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 ($467 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 new goal is to start a chicken business whereby I buy chicks then once they grow they lay eggs for sale hence getting additional income. I am currently a small-scale farmer and what I get is not enough to cater for school fees for my children.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Givedirectly did well by giving unconditional cash transfers to the poverty alleviated households. At the moment, every household in my village has a new face i.e newly iron-roofed houses, dairy cows, water tanks which we all didn't own before hence making all of us equal.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
After receiving my second transfer, I prioritized clearing school arrears of Kshs 5,000 which had proven to be challenging since I don't have a stable income. I also paid Kshs.11,000 for the new term so that my children would study without being sent home to collect fees. With kshs.15,400 I bought furniture that is beds, cupboard which I didn't have before. Atleast my children can study well and sleep comfortably. In addition, I purchased tomatoes and pumpkin seedlings and planted them. I am currently harvesting the produce which did well and I look forward to selling hence get some good amount which will cater for school fees for my children.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($500 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
Upon confirming the receipt of the first transfer, I was so happy that I had to leave all I was doing at the moment. Having planned everything that I needed to spend the money on, I was so excited to know that It will finally come to pass since the money was already in my account. Even though I was expecting the money over that period, the excitement was so big that I could not hide from my other family members. I received this message after hearing my neighbors celebrating and thanking God. At that point I had to also check my phone but unfortunately enough I had nothing then but after some mins, I heard the notification and the message was from GiveDirectly. I thank God and inform my wife who was equally excited about the news.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the current poultry project I am establishing. This has given me great hope of generating more income since I have enlarged the circumference of the house and intending to add more birds to the cages. This is one project that has always sorted our household bills and with the expansion, I am hoping to see it serve even other financial obligations including the payment of school fees.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
For a long time now, I had been dependent on both livestock and subsistence farming as the main source of income for my household. Poultry farming has so far been doing well as I had been able to settle school fees and other household bills through selling broilers and eggs. On receiving the first transfer, I saw a need of clearing the old stock and re-establishing the old structures to accommodate more. I spent a total of KES 31,200 on obtaining a chain link and strong poles to support the construction as I needed a strong and lasting chicken coop that will keep all predators at bay. I also obtained pains that I am currently using in renovating our roofs that were already rusty. I had to obtain two gallons at KES 4000 and since I know how to do all the painting, I am not incurring any labor cost. I also needed to top-dress my vegetable far and had to purchase 10 Kilograms of fertilizer at KES700 to boost the produce as the piece needed more nutrients after a long cultivation period. With the remaining KEs 11000, I paid school fees for my two kids currently in primary school to enable step study in peace without being sent home during the examination period.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My ambition is to be a successful farmer and supply vegetables to many villages. I make a living from farming of vegetables such as tomatoes and spinach but I want to also venture into livestock keeping. This transfer will mean a lot to my family because I will be able to expand the agribusiness and get more income. I will use about $400 to purchase a dairy cow, $100 for 2 goats and$50 for fencing of my homestead. The remaining transfer will aid in paying school fees for my children, food and their clothing.
What is the happiest part of your day?
As a farmer I have to wake up very early each day go to the farm till around noon then take my farm produce to sell at the market. Each evening I expect to get an income from the sells, but on days that I make a lot of profit is when I'm the happiest because I get to use it to support my family's needs such as paying school fees for my children.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My biggest hardship is financial constraints. My geographical home is semi arid and this means as a farmer I can only harvest my produce once or twice a year, each harvest brings in about $300 and this is not enough to pay school fees for my 6 children. They often don't get sent home for school fees but most of the time I have to work extra hard to get enough income to give them quality education.
