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.
Learn more about how recipients opt in to share their stories.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($467 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?
Having spent the transfer to achieve some of the goals that were of priority to us, I am planning to acquire an additional dairy cow to my herd of livestock. By doing so, my family will have a supply of milk throughout the year and we can also be using the money from the sale of surplus to meet our basic needs. I have started saving by setting aside part of the money that I usually get from doing casual work in the hood.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly officers were not biased during the enrollment process and they also enrolled people without seeking opinions from the local authorities. In addition, the fact that they followed up on people to know how the transfer was spent made many people become disciplined and spent the transfer well. Considering this, I do not see anything that they did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I had started building a more spacious house for my family using my first transfer and when I received the second one, I spent KES 35000 to bring it to completion. I am a casual laborer and I am happy that GiveDirectly has enabled me to fulfill my dream of building a more spacious house for my family. In addition, I spent KES 10000 to fence my farm so that livestock will not be destroying my crops when no one is at home. This amount catered for the barbed wire, poles, nails and paid for the labor while I spent the remaining KES 7000 on foodstuffs to last my family for some time.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($497 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was at home enjoying a cup of tea together with my husband when I heard my phone ringing, upon checking I saw a Mpesa notification showing that I had received money from GiveDirectly, words cannot express how happy I was, I thanked God for the wonderful gift that came my way that morning because I knew that with the cash at hand I would be able to buy a dairy cow, thereafter the health of my children would improve, our area is a semi-arid place, therefore, they don't get varieties on food to eat. I am grateful for the support that changed our lives.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
My children are so happy and excited that we now own a dairy cow, they are all hopeful that come next year they would be enjoying milk from their cow, unlike before where I was forced to buy one litre of milk which was not enough to feed the whole family, but they had no choice but to share what was available due to financial constraints, I am glad that I also bought a bed and sofa set which would mean more comfort, lastly I bought enough foodstuffs to last us for a while. I am thankful for the support that brought so much joy and happiness to my family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My husband and I settled on buying a dairy cow with our first transfer so that our four children would have enough milk for their daily consumption, I normally buy milk daily which is also very expensive, one litre of milk sells at KES 60, Therefore, we used 25,000 in purchasing a healthy dairy cow. In addition to that, I bought furniture worth KES 5100, I then used KES 2600 in paying school fees arrears, and lastly, I bought foodstuffs in the house. I am so happy that the health of my children would nourish with the milk intake.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have an ongoing project which I have been struggling to accomplish due to the inadequacy of funds. I have a house that is under construction and at the same time paying the loan that my wife borrowed. I intend to use the transfer from Give Directly to accomplish it and lead an improved life. I plan to spend Ksh 30,000 of the transfer to accomplish and use the remaining cash to buy a dairy cow. Receiving this money, therefore, relates to an improved lifestyle in my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I spend my morning hours in the land where we have grown maize for domestic use. Mostly, I do weeding and fencing to avoid livestock from other families destroying my crops. I spend the rest of my afternoon looking after my one dairy cow until late in the evening. Having time to rest in the evening is the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
A prolonged period of drought has been the biggest hardship we have faced in life. We experience minimal rainfall in our area throughout the year, thus affecting our crop production. The drought has persisted over the last 10 years now. We have one acre of land which we have grown maize for domestic use. Initially, we used to harvest 10 bags of maize which has become something of the past now. Due to the inadequacy of rainfall, we hardly harvest 2 bags of it yet we experience tough economic times as well. We acknowledge Give Directly's assistance during these hard economic times.
