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.
Learn more about how recipients opt in to share their stories.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($478 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Before receiving the second transfer, I had a goal of buying a dairy cow since I had been buying milk from my neighbour.In addition, I had also planned to complete the house that I had started with my first transfer and lastly spending some amount to pay school fees for my children.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, Givedirectly does well by prioritizing to support the individuals proven with high rate of poverty in the society hence this enabled me to acquire what I had always wanted to have. I do not see anything that GD doesn't do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Upon receiving the transfer I purchased a dairy cow which costed Kshs.35,000.Currently we are having enough milk supply which is able to sustain my family.I also purchased iron sheets at a cost of Ksh.10,400 which I used to complete my house which I had constructed earlier. In addition, I used the remaining amount to clear school fees for my three children.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($502 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was early in the morning when I received three messages subsequently. I was curious to know who might have sent all those messages. Upon reading the Mpesa message, I became so happy and had to check my Mpesa account balance in order to certify that it was indeed true and it gave me hope that I would be able to fulfill my dreams.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I am now a happier person. This is because I can now proudly welcome any visitor to my house and offer them something to eat or drink. This has been possible as I was able to use my transfers to purchase two sets of sits and some utensils. Before receiving the transfers, I always felt embarrassed whenever I had to go to my neighbors house to borrow this items simply because someone has visited me.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my transfers, I spent KES 13000 to buy a heifer as an investment that I can rely on in paying school fees for my children. I will be using money from the milk sales to achieve this. Also, I spent KES 19000 to purchase two sets of seats and two tables. I decided on this since I did not have any and I used to be borrowing them from my neighbors whenever I had visitors. In addition to this, I spent KES 10000 to purchase some utensils since the ones I had were less. Using the remaining KES 12000, I bought some clothes and food for my family.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means an assured educational support for my 6 children who are currently in primary school. My spouse and I have decided to spend $300 of our transfer to buy 10 goats and an heifer worth $200, that will be our store of wealth. In 4 years time, they will have multiplied and ready for sale hence a guaranteed educational support to our children. We also plan to buy a donkey worth $100 that will be useful in transporting water for domestic use. We usually walk 2kms away on several trips to fetch water hence owning a donkey will facilitate the same in only one trip.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Waking up daily knowing that I have to find work to do for pay is the most stressing part of my day given that casual jobs are not reliable in these areas. Whenever I manage to secure work to do, I work with passion to earn my employer's trust so that they would call me to work for them over and over again. Working time is Therefore the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Prolonged drought periods in this region has made farming of less importance. In order to support the family needs, I have to engage in casual jobs in people's farms. I personally earn $3 daily from these jobs which is barely enough to cater for the needs of my household and more so school fees. This is the biggest hardship we face.
