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 ($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?
My new goal is to provide quality education for my 6 children who are still schooling. Secondly, I am planning to complete the payment of a piece of land that I have been paying on an installment basis. I aim is to use the land on practice crop farming which will ensure that I have enough food for my family.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly well for coming up with a cash transfer program in our village. In addition, everyone had the right to decide on how to spend their transfer. What also was done well is the fact that every household in the village was enrolled.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 32,000 to pay part of the money for the 3-acre piece of land that I bought with my first transfer. This is because the place where I was farming presently had lost fertility. I have even tried using fertilizer but my efforts were in vain. I intend to do practice small-scale farming growing maize, cassava, and coconut plant for family consumption. This will assure me of a high harvest since the land is still productive. I also bought 4 goats for KES 10,000. The long-term goal is to sell the offspring to support my kid's educational needs. I also used KES 10,000 to support the education of my second-born child by paying part of his college fee. He is in his second year taking a diploma in mechanical engineering.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($495 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 9 AM when I was at bush looking after my goats then I heard my phone ringing continuously. At first, I thought it was an incoming call and after checking, I realized that it was a message notification. I decided to check its contents only to realize it was an Mpesa message from GiveDirectly. I was overwhelmed with joy because I could finally achieve my goals. I even decided to rush back home and break the news to my other family members. We happily celebrated and thanked God for blessing us abundantly.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I was able to purchase a piece of land through financial support. This is so far the valuable asset that I can lean on anytime. The previous was very small (half an acre) and unproductive which I used to harvest just a single bag of 50kgs of maize. With my even daily members, this could only last a month and I felt I made the best choice of buying the piece of land ( 3 acres). My expectation is that with the next harvesting season I will get more than ten bags (50 kgs) of maize which will be an amount enough to last my family close to one year. Besides, this will only be an asset to me but also to my children the time they will need to build their own homes. I feel I have regained my self-esteem since we no longer get sarcastic comments from my neighbors especially when I was unable to raise the money needed to lease their lands.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first transfer on buying a piece of land at KES 31000 at the nearby village which is just 8KM away from my inial place. I had to prioritize this becasue the previous farm was no longer productive and it is very small. In every planting season, I had to lease from my friends so that I can get meaningful farm produce but this was very expensive and sometimes I could not afford it. In addition, I bought new beddings like a new wooden bed and a mattress at KES 11500. This was to replace the old mats that I have been using for years which I had also always been experiencing some back pains. I also cleared school fees of KES 5000 for my children and I am happy they are studying peacefully unlike before. With the remaining amount of money, I am using it to buyng enough foodstuffs for my family.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have been living on this ancestral land for 30 years now and the most painful thing is the fact that doing farming on the same piece of land is no longer productive. I have desired to buy productive land to enhance my production but due to lack of finances, this has never been possible. Once I receive the cash grant from GiveDirectly, I intend to spend a better portion of my transfers ($800) to purchase the land on which I will be doing my farming. The remaining amount will help me to support my children's education. This is generally what receiving this money mean to me.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I consider the evening as the happiest part of my day because, at this time, I am assured of getting a meal for my family and this gives me the feeling of happiness. Unlike in the morning and afternoon hours when getting a meal is very difficult.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Food insecurity is the biggest hardship that I have ever faced in my life. This is because I depend entirely on farming which as of now is unreliable. After all, my land is no longer fertile, and also, it is small in size. This has affected my production and I normally get 1bag of 90kgs which sustains my family of 11 for only 3 weeks. Thereafter, I supplement by buying from the shop which is very expensive and sometimes, we skip our meals.
