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 ($441 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?
I have no new goals at this time. I intend to save money from my casual jobs in the village to pay my children's tuition fees at university and high school. It's my priority right now because I want to see them succeed in their studies.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The majority of the village's inhabitants have launched the dairy farming project. As a result, they have reduced the daily cost of buying milk, which is so expensive. In addition, some of them have started businesses and some have invested in horticulture. All of that has enhanced their standard of living. I do not not anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent 35,000 for the purchase of a dairy cow. It was because I used to buy milk every day and it cost me a lot of money. I rely on occasional jobs in the village to make an income. The amount I was receiving was very small and was just to pay for basic household items and tuition for my children. I sold all my milk cows to pay for school fees. I am so thankful that I no longer buy milk as I used to. I spent KES 15,000 to pay the tuition for my children in high school and university. They are now studying well and not disturbed as they used to. I hope to achieve better results this academic year. The remainder of the money I spent on food, clothing and household items that we were missing. I am so grateful because GiveDirectly has made a difference in our standard of living.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was a few minutes to 6 pm while attending a Wednesday church fellowship. That's when one of the women informed us that she had received her transfers. On checking our phones, each of us had received KES 55,000. We were excited and this increased our faith and trust in God. In honor of God we knelt and thanked God and GiveDirectly for such a gift.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving the transfers is the purchase of a dairy cow which is now a source of milk. As a result, my kids can now take breakfast well unlike before when they used to go to school without breakfast.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a mother of eight; three are now independent and five are still under my care. To pay school fees I rely on maize vending, vegetables, and beans farming. My husband also works as a casual laborer in my kid's high school to settle their fees too.
For five years, I have been buying half a liter of milk at KES 30. This was after the sale of my dairy cows for payment of school fees for my kids who were in high school then. Therefore when my transfers arrived, KES 42,000 was spent on a dairy cow. Which is now a source of milk for my family hence reducing milk expenses.
Secondly, KES 10,000 was spent on payment of accommodation fees and pocket money for my son in college and my daughter in high school.
Lastly, KES 2,000 was utilized on food and household items. This has helped reduce household expenses.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
According to our tradition, as soon as your child starts dreaming, he is supposed to move out of his father's house. We have 2 fully grown boys but they don't have somewhere to put their heads when night comes. They have to seek it within the village which I feel is inappropriate as a parent. Because we do not have a constant source of income, we have been unable to set up one for them. With an estimated cost of KES 40,000, we intend to build a house for them and lead a decent life. I could not hide my joy when saw Give Directly making an entry into our village because I knew sooner or later, my children will be comfortable in their house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Through the help of the village members, we were able to take our son to the university and this brought joy to our lives. The village members were able to come together and assisted us through a fundraiser 5 months ago. Initially, we were worried that our son will not be able to realize his dream of going through the university but God was on our side.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Maize necrosis disease is the challenge we are currently facing. In the previous planting season, we planted maize on our 0.5-acre piece of land but unfortunately, we harvested nothing. The entire land was damaged by the disease and we are now facing acute food insecurity. At first, we were optimistic that we will harvest sufficient maize but all were in vain and this makes me feel sad.
