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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3rd Payment
Transfer Amount
45000 KES ($317 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My next goal is to take my business to the next level and open a larger establishment. Additionally, I am eager to start a retail shop. To ensure these dreams become a reality, I have a solid plan in place. I intend to save the profits from both the butchery business and the income generated from charcoal vending. By diligently saving and staying dedicated to my objectives, I am optimistic that I will achieve my aspirations. With determination and hard work, I believe I can make these plans come true.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The support provided by GiveDirectly arrived just when we needed it the most during a severe drought season. Its impact has been evident throughout the community. We are grateful that the field officers handled the enrollment process fairly, without any bias based on financial status or social standing. Everyone who needed support was able to receive it. What stood out the most for us was the unconditional nature of the funds, which gave us the freedom to use the support in the way that best suited our specific needs.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My husband and I have been making ends meet by doing casual work and selling charcoal. We feel incredibly grateful for our one child. Recently, after receiving our third transfer, we finally had the opportunity to pursue a business idea we had considered before of running a butchery. The potential for profit in the market seemed promising, but lack of capital had been a major obstacle in the past. Our casual work income was meager, barely enough to cover our basic needs. With the recent transfer, we decided to invest $300 to start the butchery business. It was a dream come true for us. Additionally, we used the remaining $150 to buy essential food items for our household. We are overjoyed that the transfers made our lifelong dream a reality.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
45000 KES ($337 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
We are still a young family and I am hoping for a great future for my children. To achieve this, I am planning to add more livestock to what I currently have and major in breeding because I believe our future depends on it. I am also planning to open a butchery business to get more income from it.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, Givedirectly does well by giving money to every household in the village without discrimination. The money came in handy to us, especially at the beginning of this year as we have been hit hard by drought and famine.
I have not seen anything that GD is not doing well or needs to improve.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
It has been my desire to own a livestock-rearing project owing to the fact this is the only investment that works well in our area. After receiving the second instalment, I invested $ 310 on buying two cows hoping that they will calve and multiply in the next future. Apart from the wealth aspect, the cows will relieve me of the burden of buying milk for my small family of three. I as well added 5 hens to a poultry project that I initiated using the first transfer, this cost about $25. Furthermore, I used the remaining amount to buy food that will last us about three months. This will relieve me from burning charcoal as a means of livelihood as this has been rendered illegal in Kenya.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
18010 KES ($144 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I received a message around 4:00 p.m. confirming the receipt of the first transfer from GiveDirectly. I was not sure who sent it at first, but after reading it, I realized it was a confirmation message of the promise they made during enrollment. I was home alone and had to wait for my husband, who arrived around 6:00 p.m. I broke the news to both of us, which was very exciting.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The most significant difference in my daily life is the ease with which I can cultivate my land after leasing it. Without the financial support I received from GiveDirectly, planting would have been incredibly expensive. I hope that, despite the fact that we are currently spending a lot on food, the harvest ahead of us will be satisfying and will provide us with a lot of cushions after selling the surplus produce. The proceeds will be useful in purchasing other household items.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Droughts have been incredibly damaging, especially when they strike right after planting season, destroying all crops and leaving us with bare lands and a significant loss after purchasing farm inputs. We have not received rain in more than six months, so we have been learning how to deal with high food prices. My husband owns a motorcycle taxi, while I am regularly at home with my child, tending to the poultry project I started. The sale of a few eggs that I collect has always aided in the payment of some household bills. I am grateful that GiveDirectly's financial support was timely and significant in purchasing a $52 sack of maize for my family of three. I also paid $20 for the land we had been paying for in installments. Furthermore, I paid a $50 lease fee on land that is currently under butternut. Because the management practices required for butternut are few, and market stability is high, we expect higher pay after harvest. We spent $50 on clothes and the rest on other household items.
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
Business opportunities arise as a result of foreseen gaps in the community. In my community, for instance, floods and harsh climatic conditions have hindered crops from flourishing and as a result, people have opted to purchase food. For a man to live, he must eat and from this, I intend on using all the transfers to venture into the cereals business which I will be sourcing from Marigat. I will be excited that the community as well as my family of 3 will be food secure as well as financially stable. I believe that I will be a role model in the community for those unemployed to thirst for self-employment. Alternatively, if the business booms, I will create employment for the jobless youth in my community.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Since my family of 3 gave up on farming 2 years ago, we concentrated on chicken rearing and charcoal burning to earn income. However, charcoal burning has not been viable because it is seasonal and risky for one might be sanctioned. As a result, I fully ventured into chicken rearing and I am pleased with the progress. I am glad that this investment has provided my family with income to purchase basic needs such as food.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
As a family, we depend of farming for a living. However, climate change has awfully implicated the economic activities in the area since the seasonal river Waseges have dried up over the past 2 years therefore hindering irrigation on the farms. We gave up farming to concentrate on charcoal burning because the losses we incurred were heart wrecking.For now, my family of 3 use stagnant water for the household , which sadly, is a predisposing factor to diseases. The profit we earn from the charcoal business all caters for the food for the household and we can not afford to purchase a 20litre jerrican of water at $1 from the Loboi centre.