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 ($528 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I majorly depend on subsistence farming which has not been doing well enough to cater for both our daily needs and any other goal in the family. I have children in various schools and my biggest ambition is to see them prosper in their education to allow them to have a better life in the future. Raising their school fees is has always been a challenge to me due to the limited resources in our family. Currently owning the two dairy cows is an achievement to me since once they reproduce, I will have milk for both household consumption and sales gives me. Also, I will have offsprings that I can always depend on in case of any financial crisis more so to raise my children's education fee and any other household necessity arising. To me, having achieved this makes my life different from how it would have been had I not received my transfers.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly did well in giving financial aid to everyone in my village. I only feel that for the impact to be felt more in the community, they should consider helping all the villages not only a selected few.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
I spent most of my second transfer on purchasing two dairy cows as assets for my family. I believe that buying these two cows is a big achievement because I will produce more milk for both household consumption and sales. The offsprings will give security of financial emergencies arising in my family. In addition to this, I spent the remaining amount to buy enough food that will last us for some time.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($529 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
The biggest difference in my daily is that I have built a better and spacious house. We used to live in a small mud house which could not host all my family members comfortably. My children used to spend their nights at their grandmother's place and this was not good because of the movements at night which posed a lot of security challenges on their side. They had no time to complete their homework because of that. I could not welcome visitors to my house because there was no space to host them. Currently, I have built a better house and my children are no longer getting stressed up on where to sleep. They have their own room where they study and do their assignment without any disturbances. This has led to an improvement in their performance in school. I no longer fear to welcome anyone to my house because I have a decent house and nice seats. I am so much grateful for the support from GiveDirectly because it has changed our standards of living.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I felt so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. I had never received such an amount of money in my life before. I remember it was very early in the morning that day when I heard my phone ring and on checking to find out the content of the message, I was surprised to find out that I had indeed received a sum of KES 55000 from GiveDirectly. I could not believe what my eyes saw. I informed my family members about the good news and all were also happy.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent part of my first transfer to build a better and more spacious house for my family. We were living in a very small house and for a long time, I had the desire of building a better one. Due to the little income that I got from my odd jobs, I could not be able to build one until I received transfers from GiveDirectly. I used the remaining amount of money to buy clothes and food for my children.
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Two of my children are in standard eight and about to sit for their national examination in about three months time. Since they'll be transitioning to secondary school next year I ought to make an investment that will cater for their school fees. This is why I will use part of the first transfer to purchase a dairy cow whose milk i will sell to make savings for their education. Both of them are grown ups and have been spending their nights at my brother's house. I am going to spend remaining part of the transfer to build them their own house so as to accord them dignity they deserve.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The Kalenjin people are renowned pastoralists whose ownership of cattle is a sign of wealth and prestige. Livestock play a massive sentimental value to every man in my community. Cows especially are regarded with high esteem and endearment. Every afternoon I spend time with my cows giving them feeds and sitting amongst them. This is usually a valued time and fulfilling moment. It is the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
For close to a decade now, maize farming which has been the community's backbone has continued to plummet in production. This drawback is attributed to prolonged droughts and incessant soil borne diseases. Consequently, we have been forced to sell properties especially livestock and engaged in deforestation so as to eat and send our children to school. This unreliable climatic conditions is the biggest hardship I've faced in my life. My worry has been a constant thought of the day we would have run out of things to sell.
