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 ($467 USD)
access_time over 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 start a business selling potatoes and vegetables. I want to start the business so that it can help me earn more income. Vegetables do not usually do well in our place when planted due to too much sun. As a result, they are not usually available and one has to get them from the main town, Bomet. There is hence a huge demand for the commodity and that is why I want to start the business.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly did a very job because they uplifted our living standards. Their staff members are also very good and they politely talked to us. They also gave us good advice. I hence do not see anything wrong with them. I urge them to keep up the good work.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent the recent transfer on paying school fees for my two children who are in secondary school. I spent a total of KES 20000 on them and by doing so I managed to clear their school fees balances for the whole academic term. I am hence happy that they were able to study well without worrying about being sent home due to arrears. I also spent another KES 20000 on finishing the construction of a sleeping house for my boys. They did not have a place to sleep and study hence they use to go to the neighbor's boy's house to sleep. I managed to construct the main house with the first transfer but the money was not enough to build the boy's house. I had always desired to build the two houses before but due to financial constraints, I was not able to. I usually depend on farming where I usually grow sweet potatoes and sell them. The sweet potatoes at times do not do well especially when there are rains. I also usually rear chickens and sell eggs to make money. I also at times look for vegetables to buy and I supply them to the school where my child is studying to act as payment for the school fees. I am hence glad that the boys now have a place of their own to sleep and study. With the remaining amount of money, I used it in buying ten more chickens and I planted maize with it. Thank you so much GiveDirectly because my life changed a lot for the better.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($492 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
A message confirming that KES 55000 had been deposited into my account that morning gave me the greatest feeling ever. I had been planning with the hope that soon, I would be building a more spacious house for my family, and indeed God never let me down with the promise I had been given by GiveDirectly and I am so happy that they honored it and proved themselves a worthy organization.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Being able to build a more spacious house for my family is the biggest difference in my daily life. This is because achieving this on my own was impossible before due to a lack of finances. I am happy that very soon, my children will be sleeping at home and their security will always be guaranteed since they will no longer be walking at night looking for a place to sleep.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my transfer, I spent KES 40000 to build an iron-roofed house for my family. We settled on this as a family since we used to live in a small house that could not accommodate us comfortably. Due to this, my children had to sleep in our neighbor's house since it is wrong in our community for parents to sleep in the same room with their grown children. In addition, I spent KES 5000 to pay school fees for my children who had been sent back home, and using the remaining KES 9000, I bought food and clothes for my children.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means improved housing to my family. I will use KSH 40000 of my transfer to build a 3 roomed iron roofed house, which will not only bring to an end the shame of sending my teenage sons to spend their nights at my neighbour's house, but the roof will also be helpful in terms of harvesting rain water. KSH 15000 of this money will enable me to buy a dairy cow, which will not only relieve me off daily worries on where to get money to buy milk for my household consumption, but selling milk will also be an assurance of daily income.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My usual day entails either looking for casual jobs to engage in for pay within the locality, or tilling my farm whenever I fail to secure one. Waking up healthy each day is my daily motivation and an indicator of success in achieving my daily goals, which makes morning the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Imagine relying on a pay of KSH 6000 monthly from casual jobs, and the whole amount has to be split to cater for; school fees for 3 children in secondary school and 2 in primary school, buy food as well as clothing for the family! This is the biggest hardship we face. We have withstood living in a one roomed house due to lack of finances to build a better structure. My children are fully grown and culture dictates that grown up sons are not supposed to sleep under one roof with their parents, and this poses them to risks of walking at night in search for accommodation from their neighbouring friends.
