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 ($452 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?
In my locality, people travel for at least an hour, a distance of KES 150 one way for one to get to a school depot where one can get school uniforms. These are items that parents buy most often, especially when the schools reopen. It is my wish to open a small shop in our neighboring shopping centers since I know that I will have a ready market. I currently do not have the finances to start up this business but I believe that God will soon make a way just as He did recently by leading GiveDirectly to our village.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my own opinion, GiveDirectly did well by giving people aid in terms of monetary. With this, everyone who benefits from the project has an equal chance to better their lives by spending the transfer wisely. In addition, making follow-ups to know how people spent their transfers made many people prioritize the goals that they had and avoid misusing the cash by spending on unnecessary things. I do not find anything that I was not pleased with.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I operate a small business of buying milk and eggs from farmers and selling them at our neighboring center while some people usually come home to buy both fresh and fermented milk. I have been depending solely on eggs that I buy from other people despite having some poultry. When I received my transfer, I decided to concentrate on this project by upgrading it. First, I built a chicken coop and feeding ground using KES 25000 so that we will not be sharing our kitchen with them. In addition, I spent KES 20000 to fence my compound using a wire mesh. With this, they will not be destroying my crops all the time, I will be able to easily monitor their feeding behavior and I believe that the number of eggs laid in a day will increase. Apart from this, I used KES 5000 to buy 12 hens to add to the ones that I had and spent the remaining amount on food.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($482 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I confirmed that GiveDirectly had sent the promised money at half past 4 pm. I was in the field feeding my livestock and my heart was filled with joy as I read the Mpesa message over and over again. With the money in my account, I knew that my life would never remain the same again. I decided to cash it out after three days so that I could spend it on the things that we had already listed.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I am happy that I was able to fence my compound using a wire mesh that I bought using part of the transfer. Because of this, my chicken no longer goes to destroy my neighbor's crops. Due to this, I have been relating well with my neighbors of late unlike before when they used to complain that I should sell my chickens if I am not able to look after them from going to other people's farms.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I usually walk for at least 3 km during the dry season looking for clean water for domestic use. This is always time-consuming since I have to make several trips per day. As a way of curbing this, I decided to buy a water tank worth KES 20000 with a capacity of 2300 liters and to construct its stand. I will be using it to harvest and store rainwater that I can always use during the dry season. In addition, I spent KES 10000 to buy some chicken and KES 3000 on a wire mesh that I used in fencing my compound. Apart from this, I spent KES 10000 on clothes for every member of my family and KES 7000 on foodstuffs. I used the remaining amount to start a small business of buying eggs and selling them to a middle man who usually takes and sells them in Nairobi. With this, I have been earning KES 100 per crate and I usually target to sell at least 13 crates per week.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
There has been a prolonged period of pest and disease invasion in this area.As a result we have had a reduction of crop yields from our farms. Because of these diseases we have opted for dairy production since it gives better benefits than the crops. I therefore plan to purchase another dairy cow worth KES 40000 with this money.This will increase the milk yields and hence an approximate increase of incomes by KES 4000 a month.With this I will be able to meet the household needs comfortably.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The incomes I got from the sale of bean yields I harvested in November last year brought joy in my life.This is because from the KES 12000 we earned we were able to buy food and pay the school fees for our children.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Food insecurity is the biggest challenge we are currently facing. This has affected us for the past 5 years and this is because our maize yields have been doing poorly .We have been forced to buy maize flour sourced from other regions of the country.With the increase in prices of maize we have been able to afford inadequate amount of flour because the incomes we get from the sale of milk are limited.My family has therefore suffered from hunger and malnutrition because of this.
