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 ($442 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 do not have any new goals now. My main focus is to continue with the horticulture farming that I am doing. This will be my main source of income in that I will be selling farm produce at the market.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly does well by giving out money to the people in the community to improve their standard of living. Most people have built a better house and some have started small businesses among other good investments. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 20,000 on building materials and completed the construction of the house that I started constructing using the previous transfer. I am so happy now in that I have moved in with my family. We lived in a small house that could not host all my family well. Currently, we are very living comfortable and we are so grateful. I spent KES 20,000 on purchasing a heifer. I always buy milk and this is so costly for me since I do not have a stable source of income. I will cut the cost of buying milk when it reproduces in the next few months. The remaining amount of money I spent on food and household basic needs.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($475 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I can recall that the moment I received my transfer, I was at home taking tea When suddenly, I overheard my neighbour celebrating in ululation the receipt of their initial transfer. I immediately reached out to where my phone was to confirm if what they were saying was true. I was full of happiness when I saw a message confirming the same. I knew that God had answered our prayers and that I would be able to accomplish my goals.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest and greatest impact on my daily life is that I was able to build a decent house with my initial transfer. I am happy to have accomplished a goal that looked like a dream due to financial constraints. GiveDirectly has lifted my living standards to a higher level thus we are forever grateful for the support.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my transfer, I saw it as an opportunity for me to be able to build a decent house for my family. It came as a big relief because the house that I was living in before was small and grass thatched. Thus I used KES 35,000 in building a decent house. I was unable to construct one before due to financial constraints since I depend on farming and casual jobs to earn an income yet what I earn is not enough. Lastly. I used the remaining amount on foodstuffs and clothes. I am grateful for the transfer that transformed our lives positively.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have 3 children that I am providing for and I am a single mother. We have been living at my parent's house which was so challenging up until last year in August when I bought this land and built this structure for my family. The land is approximately 0.1 acres and it is too small because we also depend on the cultivation of crops to meet our needs as a family. I would like to use the transfers to buy 0.3 more acres of land as an extension of this one. This will enable us to produce vegetables for sale and our consumption thus cutting on expenditures. It shall also enable us to keep some livestock (a cow and some chicken) which we will sell their products and make approximately KES.2000 monthly.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Towards the end of last year 2021, I was happy that as an adult with grown-up children I was able to establish a household. This gave me a lot of joy because my children for a long time had asked me when they will have a place to call home also.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The main challenge I am currently facing is the lack of enough land to do activities that will earn me a livelihood. It forces me to walk to the nearby town daily to look for casual jobs which have become so rare to come by lately I guess because most people don't have jobs also. I am however confident that soon I will be independent.
