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 ($422 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?
I would like to start farming maize. My villagers consume a lot of maize flour and I would need $200 to start with the project. Buy an irrigation system for the drought season and wait for the rain
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
They taught us a lot about money. From the meeting, I got the feeling that they wanted the transfers to empower us. The lessons have helped a lot of us make wise decisions on how to spend the transfer.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Before the transfer, I lived in a one-roomed house with my two children and wife. The house was small and squeezed and everyday night I would take the furniture outside so that we can get space to lay down the mattress. I am the primary provider of the family and a job such as masonry was not enough to cater to my family's needs. Receiving this transfer has enabled me to build a two-roomed house that cost $450, we now stay in a spacious home and used the rest of $80 to buy school uniforms and food for my family.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($474 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 7:00 am when I realized that I had received the money just after waking up. I was with my wife then and had to inform her immediately amidst my infectious jubilation that excited her as well. I could not withdraw at that moment since we had another event within the family. I visited the shopping center the next morning where I collected all the amount.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the improved standard of living, especially after buying a cow that has been providing my family with milk and cushioning me from the expenses of buying milk. I am happy that this is soon getting better now that the cow I bought will soon be calving down, hence proving more liters of milk that we can sell to earn some income.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I had been buying at least a liter of milk every day for my family of four for the past two years. Receiving the first transfer presented my family with an opportunity to bring in a dairy cow that would provide us with some liters of milk every day. With the agreement with my family, I spent KES 40000 on buying a lactating dairy cow that has been providing us with some liters even though it is currently four months in-calf. It is my happiness that we are no longer buying milk as we had been doing, but spending the money on other household goods. I also spent the remaining amount on buying a sack of maize at KES 3500, kitchenware worth KES 4000, and also a new piece of furniture at KES 3000. I am grateful for the generous support from GiveDidrectly and looking forward to a lot of transformation once I receive the second transfer.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
We separated from my wife 5 months ago due to an unpaid dowry. She went with our 2 children and I have been living a life full of loneliness since then. I aspire to settle part of the dowry and live a debt-free life and reunite with my family as well. I intend to spend approximately KES 20,000 of the first transfer to buy a dairy and take it to my wife's matrimonial home as a dowry. This will motivate them to release my wife and kids as I work to settle the remaining dowry. I am excited that I will reunite with my family again using the transfer from Give Directly. Therefore, receiving this money will mean living a free debt life.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In the last 5 months, I managed to plant maize on my 0.3 acres of land and this has brought joy in my life. Initially, I thought I won't be able to cultivate it because I had no cash. Additionally, we have received constant rains in our region for the last 6 months and I am hopeful that I will harvest sufficient maize and fend for my family without much hustle.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Unstable sources of income are the major challenge we are currently facing. I am a casual laborer within the village and the job that I usually do entails digging, fencing, weeding, and even planting on other people's farms. I rarely get the job and this relates to going to bed empty stomach. When luck knocks on the door, I get an average and unsustainable wage of KES 200 a day. Owing to this, we separated from my wife because that cash is hardly enough to sustain a family of 5 and save to pay dowry. I feel saddened that if the condition persists we will sink into the mire of extreme poverty.
