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 ($442 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?
Boosting my goat rearing to be a more dependable activity is my new goal. At the moment, I have a flock of 3 goats and 2 sheep. My next plan is to acquire 5 high breed goats which are more profitable than the indigenous breeds. The long-term plan is to sell them once they reproduce to save enough cash that will be able to facilitate the education of my children.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly did well in targeting the less fortunate households directly with the cash program. Furthermore, the enrollment officers included everyone that qualified without any discrimination. Also, giving beneficiaries the opportunity to choose the spending ensured that there is a great impact with the aid. I do not see anything it did not do well in its operations.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent most of the recent transfer to repair my shelter that was leaking due to the old rusty roof. Most of the time, we were spending sleepless nights during rainy seasons as water could collect in the house. This was miserable life because I had a small kid. I bought 30 iron sheets, timber and paid KES 10,000 labor charges for the construction of a new roof. Currently, my house is in a decent state and happy that we reside in a good one and no longer safer during the winter and rainy seasons. With the remaining amount, I save them to assist me in enrolling our child in a private school next year.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($475 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
Felt so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. I was at home and when I checked my phone and saw the message from GiveDirectly, I was overwhelmed with joy. I took time to pray for the company that they may get more funds and reach out to more people now and in the future. We later planned with my wife on how we were going to spend the money and we did so without having any forms of disagreements.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my life is that I now have a sense of direction in life. Some of the things that had always been in my mind like improving my home are now complete and I will be able to concentrate on much more bigger things going forward. The investment that I made on livestock is also very important since it empowered me to be more financially stable. I feel so much happy and indebted to GiveDirectly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 30000 to improve my house and used the remaining amount to buy livestock for my family. I chose to improve our house having stayed in a mud walled house for quite a long time and with the desire to improve it but which I could not accomplish due to the little amount of money that I got from my odd jobs that I engaged in. I am now so happy that I was able to accomplish this and looking forward to investing in other things once I receive the second transfer.
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I had invested in farming but drought made it impossible for this project to prosper because most of the fruits died as a result of too much heat. Since we started to experience a prolonged drought I thought starting livestock keeping especially goats because they are drought resistant would be ideal. The project of rearing livestock has not materialized yet due to a lack of enough capital. Receiving these transfers will enable me to venture into this project without any difficulties and also buy an irrigation pump plus a tank to store water for my crops. Livestock keeping will cost me around 40,000 KES to buy 20 goats, 40,000 KES for irrigation plus buying a storage tank and using the remaining amount to renovate my house and buy food.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The good relationship that I have with my wife has brought me joy and happiness in my life because she has been very supportive in everything that I do.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
We ended last year well with rainfall and that made me invest in farming maize thinking that this year will have a good harvest. I spent all my money on this which left me penniless. Having no money and invested in something that there are high chances will not give me good returns is scary. Lack of finances has therefore been my challenge because I am currently struggling to even make ends meet.
