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 ($468 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I do not have any new goals apart from what I had accomplished. The main aim was to purchase the goats that have now started reproducing. In a few months to come, I will be able to keep and sell some and the money will be basically for my children's school fees.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly has been doing good in my village. We were all fairly and equally, enrolled without any discrimination of gender, tribe, or religion. Currently, the general appearance of my village has transformed. We now sleep in iron-roofed houses and every compound now has livestock. I, therefore, do not see any part that GiveDirectly needs to change.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my second transfer on buying six goats at a total of KES 18000. I settled for them because they require little supervision and they reproduce faster. I also cleared school fees of KES 12000 for my son who is in his third year. He has always been on and off because of the arrears. For now, he is at peace which has led to an improvement in his performance. To add to that, we bought a water pump at KES 15000 which will be specifically for our agricultural activities. With the remaining amount of the money, I bought new beddings (a bed and a mattress) at KES 10000 and a sewing machine at 10500 for my daughter.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($489 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
As I was preparing myself to go to the field at around 9am to prepare and make charcoals for sale, I received a message in my phone. I gave the phone to my husband to read what the message is all about because I don’t know how to read. My husband’s face glowed in happiness and he smiled and looked at me. Not knowing what was going on he told me that I had received the promised transfer of KES 55000.00 from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy and we were both excited such that, I did not go to the field to make the charcoals.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The vivid difference that is seen is being able to take back my son to school after being at home for almost 2 weeks and I had no means of taking him back due to financial constraints. The second one is the achievement of buying a sewing machine for my daughter who is finalizing her college studies. If it were not for GiveDirectly I am sure she would stay for so long without having a sewing machine to develop her skills hence her tailoring education would be in vain.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The money came at the very time of need when my son was out of school due to school fees. I settled the fee balance of KES 9000.00 and he went back to school. I also bought a sewing machine for my daughter who is completing her tailoring course so that she can start a tailoring job. The sewing machine cost KES 10500.00. Looking at the house I am living in, it portrays a high level of poverty due to the condition it is; thus I decided to buy 20 pieces of iron sheets for KES 18000.00 so that I start building a good house. Currently the foundation is already complete thou I know the remaining amount won’t be enough to complete the whole house. My aim is at the point where I will stack due to lack of funds; I will pause and wait for the second transfer.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means agricultural production. For a long time, I have been relying on agricultural production to earn an income for my family. However this is not possible at the moment due to the longer periods of drought experienced in our village. I have a dream of buying a generator that will help me pump water from a river close to my house which overflows when it rains. However, this has not been possible due to lack of money. I depend on casual jobs to feed my family. These jobs are not reliable since you may get hired today and tomorrow you are fired. This has made me and my family to sleep outside because my house is collapsing and I have no money to rebuild it. Upon receiving this money, I will buy a generator and water pumps that will cost me 50000KES so that when it rains, I make use of the water to start irrigation farming. This will help me make a lot of money to build my dream house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Evening has always been the happiest part of my day. This is because my typical day begins at 4am. I wake up at this time, take my breakfast and leave for work. I spend the whole day looking for casual jobs and whenever I get one, I do. I then return home at 6pm tired and worn out. At this time, I get an opportunity to see my family which I missed the whole day. It is also at this time that we cook food and eat together with my family. Eating together as a family brings joy and makes me forget the stresses of the day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Unreliable rainfall has been the biggest hardship that I have ever faced in my life. I am a farmer who depend on agricultural farming to get money to meet basic needs of my family. I have a family of six children who are in school. Educating them has been very difficult since there is persistent drought in our village which makes it difficult to engage in any agricultural production. I have a dream of owning a generator which will help me start irrigation farming. However, this has not been possible due to lack of money to make this happen. The casual jobs that I depend on are not reliable and I earn less than 2000KES a month. This makes me to survive from hand to mouth. The cash transfer will be a stepping stone for me and my family as I will be able to buy a generator which I will use to pump rain water and start irrigation farming. This will be a game changer for my whole family.
