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 ($478 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
The new goal that I didn't had before I received the money was to fence my farm. I had always wished to do that but because I didn't had the money it was not easy. When I get the money I felt so happy and immediately I decided to purchase the wire and the poles yet go fence the farm.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly does well buy giving money to the poor in the community to build better house and to buy dairy cows. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent the money I received from GiveDirectly to build a house for my children. They used to spent nights at the neighbor's house and this was so risky and time wastage. I also purchased a wire and poles planning on fencing my farm. This will prevent my neighbors cows from destroying my crops. The rest of Feb manege I spend on food and other basic household items. I am so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($504 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received the transfer I felt so happy. I remember it was around 8am in the morning when I heard a ringtone message from my phone. I didn't expected any messages that time. I just reluctantly check it thinking it was just a mere alert. I could not believe my eyes, I have never received such amount of money before. I immediately inform my family members and they also celebrated. We sat down with my spouse and agreed on purchasing a dairy cow. We are so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has changed our living standard.
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 bought a dairy cow. I have two other dairy cows and this has been my source of income. We depend on small scale farming and the harvest that we get is only for consumption. Sometimes we do casual jobs in the village, The amount of money that we get through this is so small and cannot meet all the basic needs of the family including paying school fees for my children. When I received the transfer, we agreed with my spouse to buy one dairy cow. Currently we have enough milk for consumption and we sell the surplus at the market to earn an income to pay the school fees for our children in various schools. Our children are no longer sent home to collect the school fees and this has improved their performance compared to the previous terms. We have also devoted much of our time on dairy farming project. I am so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has enabled us to own dairy cow and be in a position to live a better life.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent 300 dollars on purchasing Dairy cow.I will be able to get enough milk for my family and sell the surplus to earn an income. I also bought clothes and food for my family. I am so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has changed our living standard.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money will enable my husband and I to acquire a second dairy cow for about $350. This is going to increase the current milk production from 2 litres a day to 6 litres, and from $0.6 to $1.8 of income a day, respectively. My five children are required to pay a fee of $15 every term to facilitate payment of contracted teachers, and money resulting from milk sales is going to comfortably help me cater for this.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My 5 children attend a nearby primary school and come home every noon time for lunch. By this time I would be done cultivating my beans in the farm and is back home to prepare them a meal. This is the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Maize farming play a major role in the food security of many farmers in my village. When I spent a whopping $150 last year to grow maize on my 3-acre piece of land, I had hopes of reaping big. To my unpleasant disappointment, the whole farm was reduced to ruins of stunted growth due to prolonged drought thanks to living in a semi arid area. For the third year in a row, we are forced to part with $1.6 a day to buy maize for consumption to sustain our family of 8. Life is hard!