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 ($511 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life has changed because I will be in a position to cultivate my farm without having to wait for others to finish their cultivation and then get to borrow their animals for a certain period. In most cases, when you borrow the animals, the owner charges a certain fee which at times is not easy to get due to the limited financial abilities of most people in this locality.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
There are a lot of people who never had domestic animals such as cows which are mostly used for farm cultivation purposes. The number of people who currently own the animals has grown significantly from the time the first transfers were sent.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
I spent the money on buying new iron sheets which I will use to construct a new house because the one I currently live in is in such a dilapidated state. The house has been tilting for quite some time now and I am afraid it may collapse at any time because it is old and completely worn out. I have also managed to buy enough timber and other building materials. The entire amount will take care of the construction process including payments to the mason in charge of the process.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($539 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I now own a pair of oxen that I acquired through the first transfer I received from GiveDirectly. They will help me in my farming activities since the pair can take fewer days to plough an acre. I am so happy because I will be getting some good harvests. Previously I used to get little harvests because I was the only one doing the exercise because I could not afford to hire from my neighbors. I am planning to hire them to my neighbors at a fee and this will be my source of income to help me sustain my family needs with no difficulties.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 7 am when I received the mobile money message from GiveDirectly. I felt happy and I thanked God for using GiveDirectly to relieve us from poverty in my village.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent part of my first transfer on purchasing a pair of oxen and an ox plough. With the pair of oxen, I am assured of consuming less time in ploughing and getting some good harvests. Apart from that, I will be hiring the oxen to my friends at a fee and get an income. I also paid school fees for my children to avoid being sent home each and every day. With the remaining amount of money, I bought sufficient foodstuffs for my family that would take us for a month.
Enrolled
access_time 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money will indeed liberate my family from the abject state of poverty that we have been forced to live in for so many years due to lack of adequate finances to improve our difficult situation. I plan to invest my transfer in livestock trade business since I understand it very well owning to the many years of experience that I have garnered while selling for others in our village. It is a very profitable venture in our region since many people lead a pastoralist kind of life thus my market is assured. With the remaining part of the transfer, I will set up a general shop business for my wife within Bandari center and hrough our combined efforts, I am certain that we will be able to generate sufficient income to educate,feed and even build a better shelter for our children.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I spend most of my mornings in the fields either burning charcoal or herding the few heads of cattle that have been entrusted to me by my cousin to take care of. I only get to rest in the afternoon while waiting for the scotching sun to subside before heading out again at around 4:00 pm to take them to drink up water in the nearest pan. The back and forth movements, running after the cattle really wears me out since I am also getting old and therefore, while resting in the afternoon outside my house, I feel so happy because I get to rest and relieve my aching body of the morning's fatigue.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial constraint is the biggest hardship that I face in life. Ever since I settled down and started my family, I have been struggling to make ends meet through doing all sorts of odd jobs but to no avail. I even moved my family from Mombasa where we used to live and relocated all of us back to the village thinking that life would be a bit easier back home but I still find myself struggling to provide food everyday for my children and even pay their fees consistently. Farming that used to save the situation has also been affected by lack of rains thus making our situation to be so deplorable. It really pains me as a parent to see my children not living the kind of life that I had always wanted for them simply because I do not have a stable job to earn me good income.
