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 ($518 USD)
access_time 4 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
A larger portion of my transfer went to buying livestock. I now have goats and cows which I am keeping. Had it not been this money, I wouldn't have purchased any at my own cost. These are assets to me that I can readily lean on in case of a financial problem. I am expecting them to reproduce and have many of them. I will be selling milk that the heifers will be producing and earn an income.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I think GiveDirectly has done well in improving our living standards since we were in abject poverty. We can now afford to build decent houses, and taking our children to school through the financial support we received from GiveDirectly. I don't see anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
I was keeping livestock in my homestead thus when I received my second transfer, I bought more goats to add to my goat shed. I also spent the money on buying a mattress and a new bed. I replaced the old bedding with these new ones so as to sleep on comfortably. I then spent the remaining amount on paying for my children's school fees as well buying some foodstuffs and other basic needs for my family.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($529 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
Nowadays I am happy and ambitious since I started receiving transfers from Give Directly. After buying the dairy, I feel I can achieve all my goals. I have been admiring my neighbor's lifestyle for so long because they have been rearing different types of livestock. My low income could not allow me to own one. I am hopeful since I know I will benefit a lot from the cow. I will be getting some milk for my family which will make us healthier. Apart from that, I plan to sell the remaining liters to the local markets and this will be my additional source of income.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was awoken by the vibration on my mobile phone in the middle of the night. I decided to ignore the message because I thought they were random messages that are normally sent by the mobile service providers. Something convinced me to read it since I could not sleep after being woken up by the vibration of the phone. I could not believe my eyes after realizing it was a message from Give directly. They have sent my first transfer as they had promised earlier. I was so much excited at the moment and I remember I kept on waking up throughout the night at the thought of the message that I had just received.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent part of my transfer on buying a dairy cow at KES 15000 and ten goats at KES 20000. At least I can now brag to be having an investment plan because from these assets I can achieve most of my goals and other investment projects. I also bought a bed and mattress at 10900. Previously I used to sleep on a small bed which was not enough for me and my wife. I am planning to start a business of buying goats in my village and selling them in my local market with the remaining amount of money.
Enrolled
access_time almost 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have always had this great desire of starting up my own income generating activity. Ever since I had an accident and subsequently losing my job, I have understood what it means to have and to lack. And having struggled a lot trying to stabilize the situation with little success, this money comes in handy. Therefore, I will engage more in livestock trading, a business am so passionate about. Now that I have made some few strides in it, I will be able to put more focus now that capital won't be an issue anymore. Again I have a plot at the nearby shopping center which I want to develop using part of the transfers. This will help me to educate my children in the near future once it is operational. And that is what receiving this money means to me.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My main focus every day is livestock rearing. I am not out there in the fields herding them, am looking for potential customers to sell to or purchase livestock from. This is what basically informs how my day looks like. In the evening is when I get time to spend with the family. This is usually the happiest part of my day because it is from spending time with them where I find joy and love.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I was an employee of Taifa Maize millers up to the year 2005 when I was involved in a tragic road accident. This is when things changed. Remember, my family depended on me solely in everything and with dismal support from my employer, I had to dispose of almost all the assets I had acquired to offset the accruing hospital bills. I thank God that I received all the medical attention I needed at that time. Sadly, I was left a poor man with no source of income and all the assets gone. And since I was on a contractual basis, I never got a chance to work there again. Since then, I have been struggling a lot to meet the needs of the family. Thankful, am going to turn over a new leaf courtesy of give directly.
