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 ($471 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 brother and I work together as loggers and we would share a chainsaw. This has quite limited my finances because we would share the profits. My goal is to buy my own machine. The amount I need to do so is around KES 50,000. I have managed to save KES 10,000 and I believe in time I will have gathered the amount needed and thus start working independently. This will definitely boost my earnings.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I have not seen any area where give directly has not done well. Nonetheless, I am very pleased with their services. The organization has zero-tolerance for discrimination or favoritism. This I observed when they were carrying out registrations in our villages. Everyone who was enrolled and qualified did so fairly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have land that my father gave me so I could start a family. There, using the few earnings from the tree cutting, I build a squeezed one-roomed home where I lived with my wife and child. Unfortunately, things never worked out for us and she left and went back to her parents' house together with my child. I have been wishing to go and get them but looking at my status then, I got discouraged. When I got the funds from give directly, I decided to use it all to start working on constructing a new and more spacious two-roomed house. This has brought back my confidence and I have started talks with my relatives to help me go and bring my wife back home.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($484 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was exactly 11.09am while watching a movie when I heard an SMS alert on my phone and didn't bother to check because I thought perhaps it was the usual Safaricom messages. Later on, when I checked my phone before going to bed, it was KES55000 from GiveDirectly. I was overwhelmed with joy and could hardly sleep that night because I had never received such a lump sum.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is self employment because through the transfers I have my own power saw which generates a good income as compared to before when I used to work as my brother's laborer. I am also grateful because through the transfers I am stress free and have even grown healthier and happier as compared to before when I had alot of debt burdens which made my wife to leave me.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 25000 on a power saw because my elder brother is into tree cutting and selling business and he encouraged to buy one because the business is a good income source. The rest I topped up and spent KES 48000 on purchase of building materials with an intention of building a more spacious modern house because currently I have a tiny house.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I separated from my wife six months ago because I could not provide for my family and also because the house that we lived in was not that good. Receiving this money will mean that I will be able to build a better house and reconcile with my wife. As a way of sustaining my family, I will pump some money from the transfer into the timber business that I own with my brother. This is a lucrative business and I am assured that I will earn something that will be able to feed my family comfortably.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I came home from Kericho in July when my wife left and had nothing to do for a while, had difficulty fending for myself and I worried a lot. I got relieved when my brother gave me a casual job in his business and for the last months, it has sustained me and has brought me joy.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The challenge that I am facing now is having someone to look after our home and plan for everything. I go to work early in the morning and arrive late in the night. I do not have time to tend to the crops that are on the farm and also to look after our cows. I constantly worry about this and pray every day that I will reconcile with my family and have everything in order.
