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.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($470 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
One of my biggest dreams is to major in milk production. I plan to realise this dream through the little savings I get from my farm and also by applying for a loan in the farmer's Sacco that I am a member of. With it, I believe that the future would be bright for me and my family.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly has uplifted the living standards of our people in our society. People built houses, bought cows and educated their children. At the moment they were all empowered in so many ways. Thus we are forever grateful. In my interaction with the staff, I have witnessed anything that was not done well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My grandson had excelled in his primary school exams. This motivated me to strive to look for funds so that I can comfortably see him through his high school education. Luckily GiveDirectly came and promised us the unconditional transfer. I used to work before but I retired, hence I depend on farming to earn a living at the moment. I am married and my children are all adults apart from the lastborn son who is still in college. Therefore, I used my transfer in paying school fees for my grandson and my son where I used KES 45,000. I then used the remaining amount on foodstuffs and clothes. I am so grateful and happy that I was able to achieve a lot in a short span.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($484 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I remember I was at the village merry go round group. When I heard a ringtone message from my phone. When I checked it out it was a message confirming that I have received money from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy because I had some goals I had plan to spent on. When I went back home I informed my spouse and. Children and everyone celebrated the good news. It was one of the best days. I went to the Mpesa shop and withdrew part of the transfer that same day. The main priority was to buy a dairy cow.
I am so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Purchasing a dairy cow is the biggest difference in my daily life. I have two other dairy cows and I supply eight liters of milk to the milk cooler storage facility. This earns me some money every month.My goal was to increase the volume of milk to twelve liters per day. Currently I'm able to get higher volume of milk because I have an additional of one dairy cow purcabese using GiveDirectly transfer. I am so happy because the money that I will be getting at the end of the months is higher compared to previous months. I will use the money from this dairy project to pay school fees for my son who is in the polytechnic studying. I will save some amount in merry go round group that we started in our village. When it will be my turn to receive the money from the group savings I will used it to purchase another dairy cow. My goals right now is to invest in dairy farming. This is because I have passion for this and it's easy to managed it. Currently I have devoted much of my time on this project and I will make it the main source of income for my family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 32,000 to purchased a dairy cow. I wanted to increase the volume of milk that I sell to the cooler milk storage facility. This was to increate the money that I get from it. I bought a smart phone for my son who is in polytechnic studying this is to help him do his assignments well. I bought two sacks of maize and the rest of the money we spent on other household items. This was our goals and we are so grateful because we were able to spent it well and felt satisfied.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means an increase in milk production which relates to an increase in income. Currently, we milk 10 liters of milk a day and out of this, we sell 6 liters at KES 33 a liter and consume the remaining. We rely on income from milk because our lands have become futile due to prolonged periods of drought and maize necrosis disease. We are therefore planning to spend approximately KES 40,000 on our first transfer to acquire a dairy cow and increase milk production by around 40%. I feel elated because this will be a stepping stone in improving our income.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In the past 7 months, we were privileged to have gotten electricity connectivity in our area. Initially, we used solar as a source of light which was not reliable especially during the rainy season. My children used to struggle a lot in their studies due to the inadequacy of light. Currently, they are having their studies without any difficulty and this has been our joy as a family. We hope to see them excel in their studies.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Low crop production and a prolonged period of drought have been the biggest challenges we are currently facing. Initially, we used to harvest approximately 40 bags of maize in our 2 acres of land. Out of this, we sold 30 bags and consume the rest but due to maize necrosis disease and prolonged drought, we reduced the acreage to 0.5 harvesting barely 3 bags for household consumption only. This has reduced our earnings as a family yet we have so much recurrent expenditure.
