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
55000 KES ($436 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
In the coming year, I hope to continue expanding my livestock rearing. A reliable source of livelihood for my spouse so that it may be steadfast to support our family's basic needs. I intend to purchase more goats whenever I got money. In addition, I plan to start a small grocery business vending kale around the village to have an income-generating activity for myself.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I believe that by visiting our community and enrolling each eligible household in the program. The organization did a good job. It was a wise choice to give cash transfers to poor people. I urge them to change the phases and at least give the transfer size of $200 until they finish the intended amount. Furthermore, the whole transfer size should be increased to double size.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I invested $180 of my recent transfer on boosting my livestock rearing by purchasing 6 more goats. This is a future investment that will support me whenever faced financial challenges. I will be able to sell some of them when they multiply to solve such uncertainty. In addition, used part of it to complete the construction of our one-roomed, mud-walled house by purchasing the 16 iron sheets and putting up the rooftop. At the moment, living in a decent house is one of the things that I am grateful for the transfer. I also bought enough foodstuffs with the remaining amount for the family. It has been more than 3 years since we had enough food harvest from our farm due to the climatic change.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($471 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I received the message of my transfer when I was on the way going to fetch water for my family. I was with my relative when my phone rigged loudly an indication of a new message. I was very happy after checking the phone and saw Mpesa message that indicated I had received my transfer. I had never had the opportunity to own such a huge amount of money. I was sure that I would be able to fulfill my dream of owning a new house.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my life is that I am currently living in a comfortable house. Previously, I was living in a small grass-roofed house that was about to collapse and leak at the same time. Most of the time I would pray that it does not rain at night since it means spending sleepless nights because of the bad status of my house. In addition, I am happy that I was able to restart my goat rearing a future investment for the family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Owning a decent house for myself was the biggest desire in my life. I was living in a small grass-roofed house that was about to collapse and leaks at the same time. I spend my recent transfer to purchase the required building materials like iron sheets, and building poles. Currently, I am happy that I reside in a decent one-roomed iron-roofed house with my grandchildren. I also used KES 10,000 to restart goat rearing by purchasing 3 goats, an activity that I had depended on some years ago, but I sold all of them to support my family's basic needs. With the remaining amount, I acquired sufficient food for the family because of the ongoing famine in our area.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am the first wife in a polygamous family. I live in a small one-bedroom grass-thatched house that is in a dilapidated condition. I am planning to use 45,000 KES of my transfers to construct a two-bedroom structure( This amount will cater for iron sheets, poles, and labor). This is because my current house's roof is perforated after the grass was infested by termites. With the rain season on the offing, I am worried the house might collapse due to its state. I will also use 15000 KES to buy five goats at 3000 KES which will act as my future investment. The remaining amount will cater for other household needs.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Last year December, my son who is a tapper in Kikambala sent me 1000 KES for upkeep. I was delighted that he supported me despite his little earnings not forgetting that he has the responsibility of taking care of his family too.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I used to do charcoal burning as my source of livelihood until three years ago when I started experiencing chest pains. I visited the hospital and the doctor recommended a scan which I have not been able to do due to lack of cash. I mainly use painkillers to abate them whenever they arise. The sickness has made it almost impossible to fend for myself and I now entirely depend on my husband who is a tapper. His proceeds are as little as 400 KES a day because only four palm trees are the one producing brew at the moment. The whole of these earnings is spent on food alone.
