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 ($461 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
We have a new goal of transferring our children from a local primary school where they currently are and taking them to a private school where they can have better education. This plan came about after we bought the dairy cows that we now have and which we never had before. Once they all produce mikk, we are suure to have enough milk that we can even sell and be able to pay school fees for them. We are so grateful for the assistance we got from GiveDirectly and we are happ that it will transform our lives in a very great way.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly were very transparent in all that they did. They communicated everything that we needed to know about the progrm and communicated to us on how they were going to conduct themselves and did exactly as they had promised. On the other hand I did not see anything that I thought GiveDirectly could do better. I would only encourage them to keep doing what they do in the best ways they know how.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 42000 to buy a second dairy cow having bought the first one after I received my first transfer. The remaining amount of KES 11000 was used to buy basic household needs such as food and clothes for our two children. All along I have been relying on casual work to help me in raising my family but the amount of income that I got from the casual work was hardly enough to make ends meet for us. The dairy cows that I bought are an investment that will assist me to raise the living standards of my family as well as pay school fees for my children whom I am planning to transfer to private schools where they can access better education. We are so grateful to GiveDirec tly for this timely support.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($485 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 11am when I was waiting for my customers on the roadside when I heard an SMS notification on my phone. On checking it was KES55000 from GiveDirectly transfers, I was motivated to go on with my work and later on went to withdraw.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is owning a dairy cow which I didn't have before. I am also stress free because through the transfers I now have adequate food for my family and my kids healthier and strong. We used to drink sugarless strong tea at times.
Before GiveDirectly transfers I appeared older due to life's hardship and stress but now I have grown fat and younger.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES40000 on a dairy cow as a source of milk for my family because I didn't have one before.I also spent KES 1500 on repayment of school fees. I also spent the rest on food and household items. Initially, I used to rely on a casual labor job as a driver which wouldn't sustain my family.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means achieving my lifelong dream of being a poultry farmer. Over the past 3 years, I had started preparing the fence but I stopped due to a lack of capital. Maintaining a poultry farm is expensive, it needs constant attention but is very fruitful. Starting one will be a big boost to my livelihood and income as they will be earning me a lot of income through selling eggs and chicken meat. I plan to use KES 10,000 to construct the poultry house. This will therefore translate to better livelihood as I will be using the income to meet my family's needs. The rest of the amount I plan to pay off my school fee balance from a driving school I attended a year ago. I trained as a truck driver but I have not been given licenses due to fee balance.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Three months ago I harvested a lot of maize from my farm than I have ever harvested in the past five years. Maize farming was affected for about five years ago, we could not harvest much we started looking for alternative sources of income. My children got sick around the same time. I sold around ten bags and paid the hospital bills. I was happy that I did not strain a lot by paying the hospital bills.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My biggest challenge is a lack of finances. I'm a trained truck driver but I have not been given a license because I still have fee balances at the college I was attending. This means I cannot be employed. Sometimes I get casual work that is unstable and poorly paid because I do not have the proper documentation that would show my qualification and abilities. I feel very inadequate as I fear applying for better job opportunities whenever they come up because of this. Being the sole provider, my wife is a stay at home mom, I strain a lot to provide for my family of four.
