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 ($465 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?
When I received my first and second transfer I concentrated more on purchasing livestock and basic household commodities. I remained with some money that saw me start a cereal selling business and I am happy to report that the business is now doind good. Before the transfers I used to work in the same business but I was working for people who had invested since I did not have money. These people would give me KES 200 or KES 300 per day and this money was hardly enough to make ends meet in my family. Right now I make profits of up to KES 1500 on a good day and I am so happy and impressed about this business. My goal is to expand it even more once I get enough money from the business. I have always been passionate about this business and I am looking forward to diving into it the more and making my life and that of my family better.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The fact that GiveDirectly gave us money and gave us the freedom to choose how best we could spend the money is something to really appreciate them for. Right now I feel satisfied having started my own business just as someone else is satisfied having paid school fees. All our needs were met and our lives improved differently.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my second transfer I decided to buy an additional dairy cow worth KES 28000. The dairy cow is an investment that will enable me meet the needs of my family now and in the future. I used another KES 15000 to buy basic household needs such as clothes for my children and food for the family. The remaining amount was used to improve my maize selling business and this has seen me expand my profit margin from KES 300 per day to now at least KES 1500 on a good day. I look forward to expanding my business the more and bettering the living standards of my family is of course the ultimate goal. My husband had suffered from some illness sometime back and is not in a position to do casual jobs and this has left me as the sole provider in the family. Many thanks to GiveDirectly for the timely support.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($490 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 some minutes past 9 o'clock when I received a Mpesa message which I read over and over and after checking my account balance, I got excited to know that the promised aid was finally in my account. This money gave me the strength to continue with that day's activities well knowing that I would be able to achieve all my plans on time.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my life is that I am now a proud owner of a dairy cow. I will be using the income from the sale of surplus to pay school fees for my children when it calves, also, my family will no longer drink tea without milk.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My priority was to purchase a dairy cow with the transfer and upon receiving them, I spent KES 28000 to achieve this. I used to buy milk daily and it was expensive to me since I used to work as a casual laborer working on people's farms and it was tedious. In addition, I spent KES 13750 to start a business of buying and selling maize in our nearby market, KES 2000 on utensils, KES 4500 on a bed and mattress, and KES 6000 on clothes for every member of my family. I am so grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling me to achieve this within a short time as I would not have been able to achieve them on my own.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Livestock keeping is a better economic activity to rely on at this place and I have invested on to sustain my family needs. I currently have one cow and its milk production is seasonal thus making it unreliable though I find it better than casual jobs and crop farming. To me receiving this cash transfer means I will expand my livestock farming by investing KES40000 to buy a dairy cow to add to my herd. This will be an added asset and I will be enjoying a continuous milk production thus earning a reliable and higher income which will help me meet my family needs and the offsprings will be my financial security.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I spend my entire day in my farm or doing some casual jobs to earn a living. The happiest part of my day is in the evening since this is the time I relax as I flashback on my day's success and plan for the next day's chores.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
It was in the year 2016 when my husband got sick and we spent days in the hospital. This was the biggest hardship I have ever faced in my life since he was our sole provider and now I had to step in take care of the hospital bill on top of household daily basic needs with no formal source of income.
