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 ($508 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I have been buying milk daily and it is always costly. My family is sometimes forced to take tea without milk and it cannot sustain one for an all-day without having any meal. With the coming of GiveDirectly, I am now a proud owner of a dairy cow. Due to this, I have been able to save the money I would otherwise use in buying milk. This is also an asset that I can lean by selling milk and using the income from milk sales to cater to our daily needs.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly did well by uplifting our living standards through unconditional cash transfer and there is nothing that they did not do well.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
I spent part of my second transfer to buy some building material to use in building a spacious house for my family that can accommodate us comfortably. I have been living in a small grass-thatched house that could not accommodate us comfortably. Building an iron sheet roofed house will enable us to collect rainwater for domestic use. Also, I spent some amount to buy two sacks of maize and also to cater for its transport and that of the building materials. I still have some amount that I am planning to use in paying the mason and in case of an emergency.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($547 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have bought a dairy cow. I used to buy milk from my neighbors and it was so costly for me. I depend on casual jobs in the village to get money. The amount of money I could get was so small and could not gather for all the basic needs including paying school fees. My children could go to school without taking breakfast. This was so demoralizing because I did not have the money to buy milk. They were sent home to collect the school fees and because I had no ready cash they could stay home for even two months before returning back and this was affecting their performance. Currently, I have cleared paying their fees from the sales of milk that my cow produces every day. I also no longer buy milk and my children does not miss to have breakfast. I am so much happy because our lives have completely changed.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment when I received my money I felt so happy because I have never received such an amount of money before. My family members also felt so happy. I knew I would be able to buy a dairy cow and the daily cost of buying milk which is so expensive.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spend my first transfer to buy a dairy cow. I used to buy milk and it so costly for me, I also pay part of the school for my children in secondary school and the rest of the money I used it to buy food.
Enrolled
access_time almost 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am a subsistence farmer growing maize on my small farm. Top of my aspiration(s) was to step up and be a commercial farmer in the near future. Now receiving this money will provide me with the means to lease a considerable size of arable land for cultivating maize. This will enable me harvest more maize to sell to millers and as a result more cash to be used on my other expenses like settling my kids school fee and saving.
What is the happiest part of your day?
After I am done with my usual household chores in the morning, I head to the nearby plantation to look for a casual job there. If I land one, I carryout the work until in the evening when I get paid equivalent to the amount of work done by the employer. In the evening I pass by the near market and buy some foodstuff for my family to take for supper. Its at supper time that I feel happy seeing my family altogether and sharing a common meal.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I have four kids who are all in high school and getting their school fees has been an uphill task for me. Clearing their school fees in lump sum has never been an option for me and this prompted me to negotiate with their respective school administration to at least allow me to pay in bits. Even after all these, getting that small amount has never been easy since I mostly rely on unreliable casual labour to sustain both my family and the kids at school.
