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.
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($527 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
check
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
At the moment, my family feeds well unlike before. This is because we still have the stock of food that we bought using the transfers. Also, I am a proud owner of two dairy cows. Due to this, I have hopes that I will soon not be buying milk anymore. I will not only save the money I would otherwise use in buying milk but also earn an income through milk sales.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly did well by enrolling everyone in our village and I do not see anything that they did not do well.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
When I received my second transfer, I bought a dairy cow. I do not have a big piece of land and I opted into dairy farming since it does not require big space. I used the remaining amount on farming. I leased a piece of land, hired a tractor for farm preparation and planting purposes and bought enough maize seeds. I am now glad since I am almost harvesting this maize and I will no longer be buying them hence I will have reduced my daily expenditure.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($532 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
attach_money
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I no longer buy milk like I used to do before. Buying milk had proven to be too costly for me considering that I entirely depend on casual labor within the village to raise income for family expenses. There are times when we tried looking for casual jobs but we were not successful in finding them. When that happened, we would be forced to sleep hungry since we do not have another alternative source of income. Currently, I have already bought farm inputs such as fertilizers and crop seeds that will see us plant our farms in time. We are therefore looking forward to a huge harvest this season which will see us have enough food for household consumption while we sell the surplus to meet other basic household needs.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received the money I felt so happy because I have never received such amount of money before. It was very early in the morning when I received a message notification on my phone when I checked the message, it was money from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy that I could not sleep anymore All my family members were so happy. I used to buy milk and it was so costly for me and the first thing that came into my mind was to buy a dairy cow.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent part of my first transfer on buying a dairy cow, part of the remainder was used to buy two sacks of maize, one sack of rice and the rest was used to buy clothes and other basic household items.
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I live in a small piece of land which limits my agricultural activities.I am therefore planning to buy a small piece of land when I receive this money.This will help me buy a dairy cow which I do not have for now.I will plant feeds in a small part of the land to feed the cow.I will therefore save the cost of buying milk for my children.I am also planning to plant vegetables to save food costs.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I wake up as early as 6am in the morning.I prepare my children to go to school then graze two cows that I borrowed from a friend.I graze them in the nearby forest since I do not have grazing land.After lunch I go to work either in my farm or other people's farm as a casual labourer till late in the afternoon.I come back in the evening and find my children at home where we spend time doing house chores.This is the happiest part of my day since I get to interact with my children.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced in my life is the financial constraints that we have as a family.This financial problems have hindered us from doing several important things.First,my husband has had a problem with one ear since he was a kid and it has been worsening each day.This has developed to a hearing problem and we do not have enough money for treatment.The initial treatment requires not less than 50,000 Kenya shilings.We depend on agriculture and we have a very small piece of land.I was forced out of the ancestral land belonging to my in-laws because of family issues we had with them.This small piece of land cannot raise enough to cater for the family needs.
