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 ($450 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?
I would like to buy a piece of land in the near future and in preparation to that, I have made a step towards acquiring that which will help me realize my goal. I have bought one cow which is incalf and a young bull which I will rear untill it matures. I will save money which I will be getting from the sale of milk and later sell the offspring plus fully mature bull then a acquire a piece of land which I needed. Before, I was wondering if I will be in a position to buy some more piece of land as that which we have now is too small for us to do farming and rear animals.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I like the transparency which GiveDirectly adopts in terms of enrollment. Everyone in the village who is potential is subjected to a fair criteria and those eligible are given cash. That's what GiveDirectly does well.
To me, I never noticed anything that they never did well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My second transfers which I received, I spent KES 25000 on buying a young bull which I intend to rear and resell when it matures so that I can raise money for buying land. I then spent KES 11500 on buying three bags of maize for consumption. We had none in stock and we thank God for GiveDirectly who came to our lives when we had none. I also spent KES 2500 on buying chickens for rearing. These chickens when they start laying eggs they will help me on meeting my daily expenditure. The remaining amount, I spent on buying clothes for all my family members. We are glad that we got new clothes which we couldn't afford.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($475 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, It was early in the morning when I was at home enjoying a cup of tea together with my family. Then suddenly, I heard my phone ringing and vibrating, On checking what the message was all about, I realised that I had received a sum of KES 55,000 from GiveDirectly. I could not believe what I had seen, this was the happiest day in my life which I would not forget in a hurry. I then informed my husband who was equally excited and happy. We then sat as a family and embarked on planning how best we would utilize our funds.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my life today is that I now own a dairy cow. In addition to that, I was able to start poultry farming. My children are happier because they get to enjoy a surplus of milk and eggs. I plan to sell some of the eggs to my neighbours in future where I would generate extra income. I am so thankful for the support that empowered and impacted our lives amazingly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a farmer and my husband is a businessman who specialised in buying and selling hens and goats. Together we are blessed with three children. Upon the receipt of my transfer, I bought a dairy cow worth KES 30,000 so has to cut down on the cost of buying milk daily. This is because a litre sells at KES 60 yet we did not have a reliable source of income to cater for it daily. Secondly, I started poultry farming for instances of emergency needs, where I used KES 2450 in initiating the project. Lastly, I used the remaining amount on foodstuffs and clothes. I am forever thankful for the support that uplifted our living standards.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
For the ten years, we have been married, we have not owned a cow of our own. We have been purchasing milk from neighbors, costing us KES 1680 per month considering my three children are still young, the eldest being eleven years, they still need a lot of care in terms balanced diet. We have been working hard to have one, but we have not achieved this goal due to insufficient finances. We are peasant farmers, solely depending on farm proceeds and proceeds from the chicken business my husband operates. We plan to use KES 40,000 to purchase a cow and the rest to buy food like maize flour which is also a challenge in our household.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My husband's business did well two months ago, he got KES 1000, which we used part of it to purchase two small water tanks of fifty liters each. Accessing clean water in our area is a challenge, we track up to one kilometer to get water. Having this tank is such a relief as I can dedicate a day to fetch water so I won't be going to the river every day. I dedicate one tank to collecting clean rainwater for drinking.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The main challenge is financial constraints. The chicken business my husband runs is not doing well because of a lack of enough capital. Most of the time he misses going to work because he does not have money to purchase the stock. The money he makes is approximately KES 800 per month, which is too little to even cover household needs like food. Most of the days we just survive on what we have, not what we want or need.
