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.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($442 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My new goal is to be able to start a small business for my wife who currently just stays at home to do house chores. I have in mind opening a small shop where she will be selling the basic household commodities and foodstuff to make some little income. This will make it possible for her to supplement the income that I get from my casual job as a tractor driver. How I intend to actualize this is through savings I will make from my job especially when I travel outside county to prepare peoples farms for planting.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly did very well giving us support in form of cash and not putting conditions on what we can spend the money on and what we cannot. This made it very easy for people to make decisions on how to spend the money with different people making different decisions. On the other hand I did not find anything that I thought GiveDirectly could have done better or that which they did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 30000 to buy a dairy cow and used another KES 18000 to buy roofing iron sheets. The remaining amount was used to buy food and other basic household needs for my family. I made a decision to buy a dairy cow since we owned just one yet it is one of the main economic activities that gives us a lot of income here at our place. I am happy that the dairy cow has already calved and we now sell the surplus to earn extra income that helps us meet the needs of our family. I also bought building materials- iron sheets as I prepare to expand our house to be much bigger and also improve from that of mud wall to a timber wall. This will make our home more comfortable and more permanent than it currently is.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($482 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was a few minutes past 5 pm when I realized that I had an unread message. My heart was filled with joy and thanksgiving upon realizing that it was a Mpesa message indicating that GiveDirectly had sent the promised money. This money made me believe in GiveDirectly and their promises and I informed my spouse who equally became so happy upon hearing the news. We then decided as a family on how would start achieving our goals as we had already planned.
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 am now a proud owner of a dairy cow. Because of this, I am happy that I will no longer be buying milk daily very soon when these cow calves. Also, I will earn some money through the sale of surplus after setting aside some for our consumption. In addition, I will be able to save KES 1000 that I usually spend on milk monthly.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I bought a heifer worth KES 35000 upon receiving my transfer. This is an investment to me that will enable me to earn money through the sale surplus and also be able to save KES 1000 that I have been using on milk monthly. In addition, I spent KES 16000 to purchase 22 pieces of iron sheets that I am planning to use in building a more spacious house for my family since the one we currently have is small. I used the remaining amount on food for the family. I am a tractor driver and I am paid daily depending on the work that I have done. I usually earn around KES 200-500 a day and this has always been enough to meet our basic needs as a young family as we plan and wait for our firstborn who will be born very soon.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means a stable income. I earn around KES 500 from which I saved KES 20,000 to assist me to build a house because I was starting a family life. I purchase milk daily and it is much more expensive because I use KES 60 per day. I am planning to use KES 40,000 to purchase a dairy cow. This will be a relief to me since I will save the money used in buying milk for other projects and also sell the surplus to add to my income.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I married my wife in June last year. The peace and harmony we have had in our family since we started living with her has brought me happiness.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The challenge we are facing currently is financial constraints.With a growing family the KES 500 I earn daily is not enough to cater to all the family needs such as clothing, food and shelter.
