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
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?
I bought some few chicken and I'm looking forward to buy more so that I can start a poultry farming. This means that I will be able to sell the chicken in future and help my husband in paying school fees for our children and other family responsibilities. Watching him carry all the family responsibility by his own has been tough and I know he will be grateful if we help each other.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
What GiveDirectly does well is redeeming the dignity to the less fortunate in the society. I was living in shame and now I can brag about having a good house! All this I could not have achieved on my own am I am so grateful to GiveDirectly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Some few months ago, I was living in a single muddy house which served as both sitting and bedroom while my four children were using the kitchen as their bedroom. My husband and I greatest desire was to build our children a big house which they would be proud to call home but we couldn't afford to raise capital for building. I am a peasant farmer and he works as a driver and with a salary of $100, he was only capable of paying school fees for our children and provide them with basic needs. When we received our first transfer, we build a two bedroom structure and we were able to spend $230 of our second transfer towards roofing. I spend the balance to by some few chickens and food for my family and I am glad that we have enough share space for my family and my children no longer have to sleep in the kitchen.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received my transfer, I can vividly recall that I was at home Milking. It was a normal day like any other, with a lot of house chores as a routine. Then suddenly, I heard my phone ringing, On checking what the message was all about, That was when I realised that I had received money from GiveDirectly. This was the best news that we had received in a long time and I was grateful and relieved because I knew that I would be able to accomplish my goals.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
My life has changed amazingly and I am grateful. Owning two cows is a total blessing because this would mean that my children would have enough milk for their daily consumption. Additionally, renovating my house has been a dream that I have had in the pipeline for a while now, and I am glad that I would be able to accomplish it.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Renovating my house has been among the goals that I have been having for a long time now. Though, I was unable to accomplish them due to financial constraints as a result of school fees responsibilities. This is because my husband works as a driver in a nearby centre and I am a consistent farmer, together we are blessed with four children. On receiving my initial transfer, my husband and I settled on buying timber to renovate our house from a mud house to wood where I used KES 15,000. I then used KES 30,000 to buy a dairy cow to add to the one I had. I am grateful for the support that enabled me to improve my lifestyle amazingly.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money will relate to diversified sources of income. I am a housewife and we entirely depend on my husband for upkeep in our household. My husband works as a casual laborer within and outside the village and I feel I should do something as well to provide for the household. We, therefore, intend to spend approximately KES 30,000 of the transfer to acquire a dairy cow. Our ambition is to have an alternative source of income through the sale of milk and reduce relying on a single source of income. Fulfilling this dream will be the joy of lives.
What is the happiest part of your day?
We managed to harvest 12 bags of maize in the last 5 months and this has brought happiness to our lives. We had leased one acre of land in the previous planting season and we realized surplus output. We managed to sell 6 bags out of the 12 we harvested and we are glad that we have sufficient food to take us throughout the year.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Financial inadequacies are the biggest challenge we are currently facing. Even though my husband earns KES 15,000 from his casual work, that cash is not enough because we have four school-going children who are all in the primary level and other household expenditures. We have also stopped cultivating maize on our 0.2 acres of land due to the maize necrosis disease. We are unhappy because we have failed to establish an alternative food to cultivate in our area which can earn us some cash.
