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 ($518 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?
Before the coming of GiveDirectly, I was sheltering in my neighbors house. Since my house had collapsed and I lacked thee money to buy thee necessary materials. My life is now different because I now built a new house to live in. I now access to a good shelter unlike before. I also bought a cow and goats that I am currently rearing in my homestead. My expectation is that they will reproduce and have many of them. I will be getting milk which I can sell and earn an income.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly has has enabled us to improve on our living standards. Accessing good shelter was a challenge to many of us, also taking our children to school was another hardship we were facing. Currently, we managed to build new houses and our children are comfortable in school. We also own livestock which to us are assets. I do not see anything that GiveDirectly does not do well.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
For many years I have been staying in my neighbors house since I couldn't build my own. When I received my second transfer,I spent it on buying building materials so as to build a new house. I also bought a cow that I am currently keeping in my homestead. I am expecting them to reproduce and increase in number. I will also be benefitting from the milk that it will be producing. I spent the remaining amount to buy some foodstuffs and paying for other household needs.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($530 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
Owning the five goats is the biggest difference in my daily life so far. I am hoping very soon they will multiply because currently, some have started reproducing. My wish is to exchange the offsprings for a dairy cow, this is because the dairy cow is very expensive and I could not afford to purchase it in the first place when the first transfer came since I had some other needs to cater to. I hope that when I buy a dairy cow I will be getting milk from it, for my family consumption and also for sale. Thus, I will get an income that will help me in paying school fees for my children and also cater to some other basic needs for my family.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I had just retired to bed after a long day of work. At around 10:00 PM, I got a notification on my phone that I had received a message and when I checking where the message was from, I got so excited to learn that I had received my first transfer that Give Directly.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent part of my first transfer on paying school fees and buying uniforms for my children. They were always missing some classes and exams because they were always sent home to collect school fees. I later bought some building materials which included iron sheets, some nails, and building poles. My previous house was small and in poor condition. My children would be forced to sleep at my neighbor's house which was very uncomfortable with them and this stressed me a lot as a parent. But I thanked God all is now settled since the transfers played a big role in this. I then bought three goats at KES 10500 as my assets. With the rest of the amount, I paid the mason as labor charges.
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
It has always been my desire to live in a more spacious and comfortable house, but for the years that I've been married here, that has never happened due to lack of resources. The little money that my husband earns from his casual job is not even enough to feed the family, I live each day with the worry of where the next meal will come from. Therefore, once I receive the transfers, I will build a two bedroom house. The one we are currently living in is in a deplorable condition; it is tiny with the roof leaking already. It is even worse during this rainy season, my children are subjected to cold and pneumonia. In addition, I will invest in maize farming. To achieve this, I will purchase an ox-plow and oxen to assist in timely planting. This way, my children will be assured of enough food in the store. And that is what receiving this money means to me.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening. It is a nightmare to spend the day with children at home while other peoples' kids are in school. In the evening is when am at peace; having other children around whom they can interact and play with gives me hope.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of a reliable source of income has been a huge obstacle to my family's progress. It has made me unable to build a better house, educate the children and to provide them with proper nutrition. At the moment they are not attending school and it worries me a lot knowing that their future is at stake if I fail to educate them completely. This money is going to assist me a lot because once I conquered food insecurity, the money that I currently use in purchasing maize flour will go to education. Again, my husband will be able to save a few coins from his job for our future use, unlike at the moment where we live from hand to mouth.
