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 ($463 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?
After bringing in two livestock, equipping my new house with a new piece of furniture, and even clearing all the bills I had in the hospital when I visited for a check-up, I am grateful to GiveDirectly for making all that possible for me. At the moment, I have a new goal of starting a small business that will earn my household a daily income and gave me a break from the less-paying hard labor that I had been doing every day. I am looking forward to raising enough capital that will enable me to venture into a business of choice in the future.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, the instant stop in the poor livelihood that was always seen within the village is attributed to the great information that we received during the initial sensitization stages by GiveDirectly. We were equipped with knowledge that guided us a lot while spending. I am happy that no one is seen begging anymore, but we are all working hard to ensure that we adequately provide for our families. I saw nothing wrong with the whole process, and I still believe that GiveDirectly is still doing well in all villages they are visiting.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I had been living in a single house with my family of four for a long time until GiveDirectly came in when I constructed a new house that we are now living in. On receiving the second transfer, I had to bring in new pieces of furniture that included two 3-seaters chairs and two tables at a total cost of KES 10780. The room is now filled and furnished from the interior except for the ceiling board that I am yet to fix after buying some boards at KES 2940. I also bought a heifer at KES 20000 to add to the already existing dairy cow I had bought with the first transfer. Even though the initial one I have produces enough milk for my household use, I still needed an additional breed that will be a source of income for my family. It was unfortunate that I felt sick just a week after receiving the second transfer and had to visit a nearby hospital for a check-up treatment. The good news is that after clearing a bill of KES 10000, I came back with medication and am grateful that I got well after using it. I spent KES 7000 of the remaining amount on buying new clothes for my children and also KES KES5600 on buying two sacks of maize that we are using at the moment as household foodstuff.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($485 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 busy at the farm looking after my neighbours' cows, I had asked him to lend me some of his cows so that I can take care of them while he is still in the city, this was the only way I knew that my children would be able to get milk, my phone was off, upon switching it on I saw a Mpesa notification showing that I had received money from GiveDirectly, I knew that this would be the beginning of a new dawn in our lives and I was super excited because I knew that I would be able to achieve the goals that I had set earlier.
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 was able to buy my cow, and the best part of it is that it was an in calf, it gave birth three weeks ago, thus I now have milk surplus in my home, it is exciting to see where I came from and that I will no longer be a laughing stock in the village, this is because I used to take care of people's cows so that I would benefit by been given milk. My heart is overjoyed likewise to my husband who is equally thankful for the great milestone that we achieved in a short period.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My husband is masonry and I am a farmer, together we are blessed with 3 children, we could not afford to buy a cow before due to financial constraints, this is because non of us has a stable source of income thus the transfer came as a huge relief, Upon receiving my transfer, I knew that this would be the perfect timing for me to purchase my cow so that I could take care of it, therefore, I decided to buy a cow worth KES 25,000, I then built a house which I used KES 17,000. In addition to that, I paid KES 5000 for my children's school fees. lastly, I bought clothes and foodstuffs with the remaining part of the transfer.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My priority for the Give Directly transfer is to build a bigger and iron roofed house for my family. The house is estimated to cost around KSH 40,000. I'm a second wife to my husband with 3 children, two boys and one girl. In our custom when one is married as the second wife they need to have their own house, but because my co-wife died and left around grown up boys, it meant they would inherit their mothers house. My husband had to build a small hut for me to start living in. The hut is grass roofed which is slowly falling off and when it rains it pours inside. On rainy days we have to stand in the middle of the hut where it's not pouring just to shelter ourselves from the rain. Because it's small my 2 sons are forced to sleep at our neighbours house since it's a taboo for sons and mothers to sleep in one room. I'm left to sleep with my daughter and husband when he comes home for weekends. I would love to build a bigger house that can unify my family by accommodating the 5 of us under one roof.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the morning. Since my hut is small my two boys are forced to sleep at the neighbours. Most nights I'm worried for their safety but each morning when they come home for breakfast I'm reassured of their safety and we'll being.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship we face is lack of a reliable and sustainable source of income. On most days my family is forced to sleep hungry or borrow food from the neighbours. Since my husband has 3 children from his first marriage who are in secondary and college, he has to pay school fees for them. My 3 children are still in primary school and for them we don't require a lot of school expenses like the grown up ones.My husband works as a casual labourer in house construction with a daily wage of KSH 500. The income he gets is not enough to support both families needs which include food, education and better housing. I sometimes work on people's farms and get paid KSH 200 per day and this has helped in bringing in extra income for the family.
