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 ($454 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?
My new goal is to be able to build a better a house through proceeds that I will get from the dairy cows that I bought from the first and second transfers. I have had this vision of building a much more bigger and better house but with the little income that I receive from my small scale farming and casual work, I could only raise enough to feed my family. We live in a very small grass thatched house with my family and sometimes it gets a little bit of discomfort living in there. When I received money from GiveDirectly, I invested heavily on livestock and my intention is to use proceeds from dairy to be able to put up one. I am so much grateful to GiveDirectly for the support that they offered to us.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly did well by giving us the opportunity to choose what to spend the money on without fixing fir us what we could spend the money on. This freedom gave us the liberty to choose to spend the money in the best way we knew how. I am personally very grateful to GiveDirectly for this.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 40000 to buy two dairy cows.i did not have a cow of my own having sold those that I owned to pay school fees for my children who are in various schools. I could not be able to buy the dairy cows since I had to pay huge anmounts as fees and used KES 5000 to buy basic household needs for the family. The remaining amount was used to pay school fees for one of my children who is in a local day secondary school. I feel so much happy to have been part of the beneficiaries of GiveDirectly funds. I am looking forward to seeing my life improve even more going forward courtesy of GiveDirectly funds.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($482 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 6 pm while in my shop attending to customers when I heard an SMS alert on my phone. On checking, it was the eagerly awaited KES 55,000 from GiveDirectly. I was very happy and withdrew the money later that evening because I am right within the shopping centre.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the purchase of a heifer that will reproduce in a few months. I am also grateful because I have bought more decent clothing for myself which I couldn't afford due to school fees and food burdens.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
During enrollment, my priority was a dairy cow. This is because I had sold all my cows for school fees and was struggling to buy milk. So immediately after the arrival of GiveDirectly transfers, I spent KES 25,000 on a heifer. This is because when it reproduces it will be a source of milk for my family.
Secondly, I spent KES 5000 on plowing land and planting maize and beans seeds. This will ensure the availability of adequate food for my family come the next harvest season.
Furthermore, I spent KES 6400 on two bags of maize which will feed my family for a longer time. This is because I had planted an acre of maize in the previous planting aeason but only harvested a bag of maize due to the drought and the prevalent maize pandemic in our area.
Additionally, I used KES 16,000 on the latest clothing fashion and shoes. This is because I had worn a pair of shoes and the same type of clothing for a long time and this was shameful.
Lastly, I spent KES 5000 on the addition of stock for my shop business. This is because I have been a shopkeeper for the past 9 years and this has been the main source of food and school fees for my family.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means an improved livelihood for my family. I plan to spend KES 35,000 to purchase one dairy cow that will help me feed my family. Currently, we do not have one of our own, the one we have belongs to a relative which it can be taken away anytime by the owner. We purchase milk for most of the year, costing us KES 1400 per month. Having this cow means I will cease purchasing milk as well as selling the milk to earn an income. For the rest of the amount, I plan to construct a bigger house for my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
During the last holidays when school was closed, I used the money I would have paid the school fee to purchase a small cow of KES 13000. This made me happy as I could finally own a cow of my own for the first time in my life .
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The main challenge is financial constraints. My shop business was greatly affected by Covid-19 which made the profits go down. Having children in school and having to meet their needs and pay for school is a great financial challenge. The profit from the shop goes to these needs hence we do not get a chance to meet other needs.
