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 ($442 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
When the sheep reproduce and increase in number I will sell some and spend the money to buy a dairy for milk production. At the moment, I do not see any other source of money apart from keeping livestock which I bought after receiving the money. Through these, I will be able to achieve my goal of acquiring a dairy cow.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly did well by helping every household in our village. Most of us had plans but we lack resources and when we got the transfers we acquired that which we needed.
There was nothing that wasn't done well and we do appreciate GiveDirectly for such a brilliant idea of sending us cash. We say a big thank you to the organization.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We had only one house when GiveDirectly officers came to our home and when I got my transfer, I spent KES 30000 on buying building materials and paying wages for the construction of the house. For the remaining amount, I spent KES 10000 on buying four sheep for rearing. Sheep matures faster and I saw that it would be wise to acquire some so that whenever I got an emergency, I sell some and cushion myself in case of a financial crisis. The remaining amount, I spent on buying foodstuffs for my family. We were happy that we had plenty of food at that time.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($482 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was at home washing clothes when I heard my phone vibrating indicating that I had just received an SMS. Since I did not want to get distracted, I requested my spouse to check and know the content of the message. I became so happy when he informed me that we had just received the transfer from GiveDirectly and we agreed that he should go and cash some amount so that he would buy some foodstuffs for dinner since we did not have anything to eat on that day.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Two of the goats that we purchased using part of the transfer have already given birth. These are an addition to the number of live assets that we now own and due to this, I am optimistic that I will realize my goal of owning a dairy cow soon. This is because we are planning to sell some of these goats once they've increased in number and use the money to purchase a heifer.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My mother-in-law was not enrolled in the program since she did not have an ID. When we received the transfer, we decided to support her by buying for her some foodstuffs worth KES 5000 and we also gave her KES 2000 so that she can spend on her personal needs. In addition, we bought four goats at KES 19500 as live investments that we can later sell and use the money to buy a dairy cow. We settled on them since the prices of buying a dairy cow at that time were very high yet it was what we've always wanted. Apart from this, we gave my parents KES 20000 as part of my dowry payment since my husband has not fully paid the agreed dowry for me to be considered as his wife legally. From the remaining amount, I purchased a three-seater seat worth KES 4000 to replace a bench that we've been using despite it not being in a good shape used the remaining amount on food and clothes.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means better housing for me and my family of four. Currently, we own a one-room house which is too small to accommodate us especially when we have visitors around. This house acts as the kitchen, living room, and bedroom. It often gets smoky during cooking times making it uncomfortable. We plan to use KES 30,000 to construct a bigger house which will serve as living room and bedroom. For the rest of the amount we will purchase a dairy cow to help us cut the cost of purchasing milk as we do at the moment.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Three months ago I planted half an acre of maize and so far it is very promising to harvest in the next three months. We are very happy that in the last three years we have not been able to harvest much because of climate changes that affected the farming of maize. We hope that the weather will continue favoring us.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The main challenge is a shortage of food. We are peasant farmers heavily depending on farm produce to sustain us, meaning we have to wait for months to harvest. We are both casual laborers earning a total of KES 500 per day. This goes to purchasing food only because I have two small children who need a balanced diet for healthy growth. These casual jobs are unreliable making it hard to have a stable income.
