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 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
No, I'm grateful that I was able to accomplish set goals but I don't have new goals for now.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I like the fact that the whole process was free and fair.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 40000 to buy a dairy cow. This is because I didn't have a cow or any livestock in my household and I used to envy my neighbors who had dairy cows and they would get enough milk for family consumption and for sale. Luckily when I went to the market to buy a cow after I received my transfers, I spotted a heavily pregnant cow which I bought and it gave birth after after some few days. Nowadays, I nolonger have to buy milk from my neighbourhood for my family so I save on that and I also earn some income after selling milk. I spent the balance on buying uniform and clothes for for my kids .
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($487 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was at the farm busy herding my cows when I heard my phone ringing in my pocket. I decided to pull it out to check what it was all about and to surprise, it was a message saying that I had received the transfer that we had been promised. I was so happy on seeing this that my children noticed my change of mood. They asked me what it was all about and I told them the good news. They were so happy too and they jumped up with joy.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The transfer has brought a big difference in our lives. We were able to achieve our goal of having a cow of our own. We hence no longer have to depend so much on the cow that we borrowed since the owner might come to take it back anytime. The cow that we bought is going to be of great benefit to us because when it calves, we will be able to get more milk for sale. The money from the sales is going to help us in other ways such as paying school fees for our children. We are hence so much grateful to GiveDirectly for the help that they have given us. May God bless them.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent most of the transfer on buying a cow. We had a cow before but it wasn't ours. We had borrowed it. We wanted to have a cow of our own because we knew that someday the owner might come to take back his cow. We didn't want that to happen because we were going to be left out without any source of milk for our consumption and sale. We usually sell milk and with the income that we get, we usually use it on the purchase of household goods such as sugar, soap, etc, and payment of school fees for our children. We were not able to buy the cow before because we didn't have the money. We are farmers and we usually rent land to grow crops such as maize and beans. When these crops do well, we usually sell them and we usually use the money that we get on buying more land. We usually make approximately KES 35000 when the harvest is good. We decided to invest in buying more land because the place that we live in is small and hence the space is not enough for farming and rearing the cows. We hence want to stop renting land for farming. The cow that we bought is hence going to be of great to us because when it calves, we will be able to get more milk for sale hence more income.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that I can finally own some dairy cows. I have been keeping some cows that I borrowed from a friend, with only one that belongs to me. This has come with a lot of restrictions since I cannot keep them the best way I can. The owner has a big say in how I look after them, making this farming quite unproductive. I will two dairy cows at about KES 70,000 and return the borrowed ones. This will give me about 14 litres a day, translating to an average of KES 500. I will be saving these proceeds towards paying school fees for my child joining secondary school early next year.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is during the afternoon. At this time, I work actively on my farm, tendering the livestock to produce milk. It is also around this time that I milk the cows and sell part of the produce. It makes me happy to have the milk to sell and use the money to cover the needs of my household.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship in my life is the lack of an income. I need a stable source of income that will secure my child's future. I currently rely on subsistence farming, getting only enough food from the farm. This has had me worried that my children would not get proper education if they get a school fees problem. Through dairy cow keeping, I will establish a constant source of income.
