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 ($461 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?
With the great projects that have completely changed our living standards, I am motivated to work even harder both on the running projects as I look forward to initiating new ones. At the moment I have a new goal to venture into commercial poultry farming. I have been rearing a few chickens whose productivity has never been tangible enough to sort any major bill in the household. Expanding it and bringing in more chicken will be beneficial to my household as an additional source of income.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly is doing a great job in all villages that are visiting including ours. The program boosted everyone's living standard in the village as most constructed new houses, bought livestock, and also paid school fees for their children. I loved the fact that the transfers came directly to our accounts - just like everyone was enrolled in individual houses. So far, there is nothing that I can say I never liked in the whole program.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
After initiation of the construction of a new house with the first transfer, I had to still use part of the second transfer in the completion of the parts that were still pending. I spent KES 30000 of this amount on fixing the interior part, obtaining a new piece of furniture, and ensuring that the four-room house has adequate fittings. I also paid KES 15000 school fees for my two children currently in secondary school. previously it was so hard for me to raise enough money to pay their school fees apart from the casual labor and the subsistence farming I had been doing. In addition, I spent the remaining amount on foodstuff and other household goods. I am happy that all we needed were finally accomplished and am looking forward to other better projects in the future.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($486 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 9 a.m and I was at home when I received a notification message from Give directly. Upon checking, it was a confirmation message of the received first cash transfer. I was so excited since I knew the plans we had discussed with my wife would now be initiated and I went and withdrew the money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the construction of a new house that is modern and very spacious. I am happy that it is almost complete and we are soon going to move in.I thank Givedirectly for the great support.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
With the long to-do list that we had since we had been enrolled, we were happy to implement what we had jotted down. Our priority was to clear school fees arrears for our child who had joined form one. We spent Ksh.7000 in clearing hence enabling our child to study in school without being sent home. We also had a plan of improving our mud house to a modern one. We spent Kshs.40,000 to purchase iron sheets, timber, nails, and also inclusive of labor. We had always wanted to have this done but we didn't have a lump sum amount to commence. We are now happy that the house is almost complete and soon we are going to move in. With the remaining amount, we used to buy foodstuff for my family.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means having an alternative source of income in my family. We are currently relying on my husband's income for upkeep which is not enough to sustain a family of 6. My husband is a night guard in the city earning a salary of KES 10,000 a month which is unsustainable because I have 4 children; 2 at primary level and 2 at the university. My dream has been to start poultry farming as a business and hopefully, this will soon materialize through the cash transfer. I intend to spend approximately KES 20,000 of my transfer to start me off and use the rest of the cash to clear the school expenses of my children. My projection is to sell at least 50 eggs a day for KES 10 per egg. I feel this will be a lucrative business in the village because people have been moving around looking for eggs to buy. This will mark a cornerstone in attaining a fulfilling life and I am glad that our lives will soon become better.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In the past 6 months, we were lucky to get school bursary funds from the government and we were able to settle the huge school fees arrears. The school fees arrears had accumulated up to KES 18,000 of one of my children and I got KES 7,000 from the bursary which was a great boost. This brought happiness to our lives because my child was able to study without much struggle.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
A prolonged period of drought has been the biggest challenge we are currently facing. In the previous harvesting season, we were unable to harvest sufficient maize in our 0.4 acres of land due to inadequate rainfall. We harvested only 3 bags of it yet at first, we were hopeful that we will have a bumper harvest. Unfortunately, at the time of flowering, we were unable to receive any rainfall until harvesting time and it reduced our production.
