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
53150 KES ($423 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?
I currently wish to buy additional chicken to boost my return on investment. I will not need to struggle to support my family as a result.
It will be easy to convert them to cash when the time comes. I am unable to set a deadline for adding them as a result, but this will be my priority as soon as I receive financing.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
We appreciate GiveDirectly's hard effort, which was fair to all the village people. We received excellent training during the first meeting that helped us understand what was required of us before registration. We were able to prepare and make judgments after reading the fly cards that we received and listening to the training during the first meetings. Every stage of the process was appreciated, and we look forward to receiving more in the future.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My greatest aspiration in life has always been to provide a respectable residence for my family. Our house was on the verge of falling apart until GiveDirectly made the transfer. I, therefore, used $300 of the most recent transfer to renovate it by paying for the personnel and buying the necessary building supplies like iron sheets and poles. For now, I'm content that we live in a better shelter, which has brought back our zest for life. In addition, I decided to invest $200 in the raising of chickens.
I bought 100 chicks and built a building to house them. I learned that using the indigenous breed of chickens for poultry farming is cheap and not labor-intensive. I'm making an investment that will help me support my family.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($474 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I had taken my livestock for grazing when I got a message confirming that I had received funds from give directly. I was filled with so much gratitude for I knew the funds would help me in settling my 3children's school fees areas of KES 9000. I was also sure that I would be able to progress financially by investing in my mixed farming business.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I never used to have a comfortable life as the earnings I got from my farming business were few. Supporting the needs of my five children, my wife, and I was a challenge. For this reason, I would often be late on my children's school fee payments and thereby accruing fee arrears of KES 9000. When I started receiving funds from give directly, so much changed in my life. I was able to clear my debts and also improve my farming business by building a chicken coop. I believe this will bring in more income and thereby help me provide for my family better.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I practice mixed farming for a living. I normally specialize in coconut and cassava farming. I also have 30 indigenous chicken breeds that I rear. The chicken coup that I have for them is very squeezed as they have grown in number. To improve their living conditions and promote good health, I used the funds to build them a new one which is more spacious. I utilized the remaining amount to pay my children's school fee arrears of KES 9000 then I saved the rest. This is so I could buy some poultry feed and if there's a need to add more chicken, I will have funds for it. I focused on investing more in farming because this is where I get funds to provide for my family and also pay my 3 children's school fees which was a little challenging before as I had fewer earnings but now, I believe they will improve.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
When I get this money I would like to rare broiler chicken for sale. I have been planning to do this but haven't gotten enough for capital. From a feasibility study I conducted, this project needs about 70000 KES to start and operate. Currently I have been selling local brew by bridging between producers and retailers. This could earn me up to 300 KES daily on profit. Amount that is still very low for all my needs. I have a child who's in a boarding high school and another one who's waiting to join college. My eldest son has been helping me to raise that school fees but right now I would like to get my own money and take my responsibility.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I felt really happy when my eldest daughter decided to be paying school fees for my youngest son who's in high school. This was after she saw the struggle I was going through to raise the money without reliable source of income. It lifted a heavy weight off my heart and right now I only worry about feeding myself and my daughter whom I'm living with fulltime. I know if I get to start my chicken business, some day I'll be able to also pay for her college education.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of a reliable source of income. I have been broking local brew ever since my retail business was cleaned by buglers. After that incident I decided to stop doing that line of business and buy a motorcycle for taxi business. It's this motorcycle that I currently use to ferry the alcohol from producers in the village to retailers in town. This has been feeding me and my children but can not pay school fees for the children who still need that.
