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 ($431 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?
Come next year I would like to do fishing as a full-time job, buy all the equipment needed for fishing and save more for both the family I am taking care of.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I am thankful that I get calls from GiveDirectly. I feel safe and lucky to be part of this project.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Before the transfer, I had a family issue due to a land dispute and I needed $700 to settle the dispute. I spent $300 to pay for a lawyer and paid school fees of $230 for my niece and nephew. I take care of them ever since my brother died who was the caretaker of his family. I am a fisherman and most days I get $10 a day from selling various fish at the hotels near the beach. I have one child who is not yet in school. This money has been helping me buy food and pay school fees for my niece and nephew Paying school fees for them has been challenging since two are in secondary and one is in the university.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($474 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was on my way to my friend’s house to claim a debt and use the money to buy breakfast for my family. While on the way, I received a notification on my phone and checked it out. To my surprise, I found out that I had received my first transfer. I could not believe it and for a moment I stood transfixed on the ground without moving a small. I turned around and headed straight to the Mpesa shop, where I withdrew the money and bought breakfast for my family.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Acquiring the new tools of work is the biggest difference the transfer has made in my life. Lacking the essential tools has affected my work and I do not harvest a lot of fish. Now that I have the new tools, I am assured of harvesting more fish and increasing my daily earnings.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I earn a living as a fisherman. When the drought struck three years ago, my business was affected because water dried in the rivers and swaps which reduced the number of fish. With the paltry amount of income, I could not buy new tools that are essential for my line of work, such as fishnets, wheelbarrows for carrying the fish, fishing rods, and others. When I received my first transfer, I spent a whopping KES 35000 on buying new tools and stop using worn-out and borrowed items. Besides buying the tools, I spent KES 15000 on paying debts I had incurred during the toughest times when I had no money to buy food for my family (wife and 7 children. Finally, I spent the remaining amount on buying stones, cement, and sand to use in building strong pillars around the house to ensure it remains strong and avoid the house from collapsing.
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My greatest desire has been to venture into livestock keeping that will act as my store of wealth because as of now, I am engaged in casual jobs that are not reliable. Sometimes, I feel so desperate at home something that may attempt me to engage in odd activities like charcoal burning. I hope that, when I get the livestock (goats), it will keep me busy and I will be assured of quick returns since they multiply faster. This will directly enable me to get married because I will have the ability to pay the bride price. To start with, I intend to spend 30000 KES to offset this top priority. The remaining amount will aid in repairing my house to a smooth finish as well as supporting my nephews' education whose father died. This will bring peace to my life and hence, this is generally what receiving this money means to me.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Despite the many challenges like suffering from corona in the last month, January, I turned negative within 10 days. This gave me the feeling of happiness to the extent of slaughtering a goat to celebrate my wellbeing because it did not take me many days to recover. Thus, this is what has brought joy to my life
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
At the age of 57 years, I am still a bachelor and this has pushed me to unavoidable mockery from my neighbors. They usually laugh at me especially when they see me doing women-dominated activities like fetching water and cooking. This has made me feel so ashamed and sometimes, I even fear going around the village. All this has been contributed by the fact that I lack money to facilitate a dowry payment. Hence, I consider financial instability as the greatest challenge that I am currently struggling with most.
