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 ($422 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I used to be a business lady where I dealt in the small business of buying and selling maize and second-hand clothes but the capital was depleted by school fees and so I had to close it down, I suffered a major blow since I could no longer fend well for my family. Our standard of living became so miserable and to date, we are still not able to make ends meet. I hope to change the situation this year and go back to my business and have a better life.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
We were so happy about the transfer and the timing, they told us when to expect the transfers and true to their word we got on the time they told us. We were able to plan ourselves accordingly. GiveDirectly should continue to help other people in need and to even increase the amount of the transfer since the cost of living has gone up.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I never had a dairy cow and used to purchase a liter from the neighbor at KES 60 which was high and some days I could not afford it. I sold the only cow I had to sort out the school fees for my child who was in college. When I got the transfer I decided to purchase one at KES 40000. Life has changed from worse to better since I can now milk my cow and have enough for household consumption and sell the extra to get disposable income.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($484 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 10am .When my son came to inform me that the transfer had been sent. I was just relaxing at home. I felt so happy because GiveDirectly fulfilled their promise. My children felt so happy for the support. We went to withdraw the money the same day with my grandson. When I came back home, I sit down and planned on how to spend it. I am so happy because I had good time. I am so grateful for the support.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is buying a heifer. I had no dairy cow. I depend on small scale farming and my children to support me. I had always wished to own a dairy cow but, I had no extra money to buy. Sometimes I buy milk daily and this so costly for me. This was so demoralizing because at some point when I had no extra money I would Miss milk.. Currently I have a heifer and this had given me hope to work much harded.i now I won't be buying milk. My children would be able to get milk. I am so grateful for the support because were it not GiveDirectly all this could have taken quite some time. I am so happy and I wished to maintained and improve my daily farming project in the next few months coming.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 19,000. I will get enough milk when it reproduce in the next few months. I will be able to get enough milk for the family. I purchased sofa set seats and made my house decent. I purchased utensils and food for the family. I am so grateful for the support. I have fulfilled all my wish list and I am so grateful.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
When I first heard that GiveDirectly transfers would come to our village, I immediately thought of fulfilling my long time dream of having a cow. I desire to own the cow because it is a source of daily income when through selling part of its milk. I will also use some of it for my household consumption. I will spend about KES 50,000 on this. I will then spend the remaining amount, improving my home by reroofing since it is already leaking whenever it rains.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening. Most of my customers come to collect maize for their super. In this area ,the stable food is Ugali, which is made from maize flour. Every household ensures that they have this very necessary delivacy before going to sleep. It gives me joy to see customers flocking to my house as I am the only one selling maize here, leaving me with profits that can then be used to cover our own needs.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship in my daily life is getting enough foodstuffs for my household. Because of this, I started a small business,selling maize in the village. However, I get only KES 300 per day. This is barely enough to cover my daily household needs as I take care of my four grandchildren. It is difficult to feed all of us given that I am already in my old age where I cannot work hard enough.
