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.
How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life is currently different from how it was four months ago in that I have been able to practice good farming practices. I have been able to apply enough fertilizers on my crops, use hybrid seeds and also plant on time. Due to this, I am hopeful of a good harvest wich will last us till the next harvesting season. Also, I have been able to finish building myself a house. I am now glad since I no longer walk around the village seeking shelter. As a result of this, my self-esteem has improved because I now have a sense of belonging. With my age, I was always ashamed of myself as I felt that I had not achieved anything in life because I did not have even a simple structure to call my house.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My additional goal for the next four months is to plant some tomatoes on a farm I recently leased. I will be able to sell them at a period when its demand is high hence I will be able to earn more profits. I will use this income to buy a heifer which will act as my investment.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer is that I have been able to buy two goats for rearing. I settled on this since they have a shorter gestation period hence they will increase in number within a short time. When they reproduce, I will sell some of them and use the money to buy a dairy cow. I will then be selling some milk to my neighbors so that I can get money to use in meeting some of our needs.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, my life will have changed in that I will have bought a heifer. I will use the income from my tomato farming and also sell some of my goats to achieve this. With this, I will be knowing that I will be earning an income from the sale of milk after some time.
16th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
Currently, my grass thatched house is no longer giving me shame since it is already demolished. I have confidence within me that enables me to invite visitors every time I feel the need to. I also boast of harvesting clean water since my house is iron roofed and therefore easier to collect rainwater.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
Four months to come, I intend to buy a cow which will be providing milk for the entire family. This will reduce my cost of buying milk because once it calves, the milk will be enough for my family and even for sale.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life in the last four months is the fact that I own an iron-roofed house. Every day I wake up I am always filled with joy and thanksgiving since my house is now complete, roofed in iron. I have always had a grass thatched one which was small and did not accommodate all of my family members. It was leaking and this exposed us to diseases that may come out of the cold.
Previously, I would not invite visitors because of the shame that would come with the type of house that I had. I am now free to invite them any time of the day or night because I have presentable structures.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I will have bought a cow. It is in my expectation that the cow will be so much beneficial to me since I will be getting milk. The milk will be enough for my family and I will have extra for sale. This means that I will be able to provide for my family with ease and this brings more family ties and connection.
12th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time almost 6 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
Life is good is a phrase I used to hear people saying. I never knew that one day I will be in the same shue expressing boldly that life has changed from bad and now good. all thanks goes to GiveDirectly for turning the tables,. we were living a hard life in the past four months but now I can say that life has changed and it is much different. I have lifestock on my farm, I have widen the area of my farm under cultivation and now I am practicing subsistence farming in almost all my farms and children are schooling well without being send home any other time to collect the school fees as was the case in the past four months.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
Having been settling a loan for the last three month have not given me a chance to start any new investment and now that I am almost done, I have a plan to obtain a bigger loan. this is due to the fact that I have a plan to buy a heifer which I will be rearing. At the moment I can say that I have a brighter future if at all the goals and ideas I have generated in the past few months will come to pass. In our region, we have several cooperatives which are giving out loans at a lower interest; those are the ones I will be pick ing on since they will give me a manageable loan. I will start paying back in the immediate month using GD money since it is the only sure source we have at the moment.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The life I was living before receiving the transfers was a life of my own, every hardship was on my side and i would always imagine that every other person could be undergoing the same. this could be bacuse \i was doing my own things without sharing my ideas with anyone and also struggling alone with my family life. This really changed when i started receiving the transfers. A group of 10 members was started i our village where we would contribute to each other in turns in form of table banking. It is not only that the group deals with the money contribution but the members are there to ensure that eveeryone who receives his turn has a good plan on what to spend on. I thank God that the impact has been on my side, i have made many differences but the greatest in my daily life is being a member in a vibrant group ready for the development. This has enabled me purchase two sheep which i am now rearing. Indeed GiveDirectly is making an impact in y life.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months I have a plan to continue with my agriculture and at least diversify the plantations ranging from maize, beans and also potatoes. This will ensure cconstsnt supply of foodtuff for my household. We havee been depending on other farmers too much on their cultivation since we have been buying almost every food yet we have a good and wide piece of land. it being a new year we have decided as a family that we will be doing new things with new style. as we do all these, We only pray that God will give us good health and give GiveDirectly more effort to reach out to other villages.
5th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 6 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
Four months ago, i did not have anything under my name. Right now at least i have some poultry that i rear and with hopes that i will continue improving.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My plan in the next four months is to have bought a cow for rearing. I has always been on my plan list.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
Nowadays, I do not necessarily need to depend on my parents for pocket money and other needs since i get the transfers on a monthly basis.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months i want to be financially stable and running my activities and farming without a problem.
4th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 6 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my life is the fact that I wake up every morning to a different environment full of chicken which i never had before.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect to have heightened the development in the next six months in that my poultry project will have established fully at that time and will be looking into the egg selling business as a great source of income.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I see an ease in life currently in that at least I am making savings a great deal in that the project i started are already earning me some money which I would not have been getting if I was not receiving the transfers.
Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
I have a new goal to build a large poultry house so that I may establish a bigger poultry project.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time almost 7 years ago
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The recipient was not asked any questions as part of this follow up.
Enrolled
access_time almost 7 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship we have faced is when there was a prolonged drought in our land and that meant that there was not enough yield from our farms. It also meant that we had to struggle a lot to get money to buy food. It was a big challenge to us
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is at noon when I have food enough for me and the entire family.
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
Am planning to spend part of my transfer on improving my farming practices to increase the yield from the farm. I also intend to purchase livestock and use the remaining to feed members of my household.
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
The achievement that am proudest of is when I finally owned a cow of my own. This meant that I had a source of income of my own and it changed the lifestyle of my family.