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 ($462 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Yes I got a new goal and it is that of buying a piece of land around this place that I stay. Currently, we are living in a piece of land that is owned by so many people and once the land is subdivided, It will be difficult to even practice the most basic things like farming that would better our living standards as a family. I was able to invest in liovestock a living asset that would enable me move towards realizing this dream. I also work as a motortocycl/taxi operator and the money that I get from it shall propel me towards achieving this dream.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectlyu did well by giving everyone a fair chance to be enrolled in the village. Every household that was full time residents in the village was able to get the money and this brought some form of equality for all of us. Everyone was able to engage in income generating activities or activities that were a priority to them but one thing is clear that everyone is happy to have been part of beneficiaries. I did not see anything that I thought GiveDirectly could do better or improve. Everything that they did according to me was good
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used almost KES 10000 to help in building a chicken house and used another KES 20000 to buy a dairy cow. The remaining amopunt of money was used to buy food and clothes for my family and we are so excited that we were able to accomplish all these with the money that we received. My two children have their future secured through the investments that we made. In future we plan to buy a piece of land that will enable us practice agriculture that gives more returns and thus better living standards for our family.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($484 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 still very early in the morning when I woke up, I reached out to where I had placed my phone to check what time it was, that was when I saw a text message on the screen, I was curious to know where the message had come from, upon confirming I saw A Mpesa notification showing that I had received money from GiveDirectly, I knew that I had started the day on a good note because the smiles were written all over the faces of my family members, my wife and I then embarked on planning on how we would spend the transfer,
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 no longer buy milk daily, this is because I now own a dairy cow which I was unable to purchase before due to financial constraints, In addition to that I was able to start a poultry project, My life will never be the same again because I am hopeful that with the poultry project I will be able to make a living out of it, I am grateful for the support that has lifted our lives and our living standard as a whole.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
At the moment I don't have any specific source of income, most of the time I do work as a casual labourer, I have always wanted to start a poultry project but I had no capital. Upon receiving my transfer I thought of purchasing a dairy cow so that we would cut down the cost of buying milk daily, therefore, we bought a cow worth KES 30,000, I then started a poultry project which I am hopeful that I will be able to earn an income out of it in future, thus I used KES 5000, Lastly, I used the remaining amount of money in purchasing foodstuffs and clothes. I am so happy to have accomplished so much within a short time.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money will enable me to start and run a business in the village. We are currently struggling to put food on the table by doing the casual job within the village which is hard to come by. When an opportunity knocks, I earn an estimated wage of KES 150 a day which is not enough to cater to the entire family. I have a family of 4; my wife, daughter, sibling, and I who are all depending on me. I, therefore intend to start dairy farming as a business. The choice of starting this kind of business has been my long-term dream because we stay close to the milk cooler. I intend to spend my first transfer to acquire a dairy cow at an estimated cost of KES 30,000 and the remaining cash to start a business of buying and selling milk to the milk processing plant. I feel this is the most lucrative business to venture into because of its high return and thus the need to grab this opportunity. Fulfilling this dream will be a sigh of relief to me and my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In the past two months, we had a bumper harvest of beans in our 0.2 acres of land which brought happiness to our lives. We managed to harvest almost a bag of it yet we hardly get that amount in that piece of land. Initially, we used to harvest at most half of it but this time, God did wonders. We have been consuming and selling some and this has been sustaining my family without much struggle.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
We are currently facing a challenge of financial instability as a family. I am a casual laborer within the village doing any manual job such as but not limited to digging, weeding, planting, and milking. The job itself is tiresome and hard to come by but also the wage is minimal because I earn an estimate of KES 150 a day. Keeping in mind the household size of 4 who depend on it, that cash is hardly enough to cater to the entire family. I was overjoyed when I heard that Give Directly was coming to our village.
