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 ($435 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?
After spending all the first and the second transfer as I had planned with my family, I have a new goal of staring my own business of selling maize in wholesale. I have a lot of expectations on my farm's productivity this season and have been thinking of expanding my store to accommodate all that it has at the moment and also crop produce that I am yet to harvest.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly did a great job that was appreciated by both the beneficiaries and other villages that GiveDirectly was not working in. The satisfaction and the great excitement over the results of village investment is a clear indication of good work done. No one has ever complained, but we are always thankful for the generous support that we got.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Our dependency on both livestock and subsistence farming has also been a source of income as well has always pushed us to heavily invest in since it's the only art that we have mastered the steps and seasons to labor with. The second transfer I received was not an exception when I spent KES 40000 on bringing in a dairy cow that has proven its worth in the past three months of plentiful production of milk both for the household use and also surplus to sale with the products from the preexisting cows. I am glad that I have so far registered an increased daily income since I am a widow. I used the remaining amount on obtaining new pairs of school uniforms for my four kids and beddings to replace the tattered ones we had been using for the past couple of years. I am glad that we are enjoying warm bedding in this cold season that I am certain has kept my children safe from the cold. I also bought foodstuffs for the family.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($460 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I felt so much happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. I was at a nearby centre and it was around 6:00 pm when I saw a message from GiveDirectly. I did not share the information with anyone else outside my home. I kept my cool until I was home and shared the news with my immediate family members. They were equally very happy to hear that we had been sent the money as earlier promised by GiveDirectly.
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 payments from GiveDirectly is the houses that I built. This has given us as a family peace of mind. It has also provided my family with the much needed confidence and dignity that comes with graduating to adulthood. I not only feel proud as a parent but also feel very responsible to have been able to accomplish this.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We used almost the entire transfer of KES 55000 to build a new house for my family. We set out to build two separate houses, one for the family as a whole and another for my two sons who had just graduated to adulthood. We were living in a very small house which did not provide the much needed comfort for our growing family and my children too did not have a place to lay their heads when nights fell. It was so embarrassing seeing them go to the neighbourhood each day to sleep over but because we had not received any money that woukd enable us put up one for them then we just had to keep hope alive as we waited. GiveDirectly provided a perfect opportunity to do this.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am a widow with four children and my top desire is to give them the best education. My firstborn son cleared high school in the year 2020 and he is yet to proceed to college due to lack of money. The other three are still in primary and one of them will be joining high school come next year. I live in a 0.3-acre piece of land and the portion is too small for any meaningful agricultural activity. I feel like I am between a rock and a hard place in matters of raising school fees. My brothers offered to assist me to pay my son's school fees and I do not think they will do the same for the other children. Receiving this money will be a sigh of relief because I know my children will seamlessly transition to college and high school without any challenge.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I have a caring mother and she understands the challenges that I am going through. Last month she sent me a sack full of maize and this has saved me the cost of buying maize flour. I am happy and I cannot thank her enough
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial instability has been the greatest challenge bedeviling my family. Living in a 0.3-acre piece of land means I cannot engage in any agricultural activity hence no income is generated. This has forced me to work as a casual laborer in other people's farms to earn a living. Every morning I go to weed my neighbor's farm and the much I can earn is KES 200. With the high cost of living this money is not sufficient to buy food leave alone clothing.
