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 ($499 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
With both these transfers I have been able to buy two cows, build a descent toilet in my homestead and also buy a smartphone.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly has really impacted our lives by giving us these transfers. Some have been used to build houses, pay school fees, buy livestock and also open up new businesses.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
It has always been my dream of owning a milking cow, so once I received these transfers I went straight to the market and bought one cow. My family and I are now assured of having daily milk.
I also used part of these transfers to buy a smartphone. Been in a fast moving technology era, and whereby most information is available online I am now able to access all that from the comfort of my home.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($509 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
Confirmation of the receipt of the great promise given by GiveDirectly was a great joy to me. This came as an assurance that it was really true and never a lie as people had been spreading rumors that the program might not be real. I kept hoping as I had a lot to plan and awaiting the transfers. I am still grateful that the money has so far made a lot of impact in my household that could not have happened if I had not received.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
After receiving the transfer, the biggest difference in my daily life is the hope I currently have in the cow that I bought. It is a new chapter in our household that we are hoping to soon be producing milk from our own farm. The heifer I bought has bagged up her udder, a clear sign that it will soon be calving thus producing the much-needed milk in the family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent the first 25000KES of my first transfer on buying a heifer. I had been spending a lot buying milk for my household use for a long time, and the thought of buying a cow had been with me as I had been hoping to cut high costs. This money enabled me to obtain a heifer and even though it is not giving us milk yet, has brought us new hope. With part of the remaining amount, I did construct a pit latrine as my household had been using neighbor's which was not convenient especially for the kids. I had been working on a tree nursery also where I had been growing and selling indigenous trees seedlings both of which earned me a lucrative contract with the county government a month ago. I am currently working hard to meet the order target that I should be delivering soon. I decided to hire other three youth paying each supposed to be earning 4000KES at the end of the month. I also managed to buy foodstuff for the household which we are still using at the moment.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My ambition is to have a successful business in future, I graduated last year with a degree in computer science and would love to put what I learned into action. I wish to own a tech shop where I sell computers and other tech gadgets. Currently I depend on subsistence farming as I sell trees and tree seedlings to a forestry company nearby. They only order 3-4 times in a year and pay $45 each time I deliver, the rest of the months I sell maize at $35 a suck but my farm can only produce up to 6 sucks of maize a year. If I receive the transfers I should add about $50 into the tree and poultry farming and later on use the income generated to make my dreams come true.
What is the happiest part of your day?
On my usual day I wake up at 7:30 in the morning,take breakfast then head to my parents farm to help plough. At around 11 I head to my own farm to check on the tree seedlings and water them. I return home at around 2pm, browse for job vacancies and apply at least 2 daily then rest at around 5. I am mostly happy in the afternoon after I have finished all work as I can rest and also because I get encouraged that submitting job applications will soon bear fruits for my employment.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My biggest hardship has been unemployment, after graduating I haven't been able to get any job. I have resulted to selling tree seedlings 3 times a year which I sell for $45 per order but it is not enough to sustain my housing, food and clothing needs.
