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 ($517 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is different from how it would have been had I not received the transfer in that, we have made a major step in life. First, I no longer buy milk daily like before. Due to this, we have enough milk for consumption and I also save the money I would otherwise use in buying milk. Also, we currently live in a spacious house that can accommodate us comfortably and even visitors.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly did well by helping everyone in our village and I do not see anything that they did not do well.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
When I received my second transfer, I spent some amount to build a more spacious house for my family. I settled on this since the one we had was old and small and it could not accommodate us comfortably. Also, I spent some amount to buy some chicken as a way of starting poultry keeping. My wife will be using the income from this project to provide for our daily basic needs. On the remaining amount, I bought food to last my family for some time.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($535 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
The biggest difference is that I have built a better and spacious house for my family. We used to live in a small mud house that could not host all of us comfortable. I depend on the manual jobs in the village and the amount of money that I get is so small and cannot meet all the basic needs including saving some amount. Whenever I had visitors it was so hard for them to be hosted inside because of a small house and this was so embarrassing. Currently, I have built a better and spacious house. When I have visitors I do not shy away nowadays like I used to do before. I have confidence in myself because I own a decent house. Most of the family meetings were done outside but currently, all are done in the house because of the space available. I am so much grateful for the support it has really changed our living standard.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received happy I felt so happy because I have never received such an amount of money before. I remember it was very early in the morning when my mother came to my house to wake me up. She informed me that GiveDirectly has sent the money. My phone was off at that time and when I switched it on, I got a confirmation message that GiveDirectly has sent me a sum of 55000Kes. I felt so happy because I knew I would be in a position to build a better and spacious house.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent my first transfer to built a house. I used to live in a small mud house that could not host all my family members comfortably. I also bought food for the family, farm inputs and the rest of the money I used it to buy a heifer.
Enrolled
access_time 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that I will be able to purchase building materials and build a house.I recently got married and the house we live in is quite small . Since we may soon have children,we will use our current house as a kitchen and the one I will build will be our main house.I also intend to buy a heifer as a way of investing the money.
What is the happiest part of your day?
After my business failed,I had to go back to work in the farm.Farm work is so tasking and there is always one thing or another to do.I engage in these activities from morning till afternoon where I come back home.At this time,I share a meal with my spouse and take time to rest.This thus makes afternoon the happiest part of my day
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I started a small business;I buy chicken around my village and take them to sell in nearby markets.I invested my hard earned savings from casual jobs in the business but unfortunately it didnt yield any profits.In fact,I incurred huge losses.At that time,there was a high supply in the market and I was forced to sell at throw away prices hence I lost most of my capital.This is the biggest hardship I have faced
