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 ($493 USD)
access_time almost 3 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 had I never received the transfer. This is because it would not have been possible for me to fence my compound had it not been for the transfers. Also, I would not have invested in any assets like the goats. In addition to these, my family no longer walk for a longer distance looking for water as I was able to purchase a water tank with a capacity of 3000 litres. We currently use it to harvest rain water thus enabling us to always have water at our doorstep. Apart from my family having access to clean water for domestic use cuartesy of GiveDirectly, we're always able to practice proper hand washing hygiene that helps in the fight against Covid 19.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well in all aspects of their operations as they do not have favouritism and I do not see anything that they do not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my transfer, I spent some amount to fence my farm. I bought some poles, barbed wire, nails and paid for the labor. I settled on this since it had always been my dream to fence it but had not managed due to lack of finances. Also, I bought 3 goats for rearing. This is an investment that will enable me meet most of my family needs in future. On the remaining amount, I bought some grass to use in renovating my kitchen since it had started leaking as it had stayed for long without the grass being changed.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($500 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 on 17th December and I was taking lunch and I heard a message notification on my phone. I was very very happy to see that it was the transfer that we had been eagerly waiting for.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
We used to go very far to fetch water and when I received the transfer I decided to buy a water tank to avoid walking long distances to fetch water. Right now we are harvesting rain water and we have more time to do other productive work.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I bought a water tank of 3000 litres and bought clothes for my children and utensis for my house. We also bought blankets and mattresses for us to sleep well. We bought 2 bags of maize to use as food.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money mean a road map to financial freedom. We have been struggling to make ends meet through subsistence farming which is hardly enough to cater for the entire family. The land under cultivation is only one acre in which we have grown maize and kales. We normally harvest an average of six bags of maize keeping in mind that we are facing acute economic instability due to corona virus pandemic. Our intention therefore, is to purchase a dairy cow of approximately Ksh 40,000 and our projection is to milk 10 litres a day; we will sell 8 litres at Ksh 40 and use 2 litres domestically. This will mark the start of our financial freedom in my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening. This is because I spend my morning hours working in our piece of land. I spend my afternoon hours fetching food for my 3 cows. Its only in the evening that I have time to rest and relax with the rest of the family as we chat on how the day was.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Prolonged period of drought has been the biggest hardship we have faced in life. This has led to low crop production and hence inadequacy of finance to cater for my family of 7. We only have one acre of land in which we have grown maize and kales yet we solely depend on it as source of income. Due to lack of enough rainfall, we harvest an average of 6 bags of maize which is hardly enough to cater for the entire family. Our future plan is to venture into dairy farming which we see as a relieve since it is a lucrative source of income. We will supplement what we get in farming with that of dairy farming which will be a big boost in the family.
