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 ($493 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is different than how it would have been if I never received the transfers in that I have bought a dairy cow. I used to buy milk daily and this was so costly for me. I depend on small scale farming and casual jobs in the village and sometimes to get this jobs is so hard. The amount of money that I get through this is so small and cannot meet all the basic needs of the family. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has enabled me to cut this cost. Currently I have enough milk for my family members and I sell the surplus at the market to earn an income to meet other basic household needs. My plans is to save some money to buy a another dairy cow soon.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly does well by giving money to the poor in the community to build better houses and to buy dairy cows. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of the money I received from GiveDirectly on purchasing a dairy cow. I used to buy milk daily and it's so costly for me. I also bought food and sofa set seats. The rest of the money I completed the construction of the new house that I started using the previous transfer. I am so grateful for the support.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($500 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I received the transfers at around 6.30am and was very excited to the extent of jumping up and down. I even informed my brother who wasn't aware that he had also received his and immediately took bath and went to withdraw.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is happiness because I have been able to built an iron roofed house of which was not possible before.I usually rely on casual labor which pays KES 300 a day and was majorly spent on food. I have also started poultry farming which will be a source of income for my family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent 300 dollars on a 24 Iron roofed two roomed house because I had a grass thatched house which was tiny and in order to get access to clean water. I also bought a 30 dollars Woofer in order for play music because I didn't have one before and used to depend on my neighbors radio for news. I also spent 100 dollars on acquisition of a fence to ensure security. I spent 24 dollars on a sack of maize and 30 dollars on a jacket, a pair of jeans and a pair of shoes.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money mean I will be able to live a comfortable and healthy life. I live in a grass thatched house and tapping rain water is impossible yet we experience prolonged period of drought. Currently, I am buying clean water for domestic use which costs Ksh 10 daily which is costly yet I walk for approximately 1 kilometer to get it from a different village. My intention is to build an iron sheet roofed house of approximately Ksh 30,000 and water tank of approximately Ksh 15,000. I will be able to get clean water during rainy season and thus improving my health as well.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I spend most of my days working as a casual labourer in other people's farm within and without the village the entire day. The type of casual labour I do is either fencing, weeding, digging and any other job that I can do. This will give me approximately Ksh 300 a day which I will use domestically. Waking up in the morning knowing that I have work to do for the day is the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Prolonged period of drought has been the biggest hardship I have faced in life. This has led to low crop production in our area. My future plan is to use my second transfer to buy a dairy cow of approximately Ksh 35,000. I will be able to sell surplus milk and use the remaining domestically. My projection is to milk 5 litres a day; I will sell 4 litres at Ksh 30 per litre and 1 litre for domestic use. This will bring a sigh of relief in my life.
