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
53200 KES ($484 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent 10000 KES to pay school fees for my children 10,000 since I wanted to clear the debt so that my son can be given his certificates which will enable him to apply for a job easily. I also bought chicken worth 2000 KES because this will ensure a continues flow of cash when I sell the eggs hence avoiding begging of cash from my children. I used the rest of the transfers to stock dry foods stuffs such as maize for future use to protect from incoming drought since this land is not fertile.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Giving of unconditional transfers really help the village in poverty reduction since it gave us the freedom to freely indulge in other faming practices since crop farming is not successfully anymore. After It is through this transfers that our living conditions changed since a lot of people build good comfortable houses to protect from cold and harsh weather conditions. I have not yet seen anything wrong yet.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is very different now since I am very happy and not stressed anymore. I can depend on myself wholly unlike before when I had to always beg for hand outs from my children. My youngest son will be able to apply for a job since he has all his certificates now and will reduce my burdens since he will be dependant on himself.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($508 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
On receiving the first transfer, I spent 30000KES on the purchase of a cow. I had been buying milk for quite a long time which was so expensive given that I never had a reliable source of income. I also managed to obtain enough maize which we are currently using as foodstuff, I paid school fees and the return fare for my son who was picking his certificates from the University and saved the remaining amount to be checking and replenishing any exhausted commodity in the household.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Since I received the transfer, the biggest difference in my life is the quality breed of a cow I bought. This has always brought excitement and revived the hope of producing enough milk soon, both for our household use and also a surplus for sale to the neighboring community.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received the transfer was so great for me that the excitement would easily be seen. This had never happened before, and the excitement came with the knowledge that I was going to fix a lot on my wish list. At that moment, I was at home with my helper who confirmed that the notification was from GiveDirectly notifying us that the promise we were given some weeks ago was finally in. We both thanked God and also promised ourselves to spend the money wisely.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Before my husband passed on around 15 years ago, my children could go to school with ease as he engaged in casual jobs to get money for fees. When he died, raising the children singlehandedly became a burden so much so that 3 of my children dropped out of school save for the last born. A 4-acre piece of land that my husband left me has been reduced to 1.5 acres since I had to sell it to educate my last born son.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the afternoon when I get back home from herding my 3 cows.
What does receiving this money mean to you?
As old as I am, I am vulnerable to misfortunes like illnesses. When I receive this money, I am planning to spend $300 to buy a cow and 2 goats. I am investing on these assets so that I can resell them later should I be faced with an emergency. This cow will also enable me pay my monthly health insurance of $5 from the sale of its milk.
