograms of beans. The food served us for one week - This brought joy and happiness to my family because we had not eaten rice with beans for a year.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Hunger is the biggest challenge I am facing in my house. We are living by 2 meals a day and sometimes a single meal in a day. Getting school fees for my children is also a problem .I do not have a reliable source of getting income in my house. My husband depends on casual labour and sometimes it's difficulty to get the jobs and we starve all the day if we do not get someone to lend us money to buy food. Currently I owe people more than 5,000 KES and the shops I took food on credit. Life is very hard in my house.
