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
53010 KES ($396 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
When I finish building our new house, I intend to establish a new business selling maize and other farm inputs to generate income for my family.
As a maize farmer, I just get enough produce to feed my family so I need another source of cash to facilitate other needs.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
One thing Give Directly excels at is providing unconditional cash to allow everyone to meet their own requirements as best they can. In addition to providing money directly, they also provide proper follow-up to ensure that we are doing well with the use of funds.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received the second transfer from Give Directly, it was the happiest moment of my life because I was able to use $300 to build a two-roomed permanent house; the reason I chose to build a new house, is because our old one-roomed house was too old and already too small for 5 people; and with the remaining $230, I was able to buy a few house essentials to make us more comfortable in the new house.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($440 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was just another hot afternoon, 3 p.m had just passed, and the fatigue of the day was beginning to set in. I was at home, doing one of my thousands of chores, when my phone began to buzz. I answered it expecting a mundane message from my service provider, but it was a Mpesa message confirming receipt of funds from GiveDirectly into my mobile wallet. I was overjoyed! I couldn't believe they'd kept their word.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
My life has completely been transformed. I was able to buy cows when I had little else in terms of cattle. I was offered a chance to battle the drought with fertilizer to ensure that I could grow crops. GiveDirectly has given my life a complete shift in a positive direction.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I prioritized purchasing two cows for $340. I also purchased clothes for myself, as I had been in need of them for some time. I would not have been able to do this without GiveDirectly stepping in and providing me with some disposable income. I then spent $35 on farm manure, which I used to ensure that the land was fertile. I then went out and bought food for the house while saving the rest. GiveDirectly has been a tremendous blessing to me that I will never forget.
Enrolled
access_time almost 2 years ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
I would like spend these transfers mainly in coming up with an income generating project. I have always admired poultry keeping and I doubt if my wife and children would have left me if I had such an activity to keep them busy as they make money. I believe that will be a turning point that will make her reconsider coming back to live with me. The kitchen building also has since gotten old and it's almost falling because the posts are too old and rotten. It will be fair enough to build a new one since I am anticipating my wife's return. For the children's nutritional support also I would like to buy a cow that we shall be milking. It will be hard to buy milk and other food stuff with my little income.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I have a lonely life and nothing has brought me joy or happiness in that period.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I feel like life has been so unfair to me because I have had so many challenges in life and the biggest one has been the separation with my wife and children. They just left one Sunday morning claiming that they were going to church never to return again. I think they left because of my poor income status, I survive on casual jobs and it is so difficult to find some work nowadays. I would sometimes come home without a coin and wee would sleep hungry and I guess she wass no longer comfortable with that. I want my family to come back so that I can feel safe and have a stable mind
