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.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I lost my chickens due to a disease outbreak in our area. They were free range, which likely contributed to their contracting the disease. To prevent a repeat of this situation, I plan to use my cash transfers to build a better chicken coop where the chickens can stay in one place and minimize their movement. I also want to ensure I have access to the right medicine to minimize losses in case of unavoidable circumstances. Once these transfers multiply, I plan to exchange chickens for goats. Buying goats directly is expensive, so I will start with chickens and then trade them for goats once their numbers increase. Goats multiply quickly, are easy to manage, and are highly marketable, making them a great source of future financial income once the GiveDirectly transfers come to an end.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my most recent transfer, I decided to invest in my poultry farming by purchasing nine medium-sized chickens. I have been longing to start a goat project, but due to the rising prices, especially with Christmas season approaching, I cannot afford to buy a goat directly at the moment. I spent $45 on the chickens, hoping to exchange them for goats in the near future. I also bought chicken feed to ensure that my chickens have enough food and don't starve. With the remaining $19, I purchased food for my family, as we were running low on supplies at the time.
21st Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($27 USD)
access_time 5 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I lost my chicken following a disease outbreak in our area. My chicken were free range which meant they would roam everywhere and that is probably how they contracted the disease. I want to mechanize my farming a bit to ensure we do not have a repeat of the same. I plan on using my cash transfers to build a better chicken coup where the chicken will be able to stay all the time to ensure they do not move around. I also want to ensure I have access to the right medicine so that in case an unavoidable circumstance hits the chicken they can get the proper medication and loss will be greatly minimized. I am able to have this dreams because of GIvedirectly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Givedirectly has been of great help towards increasing our income. I am an accountant at a local school and started chicken farming to increase my income to ensure I take care of my family. I started farming chicken but lost most of them to disease. I went on a huge loss when this happened as I had over 20 chicken that I was rearing which were generating income. I I am now going back to that business now that I see the outbreak has subsided. Receiving Givedirectly transfers allowed me to et the chicken and additional animals. I used the cash to buy a goat at $45, I also got chicken at $34. I was also able to pay school fees for my child at $20.
18th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($24 USD)
access_time 9 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I am eager to utilize my upcoming transfers to enhance my poultry-raising enterprise, aiming to augment the size of my hen population and thereby boost my revenue from chicken sales. The invaluable financial assistance I've received has enabled me to make prudent investments, fostering financial stability for the future, a prospect that fills me with great satisfaction.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
At the start of the year, I allocated $20 towards my daughter's school fees, securing her continued education without the risk of being sent home due to outstanding fees. This expenditure allowed me to safeguard her academic journey. With careful financial planning, I set aside the same amount, intending to invest it in expanding my poultry sales in the upcoming months, foreseeing a potential increase in income. Having sold nine hens in December, I reinvested $14 to acquire two more, anticipating their multiplication over time. By year-end, this strategic investment should yield a substantial flock for sale, bolstering my earnings. Additionally, I allocated $9 towards purchasing feed for the hens, ensuring their optimal growth and reproduction rates. To meet personal and household needs, I allocated another $14 towards acquiring essential items and provisions. I deeply appreciate the ongoing financial support I've received, which has significantly enhanced my standard of living.
14th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($24 USD)
access_time 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My primary aspiration has always centered around establishing a successful livestock rearing project. Initially, I embarked on this journey with the purchase of three goats, utilizing my previous transfers as capital. However, my ambition is to further expand this endeavor by steadily adding more to my flock. To ensure consistent progress, I have committed to setting aside a minimum of $10 regularly. By December, I aim to see my livestock count grow to at least 10 goats, bringing me one step closer to realizing my long-held dream of a thriving and sustainable livestock enterprise.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Receiving the GiveDirectly transfers came at a crucial moment in my life. As an accounts clerk at a nearby secondary school, I had been grappling with delayed salary payments, which had put immense strain on my ability to provide for my family, especially since my husband also lacked a steady source of income. The $34.70 I received was a lifeline for us, and every cent was dedicated to ensuring we had enough food on our table. No words could express how grateful I was for this assistance, as it provided the much-needed relief during a challenging period, allowing my family to have meals and alleviating the financial burden we were facing.
