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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. Learn more about how recipients opt in to share their stories.
Stages:
 
Enrollment
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Transfers
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Completed
Newsfeed > Sigei's Profile
Sigei's family
Sigei
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
49
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($468 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?
For now, I don't have any new goals apart from the one's that I had before, the goal was for me to be able to expand my business so that I can be able to earn more returns, I am grateful for the great support that lifted our living standards amazingly.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly empowered both the young and the old by giving out unconditional cash transfers, the best part is that they kept the promise. In my opinion, we have people who are the neediest in the village but unfortunately, they were not enrolled because they did not meet the criteria, these are people who are homeless for lack of finances to secure a house.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my second transfer, I thought of investing the money in my business, I am a businessman who buys and sell cows within and out of the village, I have five children who are all schooling at the moment, I had used the first transfer in clearing the school fees arrears and in buying other basic needs, thus I saw it fit in investing all the KES 53,150 in the business so that it can attract more profit, with it I am hopeful that I will be able to educate my children, I am forever grateful for the support that boosted our living standard.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($487 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 in the morning and I was out in the fields herding my cows. I had my phone with me because we were eagerly waiting for the transfer. Suddenly I heard it ringing notifying me of a new message. I checked it and I was so happy when I saw that I had received the transfer that GiveDirectly had promised us. I immediately left whatever I was doing and I came back home to tell my family the good news. They were so happy to hear it as well and we celebrated together as we talked about how the transfer was going to change our lives.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The transfer has brought a very big difference in my life and that of my family. I was able to pay school fees for my children and hence I no longer have the stress of thinking about where I am going to get the money to do so. My children are hence no longer being sent home.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent most of the first transfer on buying three oxen. I decided to buy them because they were going to help me a lot in my farm work especially when planting maize. I used to have the oxen before but I had to sell them because I didn't have money at the time for paying for my children's school fees. Since then I have been hiring a tractor to till the land and plant the maize. Doing so is expensive because we usually plant maize twice a year and most of the time the fertilizer that is applied gets wasted hence affecting the crop. I was not able to buy the oxen before because I didn't have the money to do so. I have a small business of buying and selling goats while my wife is a milk vendor. The money that we make from our incoming-earning activities most of it usually goes to the payment of school fees for our seven children. One who is in college, three who are in secondary school, and three in primary school. With the oxen, I have been able to get rid of the cost of tilling and planting maize, and the fertilizer no longer gets wasted. Some other people have hired my oxen services and hence I have been able to earn some income. Other than that, I plan to sell the oxen in future at a higher price and buy other younger oxen at a lower cost. Through this way, I would have earned some profit.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am a farmer who uses a hoe to prepare my farm for planting. Using this tool is energy consuming and it takes me 1 month to get my 1.5-acre farm ready to be planted. I have had the desire to own oxen to ease my work in the farm but this dream has never materialized due to lack of finances. I keep a dairy cow that produces 5 liters of milk daily which I sell at KES 30 for every liter. This translates to KES 4500 every month and all of it is spent on paying school fees for my son, leaving me with nothing. Receiving this money will make my farming a bit easier and faster, therefore, saving me time to focus on other important things.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am a farmer and in the last 6 months, I can say I had a bumper harvest. I planted maize and I was able to harvest 10-bags from my 0.5-acre piece of land. This has saved me the cost of buying food and therefore making it the happiest part of my life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My mother has been sick for the last five years and over this period she has lied on her bed because of her inability to get up. She fell and her hip joint broke. Our attempts to get her back on her feet have not been successful because of her age. I have taken her to several hospitals Tenwek and Kijabe included, but all I was told was nothing much can be done to salvage the situation. Seeing her lie helplessly is a tearful affair to any son. I have gotten to a point I feel that God could just take her instead of going through such unbearable pain.