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.
Learn more about how recipients opt in to share their stories.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($467 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?
God willing, I would like to start an electronics shop in five months. This is because as a mobile electrician it will help save time that would be spent looking for work materials. Therefore I will get a chance to attend to more customers hence more income.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
According to me, GiveDirectly does everything well. For example, in my village, every household was enrolled.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I got married about a year ago. Since then, I have been buying a liter of milk each day for my young family because I didn't have a cow or the means to buy one. This has been quite costly because I work as a mobile electrician work on a contractual basis. Fortunately, when the second GiveDirectly transfers came, I decided to buy a young bull at KES 25, 000 and a heifer at KES 16,000. This is because bulls grow faster than heifers and can be sold for a dairy cow once it's fully grown and heifers on the other hand once grown can be a source of milk and income too.
Secondly, I finished my college certificate in electrical engineering about three years ago. Since then, I desired to fence my homestead because my neighbor's animals have been straying in and out of my farm without mercy. This I couldn't afford due to my meager salary. But, when the second GiveDirectly transfers came in I bought seven folds of chain link fence at KES 14,000 and one fold of barbed wire fence at KES 6, 000. This will not only prevent neighbors' animals from straying in and out of my farm like they used to but will also enhance security and peace in our neighborhood.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($497 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 still early in the morning while I was still sleeping when I received a message notification on my phone. I decided to read it and know who would have sent me an SMS that early and to my surprise, it was a Mpesa message confirming that I had received the promised money from GiveDirectly. My heart was filled with happiness and I immediately woke up, informed my spouse who was making breakfast and she was equally happy. We bought a loaf of bread on that day to celebrate the good news that we had just received.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I was able to acquire a dairy cow using part of the transfer and this has made my daily life different. I had plans of owning one but I had not been able to due to financial constraints and we had to endure buying milk daily which is so expensive. I am so happy at the moment since I know that very soon, my family will have enough milk for consumption and sale to earn an income.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Buying milk has been my routine and I usually end up spending up to KES 1750 monthly on them. As a subsistence farmer, getting such an amount to spend on milk alone has been a challenge, and my family at times has to take tea without milk. Upon receiving my transfer, I spent KES 20000 to buy a dairy cow as it will enable me to save the money I would have spent on milk when it calves and I am so happy about this. Also, I spent KES 7000 to buy 10 pieces of iron sheets that I am planning to use in building a granary for my family as we do not have one, KES 6700 on two sacks of maize for our consumption, and KES to buy a seat at KES 3500. I still have KES 4000 that I saved for emergency purposes after spending KES 5200 on clothes.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I married not so long ago and therefore I have a young family. In my hierarchy of needs, I have been able to provide the basic needs to my family but not actualizing the plan to start investments. With this in mind, Receiving this money means that I will be able to buy two dairy cattle for 60,000 shillings and four sheep for 20,000. An increase in the number of these livestock in future will cushion me from the education expenses of my kids.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am an electrician and so on a routine basis, I move around my locality looking for tasks related to electricity. My happiest part of the day is in the morning when I get a phone call requiring me to go install or repair someone's electricity. This is because after this task is done, I will be paid and have the means to fend for my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am a junior electrician hustling within the vicinity of my village. I rely on doing small repairs of electricity in my neighborhood to fend for my family since big contracts are given to renowned experts. The little money I get from this is only sufficient for me to cater to the basic needs of my family. As a result, I cannot invest in anything. The biggest hardship I have faced in my life is the uncertainty of ever going to land a regular job with a regular source of income to start investing. I am in my prime years and so the investment is needed.
