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 ($421 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
In the next one year and beyond, my plan is to add more livestock that I keep within my farm. Right now I have three dairy cows with two of them being those that I bought with GiveDirectly transfers. The livestock that I keep is a huge investment that will see me achieve most of my dreams quite easily. One of my long term goals is to purchase a piece of land with the livestock that I keep. Right now we live in a very small piece of land hardly an acre and getting enough money from my livestock keeping shall see me achieve this dream of buying a piece of land.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does very well by giving support in form of cash. Looking at the things that I was able to do makes me always happy and contented. These are the things that I would not have done had I not been given the freedom to choose what to do with the money. On the other hand, I did not find anything with GiveDirectly that I thought could have been done better. Everything was done in a good way.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my first transfer of $550, I used $360 from it to buy two dairy cows that were almost calving then. The decision to buy these dairy cows was informed by the fact that we did not have any cows to keep then. I then used almost the entire second transfer of $530 to buy basic household needs including food, clothes and even school needs for my children. I am so happy and grateful for the transformation that GiveDirectly has brought in my life. Being a single mother and having everyone look up to me for almost everything made it very hard for me to achieve some of the things that I have achieved with GiveDirectly transfers. This is because I normally rely on odd casual jobs to make ends meet which makes it hard for me to save any money to be able to do such investments.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I realized that GiveDirectly had sent the promised money the previous day early in the morning when I had requested one of my grandchildren to help me read the messages that I had. My heart was filled with joy as I sang hymns of praises thanking God for the blessings in my life after she informed me that one of the messages was from Mpesa indicating that I had received my transfer from GiveDirectly.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Life was difficult before receiving my transfer since I had to walk around the neighborhood looking for some work to do. I would at times have to sleep on an empty stomach when I did not find any work. I am glad that this is no longer the case since I was able to buy two sacks of maize using my transfers and I am assured of eating even when I do not go to work.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Upon receiving my transfer, I spent KES 38000 to buy a dairy cow as an investment that I can rely on in case of an emergency. In addition, this is my alternative source of income through milk sales and I will no longer be depending on casual work alone. I live alone and my grandchildren visit me at times during school holidays. I am happy that I will no longer have to go strain in order to eat since I will be earning extra income from the sale of milk. In addition, I used KES 9300 on new beddings to replace the old ones that I had been using. Using the remaining amount, I bought two sacks of maize so that I would relax from doing casual work in order to feed.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving money from Give Directly means a decent house for me, my husband passed away many years ago and I have been the breadwinner of my family. This could not allow me to have a decent house because I always depend on casual jobs around the village like plowing my neighbor's land which pays KES 250 per day which is not sufficient to cater to all the family's needs. When I receive the money I am planning to build a two-roomed iron sheet house going for KES 30000 to accommodate me and my grandchildren when they visit. The house I am living in is small and that is where I cook, sleep and receive visitors. This will be a great way to make my visitors and grandchildren comfortable by having a decent house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Being a mother of 5 children and a grandmother of 18 grandchildren and seeing all of the health and happy has brought me joy. I have always desired to see them grow to be God-fearing respectful people has been a blessing to me.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Food insecurity is the biggest challenge I am facing at the moment. Maize is a staple food in our community and for the past 3years, we have not harvested sufficient maize crops due to a disease affecting maize crops on the farm. Being a casual laborer where I earn KES 200 whenever I am lucky to get a job, with the high cost of living the money I earn is not sufficient for me to buy enough food.
