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 ($450 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
The money which I received from GiveDirectly enabled me to pay school fees for my children, acquire a dairy cow and build a house for my family. The burden which I had was that of paying school fees for my children and now having paid fees for two terms, I feel much relieved. The money which I will be earning from the sale of farm produce and casual jobs shall enable me to save money for school fees for next year. My children wouldn't be sent home like it use to be before when I couldn't pay school fees in good time.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly did well when the gave us the freedom to choose what to spend on. As per my observation, all those who benefited from these transfers spend it well. Most people spend on buying livestock, paying school fees for thier children, buying farm inputs, acquiring land, building houses among others.
I didn't noticed anything that GiveDirectly never did well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My second transfers which I received from GiveDirectly, I spent part of it on buying some furniture for my newly built house. I then bought a young bull for rearing so that I can resell in future when it has mature and gain value. The remaining amount, I spent on paying school fees for my three children who are in high school. I thank God for GiveDirectly who came to my life when I needed help the most. I am glad that my burden was eased by these unconditional funds.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($478 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received my money I felt very happy.It was around 10 Am and we just relaxing at home when I received the message.I informed children who got very happy and started dancing and rejoicing because this was a blessing from God on behalf of GD.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life now since I started receiving payment from GD is that now I have my own big house unlike before I was living in a very small one and it was not comfortable for the large family that I am blessed with.This house has raised my status in the village and build our family self esteem that had been trampled on by poverty.
I used to work as water seller earning less than a dollar which was not even enough for food but currently we have enough food and it's thanks to GD transfer.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my most recent transfer to buy iron sheets worth 26000 KES, building wood KES worth 20000 and maize worth 7000 KES.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that I shall have a new venture and stop depending on casual jobs to earn a living. I am employed as a casual laborer in the nearby town to supply water for domestic use in a food outlet. I carry 20 liters of water 10 times on my back daily over a distance of 4 km that is between the river and the food outlet. That means basically that I walk a long distance daily and it wearies me so much because even the pay is not motivating enough-KES.150 that I earn is all spent on food for my family daily. I get so tired always that cooking dinner for my children is a daunting task. I have always wished that I could do other jobs but I cannot because the alternative is subsistence farming or livestock raising which needs a bigger piece of land than the 0.2 acres that I currently have. I would like to purchase a 1-acre piece of land with these transfers and graze 4 cows on it. This will be a full-time job for me that will earn me an income of KES. 2,000 on average every month from the sale of milk.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My child gifted me a dairy goat last year October and this gave me a lot of happiness because I felt the importance of having children that remember me as their parent.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The size of the land is the biggest challenge because it restricts my ability to be self-reliant. We sold the bigger chunk that we had of about 4 acres to settle the hospital bill for my late husband. Ever since then providing for this family of six children has been an uphill task. My husband was our breadwinner and I had to do challenging casual jobs to provide for the family.
