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 ($524 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?
Looking at my life currently, there is really a very big difference than if I never received the transfer. My wife was in Chuka University and school payment was really hard. My father had also been sick for the last six years and there was no way I could ask for any assistance from him but instead send him some money whenever I get. GiveDirectly made all that possible since my father is now feeling well and my wife has gotten a new job in the nearby school as teacher.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Looking at the great developments in this village, with the new houses mushrooming, I can boldly say in my opinion that, GiveDirectly did their job well. It saved us the huge budget and expenses of buying maize and also livestock.
As a teacher, I feel that GD would have done much better if they would have advised recipients to consider paying school fees of the village's students with a better percentage of the transfer. If at all this money would have been three phases, I would recommend that the third phase would have been sent directly to the school account for every household with a child in school.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
After receiving the second transfer, I decided to spend 25000 KES out of it to clear school fees for my wife who was graduating in the University for my certificate to be released. With the remaining amount, we decided to spend on obtaining new furniture after the completion of the construction of our new house. We are still grateful to GiveDirectly for the great job they have done in our lives.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($530 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
My life is currently different from how it was four months ago in that I now own a dairy cow and two heifers. When it reproduces, my family will always have milk for their consumption. I will also be supplying milk to our local cooler plant and use the income I will be paid at the end of every month to use in meeting some of our needs.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I feel like I was the happiest person in our village on the day I received my transfer. I gave thanks to God for I never knew that I would ever receive such an amount of money in my entire life. Previously, I used to think that I a dream, when I heard that some people in our village had received their transfers but receiving this money became a reality.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
When I received my first transfers, I used part of it to buy a dairy cow and two heifers. I settled on this so that I will be able to save the money I would otherwise use in buying milk. These are also assets to me which will also help me in case of a financial challenge when it reproduces. Also, I bought some foodstuffs for my family using some amount. I still have KES 10000 which I am planning to use in for my wife's graduation ceremony which will take place this month. This money will cater for our transport to and from the university, food and other necessities which will be needed on that particular day.
Enrolled
access_time almost 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
No one would want to build a house especially one as small as mine for more than seven months. This has been the case for me due to financial constraints. Receiving my first cash transfer is equivalent to completion of a one bed roomed house I have struggled to complete since the beginning of this year on which I will spend about KES 15,000.
The rest of the amount will be spent to improve an existing mobile money transfer (M-PESA) business by increasing float so as to stay within required limits and thus maximize on profits.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am a teacher and I am proud of my job. Reporting to school every morning makes me happy because I derive joy in the passion that come with imparting knowledge to students. This is the happiest part of my day. I love this job because it is the one source of income that provides for my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Despite being an employed teacher, my father has shown no shred of value for education since he declined to take my siblings and I through school out of sheer negligence. My relentless urge for education could not let me give up so I educated myself through university. As if not enough, I've had to bear the burden of catering for the cost of my three siblings' secondary education. After completing university last year, I have since secured a teaching contract in a nearby secondary school in spite of which I do not have a single development project for a show, thanks to over dependency. This is the biggest hardship I've faced in my life. Nevertheless, I have massive faith that the GiveDirectly cash transfer is going to relieve me of this yoke. This is a big sigh of relief.
