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 ($485 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 life is different than how it would have been if I never received the transfers in that I have bought a dairy cow. I used to buy milk daily and this was so costly for me. I do small scale farming and the harvest that we get is only for consumption. I did not had surplus. I do casual jobs in the village and sometimes to get this jobs is so hard. The amount of money that I get through this is so small and only for school fees and other household items. I had no savings to buy a dairy cow. Currently I have a dairy cow and I get enough milk for my family unlike before. I sell the extra milk at the market to earn an income to meet other basic household needs including paying school fees for my children. I hope to improve this dairy farming to another level. I have devoted much of my time on my farm, I no longer do casual jobs. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has changed our living standard.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly does well by giving money to the poor in the community to build better houses and to buy dairy cows. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent 480 dollars to buy an improved Dairy cow breed. I used to buy milk daily and this was so costly for me. I depend on small scale farming and casual jobs in the village. The money that I get through this is so small. I had no extra money to buy a dairy cow. The rest of the money I bought food and clothes for my children. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has changed my living standard. Dairy cow.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($515 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
With the great plans, we had in place; receiving the first transfer came with great happiness to us. It was a good feeling that we will soon be seeing all the implementation of the few projects we had agreed on as a family.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference so far in our daily lives after receiving the transfer is the new house that is soon coming to a completion. This has given us a reason to smile every morning knowing well that we will soon be moving out of the small grass-thatched hut we had been living in into a bigger and better house. We have managed to also obtain comfortable new furniture and bedding which will soon be useful in the new house.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Upon receiving the first transfer, our to-do list had the construction of a new house coming first. We needed to purchase iron sheets, and after that, we managed to put up a bigger structure that is almost complete. We used the remaining on furniture, paid part of the school fees, and foodstuff for the household. We are very grateful that all went well and we have great expectations of seeing a new home after all the changes we are making currently.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Our kitchen's grass-tatched roof is leaking. As such, receiving this money means that we shall afford to build a better kitchen with an iron-sheet roof. Consequently, we shall have improved cooking experiences. Also, some of my children who normally sleep in the kitchen shall no longer be disturbed by rains at night .
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening when we are sharing a meal and chatting with all the family members. This is because I am usually away from home for the better part of the day when I am tending to the casual jobs. So, evening time is when we have ample time to spend together as a family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
As a casual laborer in a remote area, the biggest hardship I have faced in life is the extreme scarcity of the relatively poorly-paying jobs. Whenever I secure some jobs, I normally receive poor remuneration that is much below our financial demands. As a result, I have never managed to save any money that could be used for developmental projects because we prioritize on our basic needs.
