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 ($468 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
We have two children who are still young and we live in a two-room house where we sleep with the children in the same room. They will need their separate room as they grow up and my goal as of now is to build a more spacious and permanent house. I will be buying building materials in bits using the proceeds from the poultry project until the day I will have achieved this goal.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
It had always been my dream to start a poultry project but I had not been able to due to lack of funds. I am happy this has been possible through the unconditional financial aid that I recently received from GiveDirectly. To me, this is what they do best as they allow people to realize their dreams in life. I see nothing that they do not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We had a plan to start a poultry project before receiving our second transfer and on receiving them, we spent KES 35000 to build a chicken coop and buy some chicken. We settled on this since this project is profitable and one can run it alongside other projects like crop and dairy farming. In addition, I spent 12000 to fence my compound by buying barbed wire, poles and paid for the labor. We decided on this since our neighbor's livestock had been destroying our crops whenever we are not around since our compound and farm were open.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($491 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was morning hours and I was at home tethering goats at the farm for them to graze. I had my phone with me and suddenly it rang to notify me of an incoming SMS. I checked it and to my surprise, it was the SMS from GiveDirectly saying that I had received the lump sum transfer of KES 55000. I was so happy on seeing this that I called my husband who is away at work to share with him the wonderful news. He was so happy and we gave thanks to God because we now knew that the plans we had made were now going to be fulfilled.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The transfer has brought a very big difference in our lives. We no longer have to think about where we are going to get the money to purchase a cow. We were also able to buy two goats with part of the transfer. One of the goats is currently our source of milk as we wait for the cow to calve. We thus no longer incur the cost of buying milk. This has all been possible thanks to GiveDirectly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We spent most of the money on buying a cow. We had another cow but it was not ours and it was dry. We decided that with the transfer, we were going to buy one because it was going to be of great benefit to us. The cow that we bought is about to calve and when it does, we are going to get milk that we can consume and sell. We were thus going to get the money that we can use on other developments. Although we have always wanted to buy another cow, we were not in a position to due to financial constraints. The little money that we get, most of it usually goes to the purchase of food.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means I can finally start an sn
Small business. I have always wanted to start selling grains like maize and potatoes. Other household items that can are fast-moving here in this village include soap, sugar, and cooking oil. This business will give me an income of about KES 300 per day. This will be sufficient to take care of my household needs. I will spend about KES 40,000. I will start a poultry keeping at about KES 30,000. This will bring in an additional income of about KES 300 per day, which I can save or use to expand the shop business. It means I will have a better life unlike now where I have to rely on my husband alone, who works as a security officer.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Morning is the happiest part of my day. This is the only time when I am sure of a meal unlike afternoon when i am always hungry after skipping lunch. I have a dairy cow that gives me just a liter per day. I use this to make tea that we take with leftovers from the evening meal if we are lucky enough. I do not worry about morning meals, hence this is the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Food insecurity is the biggest hardship that I face. I do not have a job while the maize crop has been failing on my farm. Depending on my husband, alone, means that we do not get enough money for our needs, mainly food. We sometimes go hungry since his salary is only about KES 8000 per month.
