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 ($528 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Had I not received the transfer, I would not have managed to develop the plot for lack of funds. Right now, the building is ready for use once the interior finishes are done. Ialso bought some food with some part of the transfer. I would have probably sold some assets in order to get money to buy food for my family were it not for the transfer s from Givedirectly. I am so happy.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I loved that Givedirectly ensured that every recipient had a phone and that they were trained on phone usage and security before receiving the transfers. This ensured that there were very minimal cases of theft or loss of the transfers. In my opinion, everything was perfectly executed.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
There is a plot that we had bought with the intention of developing it and running some business. But since we were cash constraint, it had stayed idle for a long time. I, therefore, used a big portion of the second transfer that I received to buy building materials and to pay for labor for building it.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($548 USD)
access_time almost 6 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
The biggest difference in my daily life is after receiving the transfers, I was able to build a room for rent. This rental room has been my longest time aspiration. I have been having this piece of land for several years and had no hope of putting it into use because of the lack of adequate resources. I have completed building the structure thanks to the transfers I received from GD. I am expecting to rent it out at KES 4000 monthly. This will boost my income which will enable me to meet my family needs.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was very excited to receive a message notifying me that I had received the transfer. It was at 10.00 am when I received the transfers. At that time my husband was away in the fields grazing cattle while I was on the farm. I immediately left the farm and ran towards where he was in excitement. I ran so fast that the neighbours who saw me were awed. In no time, I was there and upon sharing the good news with him he was super excited. He hugged me so tightly something that he has never done our entire 15 years of marriage. With the same energy and excitement, we headed home and prepared to go withdraw the money.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent all the transfers I received in building a rental shop in a plot that I own in a nearby centre. The transfers catered for all the costs around building materials and labour. The best part is that the building is done and ready to be rented out. I had lacked resources for doing an economic activity on the piece of land yet it was lying in a very prime area.
Enrolled
access_time 6 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My aspiration has been to own cows so that my family is relieved of the burden of buying milk. Milk in our place is sold expensively (Ksh 40 per litre) and is becoming unaffordable for my household since we use about 3 litres on a daily basis.Therefore receiving this money from GD means I will have the means to afford two dairy cattle which will go along way in providing milk for my household and as well as acting as a source of income for us (Proceeds obtained from the sale of milk).
What is the happiest part of your day?
My normal day entails spending 4 hours of my morning working in my 0.5 acres of land where I have planted beans for domestic use. I use the rest of my afternoon fetching water and firewood. In the evening I spend some minutes walking to get clean tapped water for my household. I feel happy at this time knowing that my family has clean water for our domestic use.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am a diploma student at a local college which requires me to part with Kshs 50,000 per year.My husband is a casual laborer earning Ksh 150 a day and raising this amount of money is hard to come by. I have been on several occassions been forced to drop out of school owing to lack of fees.This has continually disturbed me and my prayer has been and will always be to find money for my school fees.
