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 ($462 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
When I received my first and second transfer I was able to invest the money in income generating activities and other live assets that were meant to propel us as a family into financial stability. One of those key investments that I made was in my shop keeping business and posho mill business that we run. I am happy that the business is now thriving and I plan to save up the money and be able to pay school fees for my children once they join secondary school. The demand for fee payment is not so high for now because they are still in their primary education and this will therefore give us an opportunity to save enough and be able to pay fee once the right time comes.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly did very well by giving us money unconditionally and doing so without discriminating on anyone. I feel so much happy that the money has helped every household in our village and we feel so much appreciative of this.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used all of my recent transfer to revive my shop keeping business and posho mill business. These are businesses that had stalled due to lack of capital on our end and we are grateful that they are now picking up. I currently earn at least KES 300 from the business that I run and I cant be more grateful to GiveDirectly for bettering our living standards.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($486 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was morning hours and I was at my business premises which is just within my compound. I was with my wife and as we were going about with our usual work, I heard my phone ringing in my pocket. I pulled it out to check it and I was so happy when I saw that it was mobile money SMS saying that we had received the transfer of KES 55000 which we had been promised. I immediately informed my wife the good news and we celebrated together with our children since we knew that the plans that we had made were now going to be fulfilled.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The transfer has brought a very big difference in our lives as a family. We were able to buy more items for the shop and posho mill businesses. The business is hence doing well. Our lives have changed for the better and we are no longer like before since we now make more money than before which is enough for most of our basic needs.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We spent most of the transfer money on buying more items for our business. We have a posho mill and a shop. I usually sell maize at the posho mill and I had run out of stock. The items at the shop had also reduced and hence it needed to be restocked too. I didn't have the money to do so and I needed the business to go on since this is our main source of income. The transfer from GiveDirectly hence came in handy and I thank God for that. I have a family size of six and we depend on the proceeds from the businesses to buy food and pay school fees for our children. I am hence so much grateful to GiveDirectly for the support that they gave us.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My ambition is to expand my business, I'm a shopkeeper and on the side I own a small maize mill shop. I started this business one a month ago and all our savings of KSH 90,000 were poured into it. I used the savings in building the business premise, the stock for the shop and a second hand maize mill machine. For now the profit I get from both businesses roughly amounts to KSH 800 per day. I plan on expanding the businesses by using KSH 40,000 of the transfer to buy more maize, pay the electric bill for the shop and add more stock to the retail shop. I hope the business generates more income that can help me sustain my family. I also plan on using the remaining amount to build a bigger house and pay school fees for my 4 children.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I became self employed in the last six months, I started my own business of a retail and a maize mill shop. It's slowly generating us some income and now we don't have to worry so much of not getting food like the days I would go to work and not get paid. Each day I get a profit of KSH 800, it's no a lot but it's a start and when we expand the business our income will grow as well.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest challenge I'm facing is not having enough income to improve my family's lives. Before putting all my savings into my current business of owning a shop and a maize mill I was working as a casual labourer by selling clothes for other people and would prioritize days that most towns are having market days to make more sales. I saved up and opened my own business. But this meant that all my savings were depleted and I have no other option of income generation. The business is only a month old and I'm hopeful that it will grow but as for now the income generated is only KSH 800 per day which is not a lot considering I have to pay fees for my 4 children and buy food for my family.
