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
55000 KES ($484 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
No, I did not have any new goals since the main aim that I had in mind was to conduct a new house. For over twenty years, I have been showering in a very small house that could not even accommodate my family members. On most of the days, we used to seek shelter from neighbors which was a challenge. I am so thankful that I was able to sort this matter out.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly has been of great help not only in my life but also to the entire village. The organization did a perfect job by making sure that every eligible household was enrolled in the program. Also, we all received the cash transfers on time and were given the chance to purchase what we had been wishing to have. I do not see any sector GiveDirectly failed us.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my second transfer on buying some building materials such as the iron sheets at KES 36000, building poles at KES 3200, and gave the mason KES 5000. This was purposefully for the construction of a new house because the previous one was a small grass-thatched hut. This forced my four children to sleep at their grandparent's house which was also not spacious enough. I later cleared school fees of 3000 for my children and am grateful they are no longer been sent home regularly like before. Lastly, with the remaining amount of money, I bought foodstuffs for my family which is comprised of six.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($491 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 around10 Am when I was at my phone ringing and decided to check who it could be since it was so unusual for me to receive a messge at that time of the hour. I couldnt believe what I saw, it was an Mpesa message from Segovia Technology, they had debited my first transfer as I had been promised. I was overwhelmed with joy knowing that my life will never be the same again. I had to share the good news with all my family members and they were all happy.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Owning a home is still like a dream to me because my life has changed as a result of this. As a single parent of four children, I couldn't build a better house using my cash. This is because I have been relying on the odd jobs with low incomes which could only cater for the daily bread and a little amount for their school fees. I have been having a hard time providing for my family and sometimes they had to skip meals. This means building a nice house would take ages for me to accomplish. Throughout the rainy seasons, it has been tough because we have been rained on and sometimes being attacked by some cold-related diseases which have been affecting my young ones. I thank God for bringing GiveDirectly to my village. Had it not been for the financial support I received from them, I could not be living in this decent house anytime soon.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first transfer on buyng a new mattress for my children at KES 5000, this was to replace the old one which had won out. I also bought a water tank of 300ltrs at KES 2600 and I am currently storing water for my domestic consumption. I also settled a debt of KES 4000 for my friends in the village and I am glad I am at peace. In addition, I bought building poles at KES 8000, threads nails, and timber. This is purposely for the construction of a new house becasue the previous one had an old and very small one it could not accommodate. I later cleared school fees of KES 5000 for my four children who are in primary school. With the remaining amount, I bought new school uniforms and sufficient foodstuffs,
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means self employment, decent housing and good education for my children. The weather condition in this area is unfavorable for crop production, I am planning to start a livestock production enterprise. I will use a total of KES 30,000 to purchase 9 female goats and one male goat. I believe these goats will make my dream of self employment come true, I will be the one in charge of the whole project. With time, the goats will multiply and increase in number. I will start selling the goats to butcheries in Bamba town. I will use the income I will be getting to sort my family's needs and the education for my children. KES 40,000 will go into the construction of a new bigger house for my family. The house I currently live in is in a poor condition and very small. Sleeping with my four children in the same room makes me very uncomfortable. I will then use the remaining amount to pay school fees for my children and save the rest of the money.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening. I am a charcoal burner, I spend my whole day in the forest cutting down trees for charcoal burning. The task of cutting down trees is very tedious. It is in the evening that I get time to rest.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have ever faced is unemployment. Both my husband and I are unemployed and we only depend on charcoal burning to support our family's needs. I have a family of four children. All of the children are attending school. The money we get from the charcoal burning business ( KES 9,000 monthly) is not enough to buy food, cater for other family needs and still pay school fees for the children. This makes life so hard, sometimes my children have to skip school due to lack of school fees.
