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 ($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?
My new goal at the moment is for me to take good care of my cow, with proper care and feeding I am optimistic that I would be able to make good returns in future from the milk production, with this I would be able to take care of my children's school fees, I am so grateful for the support that brought so much joy and happiness in my life.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The fact that GiveDirectly gave the unconditional cash, that alone was the best thing that happened to us, in that everyone was able to budget depending on their needs without any form of restrictions, so far I have not witnessed any form of malpractice in their work.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a consistent farmer and a mother of eight children who are all schooling, Upon receiving the second transfer I bought a dairy cow worth KES 20,000 to cut on the cost of buying milk daily, it was becoming expensive because a litre sells at KES 60 yet we would use 3litres daily, I was unable to afford a cow due to financial constraints and so many responsibilities yet I had no stable source of income, I then used KES 15,000 on paying school fees arrears for my children and finally I used the remaining part of the transfer on foodstuffs. I am thankful for the support that lifted my living standards.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($498 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 around 9 am, I was coming from buying milk at the shop when I received an SMS. Upon reading its contents, I became so happy and immediately rushed back to withdraw the cash as I did not want to delay. When I arrived back home, I informed my family and they were equally happy that GiveDirectly had helped us achieve our goal of acquiring a dairy cow.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
When I received my transfer, my priority was to purchase a dairy cow as I have been buying milk daily and it is expensive to me. Being an owner of a dairy cow is the biggest difference in my daily life as it has always been my wish to own one. When it calves, my family will have enough milk for consumption and for sale to earn an income. Also, I will be able to save the money I would otherwise have used in buying milk and use them on other projects like paying school fees for my children. I am so happy because GiveDirectly enabled me to fulfill my dream.
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 2000 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 30000 to buy a dairy cow as it will enable me to save the money I would have spent on milk when it calves. In addition to this, I spent KES 10000 to pay school fees for my son since I did not want him being sent back home as we had been given a week notice. Using the remaining amount, I spent KES 8000 to purchase two sacks of maize for our consumption and 6000 on home clothes and school uniforms for my children.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
For the past two years, I have always wished to buy a dairy cow that would be my source of income from selling milk, therefore $350 of my transfer will enable me to actualize this wish. I used to own a cow 2 years ago, that assured me of a guaranteed daily pay from selling 5 liters of milk daily for $2 but I sold it to support my children's education after the demise of my spouse who was the sole breadwinner of our family. I will also spend $200 of my transfer to build a two roomed house for my teenage boys. Our culture dictates that teenage boys should not sleep under one roof with their parents, and this usually forces my children to sleep at a neighbour's house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Being a casual labourer, I am always full of worries every morning when I wake up, due to doubts on whether I will secure some work to do so as to earn some income that would enable me to buy food for my 8 school-going children. Whenever I am lucky to get one, coming back home in the evening having bought enough food is the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I sold my surplus-milk-producing cow two years ago so as to clear school fees arrears for my children in secondary school. The cow used to produce 6 liters of milk daily, of which I could sell 5liters for $2 daily and that was enough to buy daily food for my 8 children and I. I never had worries back then on where to secure work to do so as to earn a living. I currently engage in tilling people's farms so as to earn some income but these jobs are never readily available, now that people have resolved to keeping livestock in this region due to land unproductivity. Financial constraints is therefore the biggest hardship I face.
