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 ($527 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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What did you spend your second transfer on?
I spent the second transfer on paying school fees for my daughter who was joining secondary level. I feel happy that I am a responsible parent who can give a child the best investment for life. I am filled with joy when I interact with other parents during school parents meetings where they seek my opinion in decision marking, something that I had never dreamt of. I spent the remaining part to buy food as my stock was already low following poor harvest that we experienced the previous year due to prolonged drought.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GuveDirectly used a very effective and efficient mode of transfer. There is a lot of confidentiality, transparency and accuracy that is free from any form of corruption. I have never observed anything wrong to mention.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
GiveDirectly has earned me a lot of respect among my community members who used to perceive me as a lesser being. I bought two cows and one of them is soon calving. This gives me hope in that I shall no longer budget for milk anymore. I also intend to sell the surplus to the nearby hospital where ready market is available and use the money in paying school fees in the future. I bought a solar light system that has saved me from daily budget on paraffin and my children can study and do their homework without any fear of running out of fuel. The solar light is also clean unlike the tin lamp that I used before which produced a lot of smoke that was harmful to the eyes and respiratory system. I bought a mattress that has made my sleep comfortable and enjoyable. I usually have sweet dreams unlike before when I used to sleep on a hard mat. Thanks to GiveDirectly, I have a reason to smile again.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($537 USD)
access_time almost 6 years ago
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What did you spend your first transfer on?
I have never owned a cow but I have always longed for one since cows only feed on grass which is available all over thus it's easy to maintain, unfortunately, I couldn't afford. So when I received the first transfer I bought two cows for rearing with an expectation of benefiting from milk after they have given birth thus I won't spend on milk and the money I'm currently spending on milk I'll use onmeeting other needs. A portion of the money I used to cement my floor which was so dusty thus unhygienic. It was also costly and time-consuming to maintain the house since I had to purchase clay for repairing it after every three months. Thirdly, we have been sleeping on the ground for too long because we didn't have enough money to purchase proper bedding so part of the money I spent on a bed and mattress. It was risky sleeping on the ground, and I was afraid that we could be bitten by snakes especially during the rainy season because normally snakes look for dry shelter during the rainy season. Apart from that the only source of entertainment we had was radio from our phones but this consumed a lot of power, and we could be forced to take the phones for charging daily which was costly. Having no electricity we could stay offline most of the time after listening to the radio because at times we couldn't afford 20 KES for recharging the phones so part of the money we used to purchase both radio and a solar panel. We can now listen to the radio at any time without getting worried that we might run out of power because we use solar as a source of power.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was sleeping then all over sudden I woke up but I felt it was too early, so I picked my phone to check on the time and to my surprise, I had received money from GiveDirectly. It was such a joyous moment, I woke my spouse and shared the news with him. He was amazed and thanked God for the miracle. We went back to sleep but by 6:00 am we were already up making preparations on how to spend the money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I can afford a peaceful sleep not only because I have comfortable bedding but also because I no longer sleep on the ground where we could be bitten by a snake at any time especially during the rainy season when the snakes could get in houses seeking for dry shelter.
Enrolled
access_time almost 6 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I currently face is difficulty in paying school fees to my children
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the morning when I have succeeded to get a job from which I can earn a living
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that I shall be able to overcome poverty through investing the money on buying cows and paying school fees to my children.