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 ($424 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
After accomplishing a lot with the second transfer, the only goal I have left is to boost my dairy farming. I intend to save enough money from the taxi business to purchase two more dairy cows. Achieving this desire will increase milk production, resulting in more income for the family. The money I will make from selling milk will reduce the burden of providing basic needs for the family, like food. I also intend to save some for my kids' education and invest in other development projects.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I feel GiveDirectly did well in sending direct cash transfers to poor households in the village. During the training we went through, we learned a lot about the program. The decision to allow each beneficiary to make individual plans about how the cash aid could improve their standard of living was a well-thought-out idea. The procedures we well elaborated, and I believe nothing went wrong.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My long-term ambition has been to start dairy farming, an alternative source of livelihood to supplement my earnings from the motorbike taxi business. I have been operating this business, but it is no longer sustainable. I used my recent transfer to venture into dairy farming by purchasing an indigenous, high-breed dairy cow. At the moment, I am very proud that it has given birth to a calf and produces 4 liters of milk per day. I always use 2 liters for family consumption and sell the other 2 liters, earning an income of $1.5 per day. Furthermore, I used the remaining amount to complete the construction of a modern, two-room, mud-plastered, iron-roofed house for the family. Before, I was living with my wife and two children in a tiny house, which was not big enough to accommodate us and our household items.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($481 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I am a bodaboda rider and I was at the stage waiting for a customer when I heard my phone vibrating. I was filled with happiness on reading the message that I had just received. Its contents meant new dawn in my life to me and that my life would never remain the same again. I waited patiently to get home so that I would inform my family about the news that would transform our lives.
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 been able to build a more spacious house for my family and purchased four goats that are live assets to me. Because of this, I feel happy that we will be enjoying our privacy as a family once this house is completed. In addition, I can always sell some of the goats when faced with an emergency before requesting help from other people in the village through organizing a fundraising event.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We've been living in a one-room house and I knew that my children would need a separate room to sleep once they grow. We currently share the room with them since they are still young and we have not been having privacy as a family since anyone who visits us can see everything that we own at a glance. It had always been my dream to build a more spacious house but I had not been able to achieve this since I offer taxi services to people in my locality and the money that I earn is at times not enough to cater for food. I usually render KES 300 daily to the owner after fueling it and I would remain with nothing as my salary at times when the business is down. Upon receiving the transfer, I decided to spend KES 30000 to buy 25 pieces of iron sheets, timber, poles, frames, nails and paid for the labor of constructing a more spacious house for my family. In addition, I spent KES 16000 to purchase four goats as a way of investing this money. I decided on this since they can easily be converted to cash and they increase in number quickly. I used the remaining amount on food and clothes for the family.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means I will finally have better housing which I have wanted for a long time. I got married six years ago and we have had three children with my wife. Since then we have been living in a small grass-thatched house that can barely accommodate all of us. My children sleep on the floor which is often cold especially during rainy seasons. This house is also the living room and kitchen which gets smoky when we are cooking. I plan to construct a two-roomed iron-roofed house, which will cost me KES 30,000. For the rest of the amount, I plan to purchase a dairy cow as a source of income.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Living to see the new year 2020 is a blessing for me. It is a sign of hope of better days ahead. I hope to fulfill my dreams and to see my family happy.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The main challenge is a lack of finances. I operate a motorbike business with a hired motorbike as my only source of income. The much I earn (KES 200) a day, all go to purchase food for my family of four. This cycle continues leaving me with no space or extra money to do other developments like building better housing for my family.