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 ($475 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?
My house has been there since my six children were toddlers and now almost four of them were married and it had really deteriorated over time even almost collapsing so I really wanted to renovate but since I had no money it had to wait and I also really wanted to own even a couple of livestock for domestic gain and even to help financially in the future if they ended up reproducing.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
With the help from GiveDirectly I managed some things that were quite important to me but had been delayed due to the fact that I lacked financial capability like renovating my house which was long due so I am very grateful to this program and I hope it keeps changing other people's lives like the way it did mine.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have lived in a mud house all my entire life and this was very stressful during the rainy season because of the fear that the house could be swept away or damaged if it ever rained heavily so the first transfers enabled me to buy bricks, cement and even goats where I bought four, so with second time the funds were sent I went ahead to buy sand to aid in the construction and the two trips I paid for cost KES 7,000. I also bought twenty bags of cement where each sold for KES 500 so it accumulated to KES 11,000 and a water tank to store water which was KES 2,500 so that I could avoid buying water all the time since it was costly. I also had to pay the labourers for their work which was KES 1300 a day for the two of them and since they worked for three weeks it accumulated to KES 27,300. Lastly I sort to take care of the meal plan and I went ahead to buy two bags of maize flour which went for KES 2,400 and since each bag contained twelve packets each I was sure it would last me a while.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($497 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 11 am when I was in the field grazing my goats. I heard a message notification on my phone. Being illiterate, I could not understand the SMS. I had to wait until I reached home for my daughter-in-law to interpret the message for me. I felt excited about receiving my transfer. It was the only hope to change my life for the better.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
My life is different in my daily life is that l am currently happy seeing the different kinds of building materials laying at my doorstep that I have purchased with my transfer. I can't wait to see the completion of the construction of my new house. I am looking forward to a comfortable life once I relocate to the new house.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 14,000 to purchase two lorries of sandy and of building stone this was for the construction of a new decent bricks house that I had already started earlier before the transfer. The house that I had was about collapsed, I was always afraid that it may fall anytime. I also purchased 4 goats for KES 10,500 this was for boosting my goats rearing. I save the remaining amount to help me in the construction of my new house. I am planning to obtain cement and paying labour costs.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means good education to my family. I have a daughter who did her KCSE on 2018. She got grade C plain. She has the passion to pursue clinical medicine. I have no money to take her to college. When I receive the money, I will take her to college so as to pursue her career. The course will approximately cost $300. I will appreciate seeing my daughter growing through her career.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My happiest Part of the day is in the evening. This is because evening is the end of every day and when I see every evening I know it is God who has taken me through. That is why am always happy in the evening.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My husband is just a casual work. I have six children . Am also a casual work and also doing small business. The hardship I faced is food insecurity. Most of the time the family has gone without food. As a mother, that is something really stressful. So food insecurity is the biggest hardship in my life.
