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 ($468 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?
Our new goal is to build another sleeping house for our boys. We have already bought the materials needed for the construction. We bought 22 iron sheets and we have cut down the trees to get timber and building poles. We did this using the second transfer. We are hence only waiting for my husband who is a mason to come and start building it. We had already built a house for them to sleep but the house is small and not enough to accommodate even a guest visiting the household. With the new house that we will build, they will be able to have enough space for themselves and somewhere where a guest can sleep.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly taught us well through the meetings that they held with the community members before starting the enrollment. They also enlightened us that we needed to change our mobile money PINs for the case where we have used our year of birth as the pin. Their work is good and I urge them to continue with the same.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We spent most of the second transfer on buying a water tank and the materials for building a sleeping house for our boys. We bought a 5000-liter tank, 22 iron sheets, and we cut down some of the trees to get timber and building poles. The remaining amount of money, we used in buying food. We decided to buy the water tank because we usually experience a dry season in our area for a long period, that is, five to six months. As a result, we usually buy water where six containers go for KES 200. This is hence costly. We had built a house for our boys before but the house is small and not enough to accommodate a guest visiting. We decided to make plans to construct another more spacious one. We were not able to do the above before because we did not have the money. We are so grateful to GiveDirectly because, with the water tank that we bought, we have been able to collect rainwater for our household use. We hence no longer incur the cost of buying water like before.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($492 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received the transfer I felt so happy. I remember it was around 9am. I was from my mother's houss. When I was almost home I heard a ringtone message from my phone . When I checked it out, I could not believe my eyes, there was a message confirming that I have received money from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy because I have never received such amount of money before. I immediately inform my family members and they were so happy. I knew I would be able to pay school fees for my children and buy a dairy cow. I went to withdrew the money the same day and planned on how to spend it with my family. I am so grateful because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have purchased a heifer. I used to buy milk and this was so costly for me since I do not have a continuous source of income. I depend on casual jobs and small scale farming. The amount of money that I get through this is so small and it's only for household basic needs and school fees for my children. I had always wished to own a dairy cow but it was not possible. My children would go without milk whenever I had no money. This was so demoralizing and stressful. Currently I am so happy because I have a heifer. I know when it reproduce in the next few months I will get enough milk for the family and even sell the extra milk to earn an income. I will used the money to pay school fees for my children and even meet other household items. This has given me hope and strength to work hard for better tomorrow. I am so grateful for the support because were it not GiveDirectly all this could not have happened. GiveDirectly not only has improved our living standards now but also assured us of a better future since of the assets that we have purchased. I am so grateful for the support.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spend KES 30,000 to purchase a heifer. I buy milk daily and this is so costly for me. I will cut this cost when my heifer reproduce in the next few months. I paid school fees for my children and they were able to study well without being sent home like before. I plough my farm ready for planting maize as soon as the rain comes. They rest of the money I spend on food and clothes for my children. I am so grateful for support because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I used to pay school fees for my kids by supplying milk to the school. The agreement with the school is that my kids continue with their education as I pay their fees in a series of payments using the returns from the sale of milk. Unfortunately, I sometimes fail to honor this agreement more so during dry periods and when my two cattle are in dry periods. To overcome this, I intend to buy 2 dairy cattle for KES 25,000 each that will supplement milk during this dry period. In this way, I will be able to regularly supply milk to the school hence ensure my kid's study goes uninterrupted. For the remaining amount of transfer, I plan to construct a small house for my boy who is about to enter puberty.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening as this is the time I get to rest after a long day of intensive work. Being a housewife entails lots of strenuous tasks right from household chores, farming, and fetching water for domestic and cattle usage.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My passion for quality education has driven me to ensure they study in good schools. I have 3 kids who are schooling being led by my firstborn who is in the secondary level. My husband works as a casual laborer at a local construction site while I am a housewife. The little he gets from his hustles is inadequate to cater to all our basic needs among them education. We have to strain a lot to pay and sometimes sacrifice the little milk we get from our two dairy cattle and sell at the school as part of the fee payment. This for me is the biggest hardship I have ever faced in life.
