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 ($466 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?
God willing, before this year-end, I am planning to build a semi-permanent house. This is because currently, I am living in a mud-walled house which requires maintenance all the time and for me, this is quite cumbersome.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does everything well. This is because the officers were very friendly and treated us nicely during the Barraza. Secondly, every household in our village was enrolled indicating no partiality at all.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a housewife and a mother of one. I normally rely on maize and beans farming and my husband who does casual labor to sustain the family. Before GiveDirectly came, I desired to buy an additional piece of land for dairy farming but couldn't afford it. This is because I had only five-eight pieces of land. This was divided into our homestead, crops partition, and the other part for my dairy cow.
Fortunately, when GiveDirectly transfers came I saw this as a dream come true. I, therefore, topped part of my first transfer and all of my second transfers and bought three-eight pieces of land at KES 100,000. On this land, I have planted nappier grass to feed my dairy cow. This will not only lead to an increase in milk production but will increase the family income.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($497 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 10 am when my alarm rang notifying me to switch off my phone and upon restarting it, I received a Mpesa message. I became so happy after reading it due to its content and I immediately called GiveDirectly to thank them for the financial support. Receiving this money meant that I would be the real owner of a dairy cow that we had been rearing and I am grateful to GiveDirectly for making this happen.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Before GiveDirectly came for enrollment, I used to rear my friend's cow but this is no longer the case as I was able to pay her the amount he needed for the cow. Also, I have some capital that I will use in buying a piece of land where I will be planting some livestock feeds. Having fulfilled these goals within a short time makes me happy and I am hoping for a better future since I now have some assets that I can lean on in case of financial challenges.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We laid down our goals according to our priorities after GiveDirectly came for enrollment and our top priority was a dairy cow and a piece of land. We used to rear one of our friends' dairy cows and we would get milk for our consumption and sale in return. Before receiving the transfer, the owner had approached and informed us that he will be selling it since he needed money to sort out his financial needs. When I received the transfer, I spent KES 27000 to pay for this cow so that we would retain it, saved KES 20000 in my account and we are planning to use it in buying a piece of land after receiving our second transfer since our ancestral land is small and one cannot practice crop farming. Using the remaining KES 7000, I bought some food and clothes and we are grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling us to achieve all these as a family.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My ambition is to ownn a piece of land. Our extended family land is small yet there are many male adults in the family. My husband and I were given a part of the land which we have build on our house, but it is not enough for farming. Receiving this money will mean a lot to us because we will be able to buy land worth $500 that can be use for subsistence farming and accommodate our housing situation. The remaining amount of money will aid me in paying for my Diploma certificate and in purchasing a dairy cow worth $200.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I normally wake up at 6 in the morning, prepare breakfast and help my child go to school, I then go to my mother's house to help her milk the cow and sell the milk along the roadside. By mid-day I'm back at home finishing house chores and in the afternoon is when I'm the happiest because I get to bond with my friends and share ideas as I wait for my child to get back home in the evening
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship we face as a family is financial constraints. I'm a stay at home wife and my husband works as a casual labourer in a milk factory. He gets paid $120 per month which is not enough to save and buy a piece of land or even pay school fees for our child. He got into an accident a few moths ago and he was badly injured, he has missed work and he also has to go for medical checkup.
