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 ($517 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is different than it would have been if I never received the transfer in that I would not have been in a position to buy building materials to build a better house for my family and also to pay the school fees on time.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly does well by giving us money to buy all the basic need that was pending before. I do not find anything that was not done well since all the promises.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
I spend my send transfer to pay school fees. Getting school fees for my children is so challenging because I depend on small scale farming to earn an income. I also bought a goat and food for the family.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($542 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
I mainly depend on farming for our survival like other people in my region. Due to unpredictable weather conditions and crop pests, crop farming is no longer reliable hence many people have opted to dairy farming. When I received my first transfer, I bought a dairy cow worth KES 38000. I am now glad since I will be selling milk and use the money to cater for our needs. Being able to expand my dairy project makes my life different from how it was before because the income from this project will increase.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was still early in the morning when I received a message notification on my phone. I immediately requested my helper to help me read its contents since I can neither read nor write. I became so happy when she informed me that the message indicated that GiveDirectly had sent us a lump sum of money amounting to KES 55000.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
When I received my first transfer, I spent a good amount to buy a dairy cow as a way of expanding my dairy farming. I settled on this so that I would be able to earn an income through milk sales. I will be using this money to cater for our daily needs and even invest more in other income-generating activities. I used the remaining amount to build a kitchen for my family by buying the necessary materials and paying for the labor. I decided on this since I have been using my living room as our kitchen. Because of this, the living room is sometimes untidy and I always shy off from inviting people to my home.
Enrolled
access_time 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money will enable me to buy a cow to add to one I already have.Am no longer able to work in the farm because of my age and as a result am left to depend on casual labourers to help with farmwork.Having an additional cow will increase my income through sale of milk therefore I will have enough to meet all the household needs as well as pay the wages.It will also greatly telieve my constant burden of school fees for my children in secondary school.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is mid morning.During this time,I take my cow out to graze and water it.This makes me happy because I enjoy doing this and it is my biggest source of income to meet all our household needs
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Having two children in secondary school and no source of income for their fees has been the biggest hardship I have faced.I fully depend on my 0.3 acre piece of land to produce enough to feed my family as well as raise fees.This has often been impossible due to changing weather conditions and maize (main crop) diseases.I have therefore had to organize for a fundraiser within our village to help with the fees and most times very little is raised because people here hardly have an extra coin to contribute.Everyone has their own struggles too.
