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 ($420 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 would love to keep animals. cattle, goats, and some chickens. Sell the meat, milk, and eggs for profit. Aside from that, it would be quite the upgrade to have some of the same products for domestic use as well as to serve guests when they visit. I pray this will come to fruition one day.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly excels at uplifting the downtrodden. Thanks to them, I feel I have a new lease on life as well as feeling accomplished, thanks to now having my own property. They have given me my self-worth and confidence back. I can hold my head up high again, and I pray they come back and continue to walk with us.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
It had been a longtime dream of mine to one day own my own piece of land. a patch of dirt that I could call my own and one day pass over to my kids. GiveDirectly made that dream a reality by sending me those transfers. I was able to purchase a plot of land measuring 50 by 100 meters, which I can develop at my leisure. Having separated from my husband in 2008, I have been both mother and father to my kids. Hence, clothes and food were purchases that were essential to us as a household. I set aside some of the funds from GiveDirectly for this. Considering I only depend on the maize I sell at $60 per sack, the funds were crucial in allowing me to pay my kids' tuition fees. My second child is in Form 4 and needs $220 per term in school fees. Thanks to GiveDirectly, I was able to clear this with no problem. My firstborn is a boda boda operator and runs his own shop as well in Sibunya village. When my husband left me and married two wives, I was unsure how my life would ever play out, but thanks to GiveDirectly, I now have something to show for my hard work. I am eternally grateful.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($483 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 5 pm and I was busy preparing myself to leave my place of work and go home. I hence did not hear my phone ringing. Suddenly, I was called by some of the people in my village who were asking me if I had received the transfers. It was then that I stopped and immediately checked my phone. I was surprised when I saw the SMS which was indicating that I had received the lump sum transfer of KES 55000 from GiveDirectly. I was so happy and I thanked God because I was not expecting to receive the money at that moment. I then immediately went and withdrew the money before going home because I wanted to go the next day and pay for the piece of land that I had seen somewhere.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The transfer from GiveDirectly brought a very big difference in my life and that of my family. I was able to expand the piece of land that I own and hence I now have somewhere to till and plant crops mainly for subsistence use. I will incur less costs buying food. I am also glad because I now have new clothes for myself.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent the recent transfer on buying a piece of land. I bought a point and a half of an acre at KES 45000. I decided to buy the land because I wanted to expand the size of the land that I own. The one that I had was small and I have grown trees in it. There is hence no space for cultivation. The piece of land that I bought is where I wanted to do farming. I want to grow crops such as maize, sweet potatoes, vegetables, etc mainly for subsistence use. This way I will reduce the costs that I incur buying food. I usually do the business of selling milk in the nearest town and it is this business that I depend on for everything, that is, to buy food, pay for my child's school fees, etc. With the remaining amount of money, I used it in buying some clothes and some household utensils. Thank you so much GiveDirectly for the help.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means improved business and increased savings. I do milk vending in the neighboring town called Kaboson. I collect milk around my village and even neighboring villages. I then transport using hired motorcycle where I pay KES 500 per day. This has been expensive to me and sometimes eats into my profit. I collect around 200 liters of milk per day. My profit is KES 10 per liter. This profit also has to cater for transportation. So when I get this transfer I will spend it on purchasing a motorcycle. This will help me reduce the transportation fee. I will spend the entire transfer of KES 110000 to purchase it.
What is the happiest part of your day?
As milk vendor, I was lucky to get tender in a school where my son studies. I supply 50 liters per day at KES 50 per liter and the school deducts academic fee from my pay. This has helped me in paying school fees and has brought joy and happiness into my life since my son has been humble a time in school.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest challenge is financial constraints. The little profit I get from my business I spend on transportation of milk and the remaining amount I spend on school fees for my son who is in secondary school. I have been wishing to purchase a motorcycle of my own to reduce cost but this has been futile due to insufficient money. Having my means of transportation will enable me to make some savings as I intend to buy a dairy cow.
