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
55000 KES ($456 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?
The desire of my heart is to purchase a parcel of land. Achieving this goal would mean that I take a loan from the self-help group. I am optimistic that with this I would own an additional piece of land where I afford to relocate my family because the family land is not enough.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly has uplifted the living standards of my village mate. The unconditional transfer gave everyone an equal opportunity to use it according to our needs. All this would not have been possible. I am so happy that finally I accomplished my goals, thus I am grateful. So far I have not witnessed anything that was not done well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Starting a family is a blessing from God, and with this comes the responsibilities. Though we don't have a baby yet, I wanted to have an extra source of income to be sure that my family would have enough. I depend on my butchery business, but this is not enough because the income is low. Therefore, upon receiving my transfer, I thought of buying a motorbike where I used $600, thus I had saved $200 from my initial transfer and added $400 from the second transfer. I was not in a position to purchase it before because of financial constraints. Additionally, I started a poultry project with the remaining amount. I am contented to have received support that uplifted my living standards.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($468 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 a usual busy day at the butchary where I work when some excited customers entered the butchary to buy meat. I paid keen attention as I wanted to hear what they were talking about and I confirmed that they were talking about receiving transfers. After serving them, I picked up my phone to check if I had received mine and truly I had. I was happy that I was going to achieve some of the goals that I had set.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
If it was not for the transfers, I couldn't have afforded to buy a dairy cow. I am happy that I was able to achieve this goal which will be a source of income to my family. The other difference is that I was also able to put up a celling board and buy furniture for my house.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a young man who married just the other day and I am looking forward to build a strong foundation for my family. I had already build a permanent house but I was yet to put up a celling board. I spend KES 7,000 of my transfer to put a celling board and KES 35,000 to buy a dairy cow which we are hopeful that it will give birth in a year's time and we will be able to sell milk. I also spend KES 6,000 to buy two tables and the balance to buy food and clothes for me and my wife.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that I can start income-generating activities and stop working for other people. I will buy a second-hand motorcycle at KES 60,000. With it, I will start a taxi business that will earn me about KES 300 every day. This is a lot compared to the KES 150 that I get from working as an attendant at a meat vendor joint. I will then buy a cow at about KES 30,000 and poultry with the remaining amount. Livestock keeping will ensure that my wife is also actively generating money that we shall be using to buy food for the household.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In the last six months, I am happy that I managed to build a kitchen and started living independently from my parents. I enjoy having to take care of only the three of us in my family instead of proving for all the people in my household. It is less strenuous financially and this allows me to put my money into good use such as buying livestock and chicken to keep.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
One of the challenges that I currently face is the lack of a stable source of income. In the meet butchery where I work, business is sometimes low and on such days, I do not earn any money. This leaves me in agony as my family may sleep hungry occasionally. I wish to establish a constant source of income that is quite predictable like keeping dairy cows. I could always know when and how much I will be expecting as I watch the milk production patterns, unlike in the meat business.
