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.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($428 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?
This year moving forward, I was planning to start beans and vegetable for commercial use. Achieving this means that I will be selling the produce and earning income and therefore, I will be able to provide for my family comfortably and pay school fees for my children.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
A few weeks ago I walked around the village and I could see a complete transformation as a result of the transfers. There are no longer grass thatched houses, people have bought cows and other domestic animals and many more. Therefore, what GiveDirectly does well is is giving poor people unconditional cash transfers.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Both my husband and I are peasant farmer and life has not been easy for us as we don't have a large piece of land that can give us a good harvest enough for our family. If we had a dairy cow, life would be much simpler as we would sell milk and earn some income but since we did not have the financial capability, receiving this money was a good opportunity for us own one. I spend $300 to buy a dairy cow, $120 to buy food and the balance to buy clothes for our children who had torn clothes. We are so grateful to GiveDirectly for making all this possible for us.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($464 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received my transfer, I was at home preparing supper for my family. I can recall that I heard my phone ringing, Upon checking what the message entailed, I realised that I had received money from GiveDirectly. I was overwhelmed with joy and happiness because I knew that with the cash at hand, I would be able to transform my living standards amazingly. I am so grateful for the support that amazingly lifted my life.
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 am happy knowing that I would be able to transform my living standards. This is because I managed to purchase a dairy cow, thus I am hopeful that I would be able to transform my living standards with the support that I had received. I am hopeful that I would be able to cut down the cost of buying milk. Receiving the unconditional transfer has been a great blessing to our lives and thus we are forever grateful.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Upon receiving my initial transfer, I thought of buying a dairy cow worth KES 35,000 to cut down on the cost of buying milk daily. I was not in a position of acquiring one before due to financial constraints. I am married and blessed with three children, and we depend on farming in earning a livelihood. Secondly, I used the remaining amount in buying sofa set seats. I am so grateful for the great milestone that I was able to accomplish in a short period.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am so much passionate about farming and receiving this money will mean an expansion of this. I farm maize on one and a half-acre of land as my main source of income and sell them to business people around my area. The returns are good and expanding this to two and a half cares will mean that I will get better returns than before. I plan in venturing into dairy farming by buying a dairy cow with KES 40,000 from the transfers. This will provide milk for my children and also sell some of the milk.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The birth of my third baby in April brought me joy because the process went smoothly and the baby is in good health.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
As a farmer, so much input is required on the farm and this requires having money to sustain this. Planning for this is quite a task because I have to divide this money to pay for school, farm, and buy food for my family.
