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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3rd Payment
Transfer Amount
50000 KES ($490 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my transfer on buying a cow. I have always wanted to invest in livestock because I know it requires very little resources to keep. When it reproduces, I will have a number which is a very good sign of wealth. I can be selling some of them when I am in financial need. I used part of the transfer as fare when I travelled home for buying of the cows and also gifted my mother some amount of money. It is a good practise in my a culture that when a son visits his mother, he can't leave her empty-handed. The rest of the money I used to buy food for my family.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
My new goal, for now, is to start a cybercafe business. This has been my dream and goal for two years now but due to low income, I have never managed to make it a reality. Now that I have assistance from GD, I will be able to achieve the goal.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Before the transfers, I did not have any stable source of income. I would depend on the casual jobs given to my group. These were jobs like garbage collection and general cleaning. For three years, this has been my main source of income. I felt I should get a more stable and reliable job/business. Since I did not do well in my education, I have never got a good job hence I chose to start a business which I know will sustain my life and needs after am done receiving GD transfers. I used part of my second transfer to start a barbershop business which has really picked up well. As a result of the profits I get on a daily basis, I have been able to handle most of my financial needs in time.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
36800 KES ($365 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am planning to start a cyber business by June this year. With my calculations, I am supposed to have a starting capital of around 150000 KES in order to start this. Since my first and the most recent transfer was not enough to enable me to start this, I decided to save them so that I will later use it to start up this business. I settled on this business because it is what I am currently doing and I know that it is worth investing in it.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life?
The new goal for my life that I didn't have before receiving the transfer is to build a house back at home. Since I now believe that I will have started my business by June this year, I can comfortably start planning on how I will build a house for my family. I will be saving my daily income from the business so that I will use it in building a house. Building a house is my second priority because I will not be living in town anymore when I will have reached sixty years.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is currently different from how it would have been had I never received the transfer since I have been able to start saving some money to use in starting my business. At first, it was only but a dream but currently, I have a means of starting it. Starting a business will enable me to have enough money to use in meeting my family needs and to invest for my children.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
20000 KES ($199 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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Describe the moment when you started receiving transfers. How did you feel?
It was early in the morning between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM that I received my transfers. At first when I saw the message, I thought that someone had sent money to my phone mistakenly, as the message does not come in as though it is from Give Directly, it was a normal Mpesa message. Shortly after, a message from Give Directly followed and that is when I knew that it was the transfers coming in. It was a very wonderful feeling and I immediately thought of all needs that required money. I then made some calls to my group members to confirm if they had received their transfers, and they had received theirs also. We met as group members also on that day and we discussed on how we would spend the transfers individually.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my transfers to purchase shares from a Sacco. I spent 15000 KES of the transfers to save in a Sacco so I could eventually obtain a loan of around 300,000 KES to open up a printing business; this has been my dream for a while. I saved the remaining 5000 KES in my phone for any future emergencies. I have saved up some money in the same Sacco. I have always dreamt of having my own printing business. Currently, I depend on contractual jobs including construction jobs which provide sufficient income to sustain my family, but I have always wanted to be self employed. With the help from Give Directly, I see this dream coming to reality soon.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I added the transfers to my savings, which brings me close and close to opening my own printing business. I will not have to worry about money to add to my savings to achieve my business goals for a while.
Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
My goals are to open up a printing business that I have always wanted. I see this dream soon coming to reality even because of my coming transfers.
Enrolled
access_time almost 6 years ago
Describe your usual day. How do you spend your time?
I wake up take tea then I go to open my kinyozi and wait for customers. I shave my customers until lunch. Then break for lunch take lunch at the nearest hotel then I come back to my kinyozi and continue working until 8:00pm. I then go back home take shower then I take dinner watch movies and sleep.
What are your greatest ambitions?
My ambitions is to invest in business in the community. Create job opportunities to the member of the community.
Describe your biggest worry.
My top concern is gun violence because sometimes when I get home late I might meet with criminal and get robbed and even stubbed. Archiving my ambisions worries me a lot because of lack of opportunities and lastly Health crisis because the health system in our country is very bad .
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
My plan is to expand my existing business which is a Kinyozi add a salon and Mpesa at the same place so that I can earn more profit. I also want to buy a cow for my mother in rural area so that she gets milk out of the cow and also sell the milk to neibours. Lastly I want to save money for a printing business.