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
access_time over 5 years ago
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What did you spend your second transfer on?
I spent the transfer on purchasing a cow and three sheep. I used the remaining part to buy sugarcane cuttings that I used to plant on my two hectares of land. Livestock and crop farming are the major economic activities in this region in that they are forms of savings, wealth creation and economic power. I believe my children will go to school up to college level since I shall be able to o sell the livestock to meet their fee balances. The nutrition of my household will be improved as well hopping that the cow will provide me with milk. I also intend to sell the surplus milk and use the money to buy food.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly has lifts people from real poverty to empowerment. We realised that we lacked many things including clothes and even food to eat. People were given power to make choices of their best desires since the transfers were unconditional. The mode of transfer was also safe, secure, effective and efficient. I have not made any observations on hat never worked well worth mentioning.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is different in that I started a small scale business of fresh fish that fetches well in this side since most of the people take fish as their favourite meal. This business has become a source of income to my household and a form of employment to me and other two people who help me in fish frying. I have a hope for each day as the little profits that I make from it gives me the potential to buy food to my family and even pay their school fees. I bought a cow that is soon calving and eventually will provide me with milk and ghee. The money that I have been spending to budget for milk could therefore be saved and used to meet other needs likes clothes. I managed to put one hectare of land onto sugarcane farming which I believe that in the next one and a half years will be harvested and add to my financial security. I stocked food in my house that will push me though to the next four months when the harvest will be ready. I am a person of worth and not a beggar. I can socialize with dignity and vigor. Thanks to GiveDirectly transfers.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($546 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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What did you spend your first transfer on?
Given that I did not have a parcel to do my farming, I used part of the money I received to lease two parcels of land. One had sugarcane that was 2 months old and the other had sweet potatoes planted on it. When they mature I will have an income from the proceeds. I also started a fish business. I now supply fish to my community members as a way of making a living which has increased my daily income. Initially, I used to do odd jobs like washing clothes for others to get an income. This was tiresome and the money made at the end of the day was not enough to sustain my basic needs and those of my household members.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received my first transfer, I was very happy I knew that most of my problems were going to be solved from the root cause. I could afford a smile again.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
The biggest difference is that I have a steady income from my fish business and a future expectation of income from my sugarcane and sweet potatoes. This has enabled me to pay school fees for my children and bought new school uniforms for them. Before my children were constantly sent home for fees and this interfered with their performance at school. Their school uniforms were old and torn that made other students make fun of them. I am hopeful that there will be an improvement now that I can keep them in school having cleared their fee arrears. They also look neat in their new school uniforms this makes me a proud a mother and builds their confidence all thanks to GD.
Enrolled
access_time almost 6 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced in my life is lack of stable source of income. Since my husband passed away I mainly rely on casual labour that is not reliable and does not pay well, I hardly earn one hundred shillings a day. This has made it difficult for me to invest in farming or any other business. My children do not dress well like their neighbors and this makes me feel frustrated in life because I can not afford to take good care of my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the morning when I wake up because God has given me life. This is the time that I prepare breakfast and serve my children then leave for work.
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My ambition has been to own a business of selling fish. There is ready market for fish within the village. I will make good profit, my family will also have food to eat since there will be a source of income from the business. I therefore plan to spend my transfer on starting a business of selling fish.