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 ($442 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?
My new goal is to plant some fodder crops for livestock on my newly acquired piece of land. After having enough feeds, I will buy another cow so that I can have surplus milk for sale and that will earn me some income. I will save money through a merry-go-round savings plan so that I can achieve these goals.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly gave us nonrefundable money and also gave us the freedom to choose what to spend. That is what stood out with this organization. I believe each one of us had different needs and the money received was able to solve those needs.
There was nothing that GiveDirectly never did well and that's my honest opinion.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
With the money which I received as my second transfer, I spent KES 45000 on buying more pieces of land for farming. I needed to buy more pieces of land so that I can have more space to carry out farming. The remaining amount, I spent on buying foodstuffs for my family and the rest on buying clothes for my family members. I am happy that GiveDirectly enabled me to acquire land which will help me do what I love the most which is farming.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($480 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I work for one of my neighbors and my job majorly entails feeding his livestock and tending to his farm though I sometimes get help when there's so much work to be done. On the day that I received my transfer, I still remember that it was 5.11 pm and I had just finished milking the cows when I received an SMS that changed my life. I was all smiles as I read through the message and confirmed that GiveDirectly had indeed fulfilled their promise.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have been able to increase the size of land that I have. Even though it is not an acre, I am happy that I can have a place to feed my livestock if God blesses me with one. In addition, my children will not lack a place to build their houses once they get married. GiveDirectly has been a blessing to me and my family and we are so grateful to God for leading them to our village.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my transfer, I bought three points of land at KES 90000. Since I did not have the complete amount, I borrowed half of the money from my employer so that I will repay him once I receive my second transfer. Because of this, I spent KES 45000 to pay for it and used the remaining amount on food and clothes for my children so that they would not feel left out. I decided to purchase this piece of land since the one we live in is two points and we cannot practice any farming activity. Because of this, I have been using all the money that I get from working for my neighbor who has been my employer for the past five years on our basic needs and paying school fees for our children.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means my livelihood will improve. I plan to purchase a cow worth KES 30,000 which will give me income through sale of milk as well as feed my family. I have three young children who needs balanced diet for a healthy growth. Currently we purchase milk costing us KES 1200 per month. This is a lot for us considering I'm a casual labourer earning at most KES 5000 a month, which mainly goes for to providing food and other household needs like clothing. For the rest of the amount, I plan to purchase hold items and food .
What is the happiest part of your day?
I planted maize on a piece of my farm and so far it is doing well, a sign of hope that in three months I will harvest it. When maize does well on the farm is something to be happy about as it will make living a lot easy.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The main challenge is insufficient finances. I'm the sole provider for my family of six, employed as a casual laborer earning KES 5000 a month. My wife is a stay-at-home mother meaning she has no source of income. This money goes to purchasing basic needs for my family hence it is hard to save up for other family developments like purchasing a property.
