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 ($496 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I am so happy that I got livestock which I didn't have before. I am hopeful that the cow which I bought would give us milk in the near future and my child would have some to drink and some for cooking mix tea. Again, I had bought some maize and rice which are still sustaining us to date. We can now enjoy three meals a day unlike before when I couldn't afford and we would only take two meals a day.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
What I like the most about GiveDirectly is that they were giving equal amounts to every selected households. This gives every family equal chance to change thier livelihood.
On what was not done well, I believe there was none because they kept thier promise and does thier work in an open and transparent way.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My second transfers which I had received from GiveDirectly, I basically spent on buying livestock. I bought a dairy cow and three sheep at a total cost of KES 38000. I then spent another amount of KES 5000 on buying building materials for constructing a structure for the sheep. The remaining portion of KES 1000, I spent on buying foodstuffs and clothes for my family members. I am glad that I was able to acquire all these items and livestock which I couldn't afford due to menial income from casual jobs.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($500 USD)
access_time almost 4 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was in the afternoon and I was outside relaxing together with my children. We had just had lunch. I heard my phone ringing and I decided to check it. I could not believe it when I saw that it was the M-Pesa SMS saying that we had received the 55000/= from GiveDirectly. I was immediately filled with lots of happiness and I called my family around to come and have a look at the message. They were so happy to see this and we laughed and celebrated together. We gave thanks to God because he had opened a way for us.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The transfer has brought positive changes in our lives. I was able to buy a calf and three goats. I am going to rear them and they will be able to help me in the future. The calf will grow and when it reproduces, I will be able to get milk that my children can consume. The goats will also reproduce and multiply in number. They will hence help me whenever I face an emergency or when I lack money to buy food or pay school fees for my children in that I will sell some. The three bags of maize that I bought will enable us to have something to eat for a while. I will hence not be having worries for some time on where to get money to buy food. My children are also very happy having bought them new clothes. I hence thank GiveDirectly because they made everything possible for us.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The transfer from GiveDirectly has helped me in various ways. I bought three goats and a calf with part of the transfer. I also bought some iron sheets that I used in constructing a house for the goats to sleep in. The transfer also enabled me to buy three bags of maize for my family's consumption. With the rest of the remaining amount, I used it in buying clothes for my children. The reason why I decided to buy a calf and the three goats is that I wanted to make an investment that will help me in the future. I also have been buying milk for a while now and my children have been lacking the milk for consumption. Although I had desired to do the above, I was not in a position to because I was lacking the money. I usually depend on farming to earn a living. Sometimes the crops do not do well especially the maize due to a disease that has been affecting it for a while. This hence results in low income and the money only becomes enough for buying food and paying for the children's school fees.
Enrolled
access_time 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money will be a landmark to raising a healthy family. I have 3 children and I feel they lack some nutrients from milk. My ambition has always to own a dairy cow and use milk mainly for domestic use. My intention is to use Ksh 20,000 of my transfer to purchase a dairy cow. Nothing delights me more than raising a healthy family through milk consumption. In case I am lucky enough, I will sell the surplus milk and earn some extra cash.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am a casual labourer working within and outside the village. The kind of work I am engaged in is mainly fencing, digging, weeding and planting. This work usually takes me the whole day when I get it with a meagre wage of approximately Ksh 300 a day. The happiest part of my day is in the morning. Being informed that I have work to do for the day, rejuvenates my life because I will know that my family won't go to bed empty stomach.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Prolonged period of drought has been the biggest hardship we have faced in life. We experience low amount of rainfall in our region hence low crop production and shortage of water. The land under cultivation is only 0.5 acres in which we have grown maize for domestic use. Owing to that, we harvest only 4 bags of maize which is hardly enough to sustain my family for a whole year. I am planning to venture into livestock rearing in the near future in order to supplement the little we get from our piece of land.