10th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($25 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I am married to a hardworking doctor, and we both strive to support our family. I, too, put in significant effort because my siblings rely on my income. As soon as I receive my salary, it seems to be spent immediately due to our pressing needs. Currently, I am working towards expanding my flock of 15 chickens and adding more goats to the existing 6. This plan aims to provide us with a safety net so that when our family faces challenges, we can readily sell the animals and fulfill our requirements.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
As an accountant employed at a secondary school near my home, I consistently prioritize the payment of my children's fees as soon as my salary is received. To address any financial gaps, I rely on transfers throughout the month to meet our basic needs. In a recent instance, I allocated $15 from the transfers to purchase food, which my family and I thoroughly enjoyed. With the remaining funds, I was able to procure chicken feed to sustain my flock of 15 chickens. Furthermore, I prudently set aside $0.15 from my own transfers as an emergency fund, ensuring preparedness for unforeseen circumstances.
6th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($28 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My objective is to have more than 100 hens in the henhouse that are ready to be sold by the end of this year. This will be accomplished by continuously investing in the purchase of hen feed, purchasing medications whenever they become ill, and building a larger and more roomy henhouse to accommodate all the hens. If this project is a success, I will have a reliable source of income and will be able to support myself.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Together, my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and I made the decision to start a poultry farm. In order to ensure their security and rapid development, we first used our transfers to construct a henhouse. Following that, we purchased a total of 28 hens that are currently maturing and getting ready to be sold. I bought an additional three hens to make a total of 31 hens after receiving my January transfer. I'm happy to see that there are more and that the hens will soon be available for sale. I spent $7 on animal feed in order to aid in their healthy growth. I then used the $12 that was left to buy food for my family. I can only purchase food at very high prices from the store due to the effects of the drought because there isn't any to harvest from the farm. We depend on the transfer payment to assist us in providing for our families' nutritional needs.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($25 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly helped many families who used to work as casual laborers in the village, earning pitiful wages that could not support their families. Giving us monetary assistance was a well-thought-out plan that met the needs of each recipient. Choosing what to spend my money on taught me responsibility and the ability to account for every coin whenever I received a call from the office. I am grateful and hopeful that with your continued assistance, our standard of living will continue to rise. I have nothing against the project, but I would be grateful if we could get an addition to help with the high cost of living.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Getting enough food to feed our current family of ten has been a challenge we have always overcome through a collaborative effort since we began receiving transfers from GiveDirectly. I am glad that the six of us who received the transfer within the family have been willing to contribute the same agreed-upon amount for the household goods. We each contributed $130 from the previous transfer, which we later spent on food that we are still using as we await the next transfer. I am also currently running a small poultry project with 15 birds. Buying them feed has also been difficult, but I am grateful for the occasional assistance I have received from my cousins who are scouting the same project and hope to invest in it in the future. I used the remaining funds to purchase a 50kg bag of chicken feed, which is currently $180. These supplements will help them improve their health, productivity, and growth.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($25 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was actually on my way to bed when the funds came in that day, but I was very much excited to realize that GiveDirectly kept its word, because initially I thought it could have a hoax and in my defence I had never come across anything like it but I'm glad they proved me wrong.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
From my own experience being able to start the project and expanding with buying more hens was most important and for me especially because I had started this project a while back, but I had to put a pause on it when I ran out of money and the hens were affected with some disease. Therefore I'm glad that now I'm back on track and I see a future for myself financially when it comes to this investment.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Back here in the village we leave together with my extended family and lucky for us, a couple of us managed to get enrolled into the program therefore when the four of us received the money we decided to come together as a family and contribute KES 1,000 each so that to ensure we had nutrition since we all share the meals in the home. We ended up using the money we contributed to buy a dozen packets of maize flour, five kilograms of sugar, two packets o wheat flour and five kilograms of rice. Afterwards I decided to spend KES 300 in buying chicken feed since I'd already started investing in poultry farming. I also spent KES 1,250 and bought five hens plus the other three I owned accumulated to eight. I was left with about KES 450 which I ended up using on buying laundry detergent.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have experience of 1 year in operating a poultry project but it collapsed due to inadequate capital. This has equipped me with favorable skills and confidence and I desire to restart the project once I receive this money. Considering the local breeds are disease resistant, I prefer to buy 10 chickens at 200 KES every month, especially in the first 7 months of transfers. This will be a good start and since there is the availability of a ready market at my workplace, I will be supplying them. This will earn me an extra income to cater to my family's needs. Hence, this is generally what receiving this money means to me.
What is the happiest part of your day?
What was a surprise! In March, my husband took me to Mariakani town where he showed me a piece of land that he bought without my notice. This was a surprise to me and I felt so happy to see our dream of owning land come to reality. I, therefore, consider this as what brought me joy.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Currently, I am feeling the pinch of the lack of a reliable source of extra income. This is because my job as a storekeeper earns me very little(16000 KES) an amount which goes to paying off my loans. This leaves me with nothing to cater to my other basic needs, something that pains me a lot. In addition, I have become a burden to my husband whose income is required to support the education of his siblings.