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
55000 KES ($483 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?
I depend on dairy farming and continuous milk production during the dry season is hard since animal feeds are not in abundance during this period. The additional goal that I have is to increase the size of land under animal feeds cultivation. With this, my livestock will have a continuous supply of feeds even during the dry season. This will enable us to have milk throughout and get money from the sale of it that we can use to meet our basic needs.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my own opinion, GiveDirectly did well by giving out financial aid to people. Because of this, those who did not have iron-roofed houses have been able to build them and are currently having access to clean water for domestic use, especially during this rainy season. I do not see anything that they did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I depend on subsistence farming to support my family of four and to pay school fees for my two children who are in college. I thank God for leading GiveDirectly into our village at the time when I needed help the most. With my second transfer, I was able to spend KES 20000 to pay school fees for my son who was joining college. Also, I spent KES 15000 on the purchase of a solar panel, wet battery and paid labor for fixing it for lighting purposes in my homestead. I settled on this since I did not want to continue worrying about the prices of paraffin that keeps on increasing every day. I Spent the remaining amount on food, utensils, clothes, and a big water pot that we are using to store clean water for drinking and domestic use.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($500 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received the transfer I felt so happy. I remember it was around 9am when I heard a ringtone message from my phone. I was busy doing my morning chores. When I checked it out I could not believe my eyes. It was a message confirming that I have received money from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy and overwhelmed with joy. I have never received such amount of money before. I immediately inform my family members and they were so happy too. I knew I would be able to buy a dairy cow.
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 have bought a heifer. I will be able to get enough milk for my family when it reproduced in the next few months. I will cut the daily cost of buying milk which is so expensive. I spent KES 36,000 per year on purchasing milk only. I had always wished to own a dairy cow but it was not easy because I didn't had money. I depend on small scale farming and sometimes I sell the produce to get some money to purchase other household items. Sometimes I do small business of buying goats from farmers and selling at the market to earn a profits. I used the money I get to pay school fees and other household items needed. I was not in a position to save some money. Currently I have my own heifer and I am so happy now. I know all the struggles will come to an end. My children will get milk daily. I am so grateful for the support.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 27,000 to purchased a heifer. I will be able to get enough milk for my family when it reproduce in the next few months. This will enable me to cut the daily cost of buying milk. I paid KES 10,000 for my children in various schools. The rest of the money I bought food and clothes for my children. I am so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has enabled us to own assets which could have taken quite some time.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I decided to invest my time and resources to educate my kids. I have a family of 9 kids; 4 daughters and 5 sons. All of them were able to finish primary level while three of them managed to secondary level and currently in college pursuing their courses of preference. With no regular source of income, catering for their school fees has been an uphill task. I have gone to an extend of selling part of my properties like cattle to pay for their school fees. I am left with just one cattle that is hardly able to fend for my domestic use. Receiving this money means that I will be able to restore back my cattle by buying two dairy cattle at cost 25,000 each and the remaining balance buy sheep and goats. In this way, I will be keeping them and as they multiply, sell them to fend for my family's needs.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I spend a large part of my daytime in the farm. I involve myself in doing mixed farming I.e maize, beans, sweet potatoes and dairy farming. The happiest part of my day is in the afternoon. This is the time I get to rest after a long hours toiling on the farm.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I used to have a good number of livestock sometimes back. With a family of 11 members and 9 kids to raise + educate, I had to toil on a regular basis to realize this. I mostly rely on subsistence farming to fend for my family. The output from the farm was not enough to cater for all these basic needs and so I had to sell part of my property on a regular basis. A chunk of my livestock including cattle, sheep and goats had to be sold. Now I am left with one cattle that is hardly enough to supply my family with milk products. My hope is one day I will be able to restore my livestock. This is the biggest hardship I have ever experienced.
