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 ($455 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?
Since I have achieved my goal which was to buy a piece of land, my goal is to buy a dairy cow because I have a land big enough to grow grass . I want to be able to supplement my income through selling milk.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
First of all, I want to commend GiveDirectly for great work that they have been doing by empowering poorest communities through unconditional cash transfers. My life will nolonger be the same again because I have been empowered and same applies to so many people in various communities that GiveDirectly have been working with.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Previously, I owned an acre piece of land which I inherited from my father. This land was not enough for both subsistence farming and grazing although I don't have livestock but it's something I'm looking forward to buy soon. I have always wanted to buy a bigger piece of land but I couldn't raise enough money towards this through farm jobs since I was earning averagely KES 3000 per month. When I was enrolled into the program, my goal was to buy a piece of land and build a semi permanent house. When I received my first transfer, I spend half of it to buy iron sheets and saved the balance towards buying a piece of land that I had identified. I added the money that I had saved to my second transfer and bought a three acre piece of land. I am now looking forward to build a house and buy a dairy cow. I couldn't have done all this for myself and I'm so grateful to GiveDirectly for the support.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($484 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 6pm. When I heard a ringtone message from my phone. When I checked it out I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a message confirming that I have received money from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy because I have never received such amount of money. I immediately inform my family and they were so happy too. I knew I would be able to buy a piece of land. I had some few savings and that was an opportunity to combine and invest.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Buying a piece of land is the biggest difference in my daily life. We lived in a small piece of land, This was a challenge for us because there was nowhere to do farming. We depend on casual jobs in the village. This earns me a small income and it was just for household basic needs. I had started savings to buy a piece of farm. I always work hard to ensure that I own a bigger piece of land. I wanted to do horticulture farming. When I received the transfer from GiveDirectly I felt so happy. I had saved KES 30,000 from my casual jobs. I took KES 30,000 and combine with my savings and bought a piece of land. Currently I am so grateful because I am able to do farming. I will get enough food for the family and cut the daily cost of buying. I will continue to save some money to buy another piece of land in the near future. I am so grateful because GiveDirectly has enabled me to fulfilled my dream.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I took KES 30,000 to combine with my savings and I was able to buy a piece of land. We lived in a small piece of land and there were nowhere to do farming. I am so happy because now I can do farming in my own farm. I bought building materials ready to build a better kitchen house. The rest of the money I bought food and clothes for my children. I am so grateful for the support it has changed my living standard.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that I will build a house and to buy furniture to improve my home. I will use about KES 30,000. Then I will spend about KES 20,000 on cows and to buy about 2 points of land at KED 60,000. This land will make it possiblefor me to rear the additional 2 cows. The livestock is an investment that will grow and make me wealthier than I am now.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In the last 6 months, I have bought a dairy cow. I now get milk though it is only enough for my household use. I hope to increase the amount of milk to even start selling some of it to earn an income. I stopped depending on my mothers cow the moment I bought this one. I feel great about myself owning a cow.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The main challenge is raising enough money to feed my family. The cost of living is going up daily, with the increase in food prices while my earnings from casual work remains constantly at KES 300 per day. With this small wages, it is very hard to manage the current living costs.
