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
53200 KES ($482 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is different now than it would have been if I never received the transfer, in that I can save up money that I used in buying milk daily, we now have enough milk for our consumption, this is going to improve the health of my children. In addition to that, I also started a goat rearing business which is a long-term and sustainable project. I am so grateful for the support that amazingly changed my life.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does its work well and all of us were given equal changes treatments and everything was done professionally therefore, we were grateful for that. So far I have not seen any gap in their line of service.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a farmer and my husband is a barber in the village, together we are blessed with two children. I wanted a project that is sustainable and easy to manage, therefore I thought of starting a dairy cow project in which I used KES 45,000 in buying 3 cows, I then used KES 8000 in buying two goats. I am hopeful that with time I will be able to make a living out of it, lastly, I used the remaining part of the transfer in buying foodstuffs. I am grateful for the support that made me realize my dreams.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($508 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received the first transfer I felt so happy. I vividly remember that It was around 9am in the morning when I heard a ringtone message from my phone. When I checked it I couldn't believe my eyes. It was the transfer from GiveDirectly. I felt so overwhelmed because I have never received such amount of money before. This was so much, I immediately inform my spouse and children and the felt so happy too. We knew from that money that we would be able to purchase the dairy cow and cut the daily cost of buying milk. GiveDirectly has done us so much, we are so grateful for the support. That day it was the best day of our lives.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The different in my daily life is that I have bought a dairy cow. I had always wished to own a dairy cow. We depend on small scale farming and the harvest that we get is only for consumption, I didn't had other source of income. My spouse do casual jobs and the money that he gets is so small and cannot meet all the basic needs of the family including paying school fees for our children. We used to buy milk daily and this was so costly for me. It was taking much of our small savings. Our children at some point could miss having milk because we could not afford it. When we received the first transfer we found it wise to invest on dairy farming. Currently we no longer buy milk daily. We have devoted much of our time on doing this amazing dairy project. We are so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has changed our living standard.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of the money I received from GiveDirectly on purchasing a dairy cow. I used to buy milk daily and this was so costly for me. I also bought three goats as part of my investments. The rest of the money I paid school fees for my children in various schools and bought food for the family. I am so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has changed our living standard.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
It has been 5 years since we sold all our livestock to cater to my son's medication after he was diagnosed with epilepsy. Since then, we have always aspired to buy other livestock as a store of wealth that would enable us to support our 4 children's education to the university level, but we haven't been able to do so due to lack of resources. We therefore plan to use $240 of our transfer to buy one cow, $140 to buy 2 goats and 2 sheep and also use $100 to replace our children's worn-out uniforms and beddings.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Being a housewife, my daily routine entails doing my household chores in the morning, after which I head to the farm to weed my vegetables till midday, where I am required to come back home to cook midday meal for my spouse and children. I am usually tired by this time of the day but also happy after achieving my days activities.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
When I gave birth to my 5-year-old son in the year 2016, he was diagnosed with epilepsy, a condition that saw us in and off hospital thus paralysing us financially. We ended up selling all our livestock to cater to his medication. We used to rely on selling at least 10 liters of milk thus earning $3 daily from our three cattle, but since we had to sell them all, buying milk daily for family consumption has been our routine. Livestock ownership is a pride and an indicator of wealth in our culture thus we also feel sidelined from the community since we own none. This is the biggest hardship we face.
