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 ($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?
My vision is for me to initiate the cereals business. I am relying on the support that I would receive from the wages that I receive each day to start the business bit by bit. Though this may take longer, I am hopeful that I will be able to do so. I am grateful for the help that has improved our standard of living.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly's assistance was among the aid that empowered our society; from the beginning of the project, we were treated well and with respect. The stages of enrollment were thoroughly explained to us. Furthermore, participation was entirely voluntary. I am personally grateful for the support, and I have not seen anything that has not been done properly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my second transfer, I decided to build a decent house for my mentally ill brother. This is because the house he is currently living in is in poor condition, and he is unable to do anything due to financial constraints and his health. As a result, I spent $300. I then purchased a cow for $270 to reduce the cost of purchasing milk daily. All of this was not previously possible because I am a single mother of five children who works casual jobs to make ends meet. I am so relieved and grateful that I was able to begin improving my family's living situation.
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 waitress and that evening around 5 pm I was busy serving customers as usual. Then suddenly, I heard a message alert on my phone. On checking it, I confirmed to have received the eagerly awaited KES 55,000 GiveDirectly transfers. At the sight of this, I was very happy and grateful to GiveDirectly as well.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is building a modern and more spacious Iron-roofed house. This has enabled me to accommodate all my family members and now I no longer borrow a place to sleep.
Secondly, I am relieved of casual labor because with GiveDirectly transfers I have adequate food. Initially, I used to get KES 100 from casual labor but GiveDirectly transfers have enabled me to buy food in bulk.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a waitress and a mother of five; 2 boys and 3 girls. Before GiveDirectly, I had only one tiny Iron roofed house which could only accommodate my kids and I was forced to borrow a place to sleep each night. Therefore, when I received my transfers I spent KES 35,000 on building a modern two-roomed Iron roofed house.
Secondly, I spent KES 5000 on a goat and its young one. This is because goats are a good source of milk and they also multiply fast.
The remainder of KES 3,500 was spent on a bag of maize and the rest on the latest clothing fashion.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am a single mother of five working as a casual laborer for a living. I earn approximately KES 130 a day. This is an amount that I have to split among my daily household needs. It has not been easy for me to bring up my family with such a hard economy. My firstborn son dropped out of school out of lack of school fees and I am struggling to support his other siblings though they are at the lower primary level. A healthy family is all I strive to have. I always incur approximately KES 50 to buy a liter of milk for my family consumption. This is not enough and is so expensive for me. Receiving this money is a dream come true. I am planning to spend KES 30000 to buy a dairy cow. This will be the happiness and pride of my family. This will be an added asset to us and I will be getting milk from for both household consumption and sales. I am planning to keep the offspring so that I can sell them to meet any financial crisis arising in my family and my children's education in the future.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Supporting a family of five single-handed is quite challenging. I need approximately KES 200 to have my family in better meals a day. It's approximately four months when I received KES 600 from my cousin. This was the happiest day of my life. I was able to settle some debts I had and remain with KES 300 which enable us to buy a cup of milk a day from a neighbor for a month. Though this was not enough it was my joy it sustained us for a month. I would have sunk deeper into depression.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Limited resources is my current challenge. I live a hand to mouth surviving on low-paying casual jobs. My earning of KES 130 a day can not fully meet my family's needs. I own a half an acre piece of land which is underproductive since I can not afford it. My eldest son has to seek refuge in my neighbor's home because I have not been able to build him a separate structure. This is so shameful as a parent but I can not do anything to avoid this.
