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
55000 KES ($479 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I had planned on purchasing a dairy cow. I did not have a new goal. I used to purchase milk daily and this was so costly for me. My main concern was to cut this cost. Currently, I have a dairy cow and I no longer buy milk.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly has lifted the lives of the people living in our community. Most of the people who received the transfer have built better houses and started businesses. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 45,000 to purchase a dairy cow. This is because I used to buy milk daily and it was so costly for me. I do not have a continuous source of income. I depend on small casual jobs in the village. The amount of money that I got through this was so small and it was only for basic household needs. Currently, I no longer buy milk and the money that I could have used to buy milk I spent on other basic needs of the family. For the rest of the money, I purchase food, poles and fencing wire. I was able to fence my compound to look decent. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has improved our living standards.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($484 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 4 pm when some of my neighbors were claiming that they had received their promised funds from GiveDirectly. When I checked my account, I had not received anything and this made me worried though I still had hope that I would still benefit from this financial aid. My heart was filled with joy in the morning after waking up and realizing that mine was sent overnight. Peace filled my heart after this and I later withdrew it during the day so that we would start to accomplish our laid-down plans as a family.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
My life is not the way it was before because I now have an asset in my homestead that I can depend on in case of an emergency. In addition, I will be earning income through the sale of surplus when it calves and also be able to save the money that I would otherwise spend on milk. Feeding it every morning and evening gives me joy and satisfaction since I see a bright future.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Buying milk has been our routine and buying a dairy cow was my goal after building a more spacious house since we've been spending KES 50 daily on them and it was only enough for making tea. I do any available casual work in the hood and this has been sustaining us and I am glad that I have been able to do some developments. When I received my transfer, I spent part of it to buy a dairy cow worth KES 28500, KES 6300 on a sack of maize, and used KES 1500 to repay a loan that I had. In addition, I spent KES 9500 to buy some ceiling for this newly constructed house so that it can always be warm at night and used the remaining KES 18000 to buy some home clothes and school uniforms.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I currently do not have a cow to milk for my children and family consumption. I work on a farm as a casual laborer which earns me little money about KES 400 daily. This money is only enough to buy food and pay bills, making it harder to save to buy a cow or build a better house. When I receive this money I will use KES 30000 to buy a cow and KES 60000 to build a three-roomed house, one for our children and the other for us. I also aspire to venture into poultry farming, I will therefore set the remaining money to start this business and buy food for my household.
What is the happiest part of your day?
With the financial struggle that I am going through, I managed to provide food for my family. This made me feel happy that I can play my role as a parent.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
We scramble to get casual jobs in this area, this makes employers exploit us with poor pay of even up to KES 200 per day. This denies me financial muscle to engage in my developmental activities and provide for the family.
