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 ($527 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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What did you spend your second transfer on?
I spent my transfers to purchase a cow. One can never go wrong by investing in a cow because of its many benefits. Their feeds are cheap and are locally available. Cows require little attention and often reproduce after a short period of time. I believe it will improve my life if it starts reproducing and producing milk. I will be selling some of the milk in order to earn income, in case of emergencies the offsprings of this cow will come in handy. Apart from that I also bought a goat. The goat was healthy and almost giving birth. This is like a double blessing to me. The transfer also helped me pay school fees for my child. I am glad she will no longer be sent home due to lack of school fees. This will make her concentrate and do well in her studies. Since it has been long before we bought new clothes, the ones we had worn out and looked untidy. I thank Give Directly for helping me afford to buy new clothes and achieving all these developments within a short time.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Initially, we wholly depended on well-wishers to help us educate our children. In most cases, we could organize for fundraising. It had reached a point where people would no longer attend the fundraising events because they felt we were used to free money. They always thought we were lazy and never wanted to work hard. That stopped when Give Directly came to our village. Most children are now in school and there fees catered for without necessarily organizing asking money from well-wishers. People in this community have now invested in their farms because they can afford to buy farm inputs and pay for labour. This guarantees them bumper harvest because of the increase in the area of land that will be cultivated.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I manage to plaster the floor of my house, my wife had had time sweeping the floor. I opted to plaster so that she can get to work less by just mopping the floor. Were it not for GD, it would have taken me some time before I save enough money for plastering. I thank Give Directly for helping me plaster my house. I finally managed to fulfil my promise to my wife who had a hard time to repair and cleaning the mud-walled house. She now has an easy time doing the cleaning, therefore, giving her ample time to engage in other meaningful activities. Were it not for GD, it would have taken me some time before realizing this dream. I had started saving though since I earn very little plastering this house was almost impossible.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($549 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spend my transfer on building a new house, buying a solar panel and the rest I used on buying a heifer. My old house was almost falling down and I really needed a new house with lighting inside. getting the solar panel saved me a lot of stress.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
That moment I received this transfer I was so happy. I have no word s to describe my joy because I was so grateful for this gift. I have never received such kind of money in my life. It was like a dream to me, I felt like all problems had been solved instantly.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that now I'm at peace with my family because we are living in a good house, eating well and having lighting at night. We no longer go to neighbors to charge our phones since the panel has solved all of that. The children can also study at night and do their homework with ease. I expect them to pass in their exams now that they are comfortably studying more.
Enrolled
access_time almost 6 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship in my life is the fact that I don't have a constant income. I rely on a salary that I earn from working as a night security guard in a nearby town. The money I get is a monthly salary which is usually not enough to take me through the whole month. I really need to have livestock that will provide milk to assist me as I will sell the produce every day. I also need to buy chicken and rear it for egg production.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is usually in the morning. This is when I get back from my work.Getting back to my home safely after a nights work always a happy moment. This is when I thank God for a new day and that he has saved me from the dangers of the night job that I face as a security guard.
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I live in a mud house in which it's floor is earthen. My wife and I are quite old. Having her to smear the floor everytime is quite hectic with this old age. We end up living in a dusty room as the floor is rarely smeared. This exposes me to discomfort and could even cause chest problems. Receiving this money means that I am able to buy some bags of cement and sand to plaster the floor. It will greatly improve my living conditions and make it easy to clean. I will live in a healthy and a nice environment as I will refurbish and furnish the house in addition to plastering.It also means that I am able to buy dairy cow. This will be a source of income as I sell milk to meet my daily needs.