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?
We bought this four points of an acre of land from the current proprietor. And since we did not have enough money to pay for the whole piece of land, we had entered into some payment plan with the owner. Currently I have a balance of KSh. 50,000, which I have I have made as a goal to clear it as soon as I can. I did not want to settle the debt using the transfers because I did not have any pressure from the owner of the land.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The approach that GiveDirectly used where every household in the village was visited and enrolled is what I specifically loved. This ensured fairness in the process and also right people being enrolled. This is unlike other organizations where different people benefit other than the intended beneficiaries because of unclear manner of enrolment. Overall, everything was done well
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
family of five needs approximately three litres of milk for a day's use. However, considering how expensive this commodity has been for the past few months, I have only been buying one litre, which I could hardly afford just for breakfast. When I got the second transfer, I decided to buy a lactating dairy cow for KSh. 55,000. The instant relieve I immediately after purchasing the dairy cow is spending zero shillings on milk as I currently milk approximately two litres a day. I am also happy that this cow will calve soon and I will have more than enough milk for my family. My plan is to sell the excess milk once it calves and use the proceeds to pay my children's school fees. What a joy I have!
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($475 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 8 am while taking tea when I heard a message alert on my phone. On checking, I had received KES 55,000 from GiveDirectly. I was elated and relayed the good news to my husband.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving the transfers is building a modern Iron roofed and timber-framed house for my teen son. As a result, my son has his own house with adequate sleeping space and reading space.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a sweater knitter for the past year. My husband also works as a tractor driver for the past five years. From this, we get to pay fees and feed our family.
When I received my transfers, I spent KES 40,000 on building a timber-framed 12 Iron roofed house. This is because my teen son used to sleep in the neighborhood.
I also spent KES 8,000 as payment for the circumcision fee for my teenage son. This is because circumcision is an important rite of passage from childhood to adulthood in our community.
I also spent KES 2,000 on a sofa seat. This is because I had only a few. I also spent KES 1,000 on maize because earlier to get food I would rely on my husband who earns KES 200 a day.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am trained to tailor sweaters. I have been doing it at home. Sometimes in January, the tailoring machine broke down. It is beyond repair and has been written off. This has affected my source of income a great deal and I feel so bad that it broke down during the peak season when schools open for the first term. It is usually the time when I maximize on profits. The money has been assisting us to buy food and pay for the monthly contribution for our group. I am struggling to make the payments at the moment, I have a lot of debts as a result.I used to make up to KES 5000 on average per month. With this help, I plan to buy a new machine that costs KES 20000. We will use the rest of the money to buy a dairy cow.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Last month we bought an extra piece of land, approximately 0.2 acres which are adjacent to ours. We were so happy that have increased the size of our land and that we can engage in meaningful farming as a source of income.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest challenge we face at the moment is food insecurity. Ugali is our stable food but since the outbreak of lethal maize necrosis diseases, we have not been able to produce the commodity. We buy it from the nearest Chebunyo market daily. Sometimes we do not have money to purchase the maize for the day since our income is not regular. A 2 kg packet of maize retails at KES 100 which to us is expensive.
