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
55000 KES ($484 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Having been a veterinary doctor for a while, the income I made was not quite adequate to sustain the daily livelihood for my family. Hence, receiving the GiveDirectly funds enabled me to realise and achieve some goals set such as purchasing milking cows that I used for commercial use enabling me clear out the school fees balances owed.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
This has been a very major and positive step towards enriching people's lives as they have been able to build much better houses, buy water tanks for storage ensuring they lack no water and in general improve livelihoods.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
This has been quite a great boost when I received KES 55000 from GiveDirectly. I was able to clear school fees balances of KES 12000 for my children which in turn ensured that they do not miss any of their exams or classes. I spent a further KES 42000 purchasing a cow that produces milk which I was able to use for the commercial use, by selling to the nearby homes ensuring I save up funds for later use. I had a remaining KES 2000 which I got an additional food supplements for the house and also purchased some clothes for the children.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($490 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I am a veterinarian and I was busy doing my job of vaccinating the cows when I heard my phone ringing in my pocket to notify me of an incoming SMS. I could not be able to check it since I was busy. Soon enough, people started calling me but again I could not pick them up. I decided to finish up with what I was doing then return the calls. When I was done, I checked my phone and I returned the calls. They were people from my home village and they asked me if I had received the transfer. I asked them if they had sent it and they told me that they had received theirs. As soon as I was done talking to them I checked my phone and I was surprised to see an SMS which was saying that the loan of KES 300 which I owed my mobile network provider had been settled. I wondered who was this nice person who had decided to pay it for me. On looking further at the SMS, I saw the balance and it was a huge balance. It was then that I realized that I had received the lump sum transfer that GiveDirectly had promised me. I was so happy on seeing the SMS especially due to the fact that whatever I had planned was now going to be fulfilled.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference that the transfer has brought into my life and that of my children is that they no longer have to worry about being sent home due to failure to pay their school fees. This is because I was able to pay their school fees with part of the money that I got from GiveDirectly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent most of the money that I got from GiveDirectly on buying nine goats. I decided to buy the goats because I wanted to invest in something that is going to help me for a long time. I didn't want to spend it on something that is going to finish soon like food or the clothes. I had always wanted to buy the goats but I was not in a position to. This because most of the money that I get from my job of a veterinarian, most of it usually goes to the payment of school fees for my three children. I use to have the goats before but I had to sell them to raise money for buying a piece of land. I am therefore so much grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling me achieve my dream.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means increased efficiency in my work. I am a private veterinary person and my work requires movements within and outside the village. I have an old motorcycle which I use in my routine work and due to its nature, it keeps breaking down. At times, I fail to attend to an emergency and thus reducing my efficiency. I, therefore, intend to spend my entire transfer to acquire a new motorcycle and this will expedite my operation.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening. My work entails working from morning until late in the evening. I am a veterinary person and I have so many clients within and outside the village. I spend my entire day moving from one place to another treating domestic animal. Since the work is tiresome, I feel more relaxed in the evening since it is the only time I have to rest.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Inadequacy of capital to start and run a business of my own has been the biggest hardship I have faced in life. My dream was to run an agro vet in a nearby town and live a decent life. The dream has never materialized due to a lack of enough capital. The business is capital intensive which requires approximately KES 500,000. Because I am a veterinary person, my estimated income is KES 15,000 a month. The cash is hardly enough to save and start a business because I have other recurrent expenses which include school fees for my 3 school going children. Lack of enough capital has been the greatest stumbling block in my life in leading a successful life.
