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.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 6 pm I was at the shopping center when I heard a message notification on my phone. When I checked it out, it was a message confirming that I have received money from GiveDirecly. I felt so happy because I have never received such an amount of money before. I went back home to inform my wife. She was so happy too because we had planned on purchasing a dairy cow. We aligned on other expenses and later went to withdraw the money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have purchased a dairy cow. This is because I used to buy milk daily, which was so costly. I would spend KES 50 per day. I depend mainly on casual jobs and small-scale farming. I plant maize and beans but this is majorly for consumption. The money that I would get from the casual job was so small and I was not in a [position to buy a dairy cow. I had always wished to own a dairy cow but this was not possible since there was no money. When I received the transfer I felt so happy because this was the opportunity to buy a dairy cow. Currently, I get enough milk for the family. I no longer incur any expenses like before. I sell the surplus milk to earn an income to meet other household needs. I am so grateful for the support and I wish to grow this project to be the best. I have devoted much of my time to this dairy keeping. Were it not GiveDirectly all this could have taken quite some time to happen.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 36,000 on purchasing a dairy cow. I used to buy milk daily and this was so costly for me since the small amount of money I would get from the casual jobs was only for basic household needs. Currently, I have a dairy cow and I no longer buy milk. I save the money that I would have used to buy milk for other household needs. I spent KES 2,000 on plowing for my farm ready for planting maize and beans. The remaining amount of money I spent on food, clothes, and household items that we lacked. I am so grateful because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Farming in our area is very profitable agribusiness. I have been struggling to do farming but seeds and land hire is very expensive. I'm happy that this money will help me get more land and buy satisfied seeds for next season. We get an acre of land at KES 5,000 a year, this means that I'll be able to hire up to five acres and increase my anual profit.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In January this year, I got some money to clear some pending school fees and I got my diploma certificate at last. It was a relieve to us since I could not get any job without it. We were so overjoyed.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Unpredictable weather patterns and droughts are affecting our farming activities. Output per acre have reduced drastically to almost zero profit in the recent years. Maize has been our main fa produce but we are now changing to beans and sweet potatoes because of weather.
