GiveDirectly: Send money directly to the extreme poor

2nd Payment

Transfer Amount

53150 KES ($515 USD)

over 4 years ago

How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?

My life is different from how it was in that, some of my long term goals were achieved. Before then, I was staying at my grandmother's house. Today I have my house and managed to buy a cow too. The cow is an asset that I can cling on in times of need. If it were not for GiveDirectly, maybe I could still be living at my grandmother's house.

In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?

In my opinion, what I loved about the organization is that they came to the poor people in the community and now their lives have changed through the unconditional cash transfer. There was nothing that they did not do well.

What did you spend your second transfer on?

I spent part of my second transfer on purchasing a dairy cow. I thought of a good idea to have a cow because it will be beneficial in terms of selling milk. Every month I normally incur 900 KES on buying milk. Having achieved this long term goals and for sure benefiting from it as soon as next month is a dream come true. Besides that, I also bought food that sustained us from a while. Currently, I have saved the remaining amount for upkeep and emergency.

Initial Payment

Transfer Amount

55000 KES ($542 USD)

almost 5 years ago

Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.

Previously, the villagers would gossip that even after staying in my late grandmother's house as the tradition requires after her death, I did not look like someone who was in a hurry to build my own house. Thankfully, courtesy of Givedirectly's transfer, I was able to build my own house because the duration of staying in that house was long overdue. The biggest difference in my daily life is that I am no longer the talk of the village since I have been able to build a decent iron-roofed house which makes fit in the status quo of the rest unlike before when I stayed in a grass thatched house.

Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?

I was woken with my wife's whisperer saying GiveDirectly has sent the money, look at the message and because I was still in doubt . I immediately went to the Mpesa shop and withdrew 16,000 KES which confirmed to me that surely I had money . I was very happy since in my whole life I had not touched such an amount of money.

What did you spend your first transfer on?

I stand in front of my my new house every day since I built with my first transfer and I can explain how lucky I am . This is because I did not expect to move out of the grassed thatched house of my late grandmother due to lack of finances . I bought two goats . I have saved the remaining amount for my spouse to use it for her enrollment in a basic computer packages course since she completed her secondary school last year.

Enrolled

almost 5 years ago

What does receiving this money mean to you?

I live with my spouse and child in a small hut which belonged to my late great grandmother.In our kalenjin tradition,when a person dies their house remains intact for sometime before it is demolished.Its been about two years since her death and in a few months this hut will be due for demolition.Had it not been for GiveDirectly,I do not know how I would have managed to buy building materials.Am grateful because this transfer came at an opportune time and will really help me build my own house.I also intend to buy a cow and some goats to provide an income for my family.Through this I know that I will be able to make savings and pay for my wife's college studies.

What is the happiest part of your day?

The happiest part of my day is in the evening.It is during this time of the day that I get payment for the house construction jobs I do.Getting this means that my family has a meal for the day and all the other needs.This makes me happy as the household head and provider.

What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?

I have been paying for my wife's secondary school fees for four years now.When I married her,she had just completed primary school and had done well enough to secure a spot in secondary.I therefore decided to take the responsibility of paying the fees since I did not have the priviledge of completing high school myself.My house construction job does not guarantee that I will earn enough money for the fees as well as household needs.There have even been instances when I have had to wait for sometime before I get payment.It has therefore been a struggle that has seen me sell a few sheep that I had managed to buy from my savings.This reduced me to a point that I have none now.Aside from the fees,there are all the other needs of my young family like food and clothing which I have to shoulder alone since my wife has to concentrate on her studies.The biggest hardship I have faced is paying school fees with the little income I get.