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 ($478 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
With the transfer that I received, I was able to buy 30 chickens and build a more decent chicken coop as a way of starting a poultry project. It is my wish now to expand this project as it is easy to run it alongside other projects and it requires less capital. I will be using money from this project to meet my family's basic needs on time and to pay school fees for my children. I am happy that GiveDirectly enabled me to start this project and I believe that with God's grace, I will expand it and it will remain a permanent mark of GiveDirectly in our lives.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well by giving out unconditional cash transfers to people that enabled us to acquire what they did not have and achieve our goals like that of sending our children to school, buying livestock, and building better houses. I do not see anything they do not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my transfer, I spent KES 18000 to buy a wire mesh to use in the fencing of our compound and paid for the labor. I settled on this since I started a poultry project with my first transfer and I do not wish the poultry going to the farm to destroy my crops when I am not around. In addition, I spent KES 20000 to buy decent clothes for all my family members as a change of our wardrobe. Using the remaining KES 16000, I bought two sacks of maize, 25 kg of rice, 40 kg of beans, and other foodstuffs for my family to last us for some time.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($504 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was a few minutes to 10 o'clock in the morning when I received my transfers. I became so excited and thanked God for coming into my rescue at the time of need. When GiveDirectly officers came for enrollment, I became anxious and looked forward towards receiving the aid. With the money in my account, I was sure of achieving my goal of fencing my land as this would enable me to better my farming practices. I am planning to plant some animal feeds in a section of this land and leave the other section for my livestock to be grazing on.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
My main source of livelihood is poultry and dairy farming. This is because maize farming has proven to be a worst nightmare in my region due to diseases. Before receiving the transfers, my livestock would graze in an open land and this needed my attention all the time. Due to this, I had minimal time for housework and gardening. Also, my poultry house had become smaller as my chicken had increased in number hence they were so congested. My transfers enabled me to fence my land and to construct a bigger poultry house. This has made my life different since I no longer have to look after the livestock all the time. As a result, I have been able to finish my house chores on time, tend to my garden and I am usually not so tired like before. In addition, building a bigger poultry house has eased congestion.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my transfers, I spent $ 330 to fence a piece of land that I had bought. I bought some poles, barbed wire and paid for the labor. I am planning to plant some animal feeds in a section of this land and leave the other part for my livestock to be grazing on. This will give me ample time to concentrate on my house chores, garden and other projects like poultry farming. Poultry farming has been my source of livelihood alongside dairy faming. I keep traditional breeds and I usually supply eggs to the nearest shopping centers. Since I rarely sell my chicken, this project had expanded over time and the poultry house I had, had grown smaller. This was a threat to my chicken health wise due to poor aeration and congestion and there was need of a bigger house. My transfer came in handy as I was able to spend $120 to achieve this. Using the remaining $97, I purchased some food items for my family.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
We recently shared our family land and each of us was given their own piece.Since the land where our homestead currently sits in belongs to another family's share,we are forced to relocate our houses to our own space.This money will enable us rebuild our houses as well asfence the land.We also intend to increase the number of chicken we currently keep from 25 to 50 as well as build a better poultry unit.Receiving this money means that we will be able to achieve all these
What is the happiest part of your day?
My day starts with a prayer-waking up healthy during this pandemic period is by God's grace.I then proceed to milk our cow before embarking on the other household chores and around the farm.I only get to rest in the evening and have a chat with my grandchildren.This is often the happiest part of my day
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship we have faced is raising school fees for our six children.When four of them were in high school and two in University,we had to sell all our liveatock in order to keep them in school.In a year,we would need sh 200,000 on average and my spouse's salary could not sustain this.Thankfully, two have completed campus but are yet to secure enployment
