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 ($441 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 raise enough money to buy a piece of land . We are currently staying in a very small piece of land that would not allow us practice mixed farming. My intention is to start a poultry keeping project that will propel me towards buying a piece of land. Once we get enough money from the poultry project, we intend to use it to buy a piece of land and put it under agriculture.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly did very well by giving us all an opportunity to benefit from the money. I have never received support in form of money before and receiving this was such an honour to me. I feel so much happy to have benefitted from such a program
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 40000 to buy a dairy cow and used the remaining amount to buy food and other basic household needs. We had sold the one that we owned to buy a piece of land and we were left with none. This had left us with a prolonged shortage of milk where we were forced to buy milk which is quite costly as well. My husband does odd casual jobs to make income but he gets just enough to buy food for the family. We have four children whom we take care of and pay their school fees.
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?
I had heard from my immediate neighbor that GiveDirectly had started sending the promised money since had already received hers. From that time, I started checking my phone whenever I heard it ring. At some few minutes past 6 pm, I received a Mpesa message indicating that my transfer had been sent. I became so happy and I started jumping up and down in ululations. I knew that my prayers had finally been answered and I would be able to fulfill my dreams.
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 started a poultry project and I recently earned money after selling some eggs. This had been my dream project and I am happy that I have finally realized it and I will be able to help my spouse with some of our bills.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a housewife and my husband is the breadwinner of the family. Since we cannot depend on crop farming because our land is small, it had always been my prayer to start a poultry-keeping project but I had not been able to due to lack of finances. When I received my transfer, I spent KES 30000 to build a chicken pen, KES 10000 to buy 20 chickens, and KES 7000 on food and clothes. I still have KES 8000 that I am using in buying chicken whenever I find them. I am glad that I have a project that keeps me busy most of the time apart from the house chores.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
To get the right mixture of mud to smear my house, I have to walk on foot for about 3km to get. I then have to carry on my back as it is expensive to hire someone to do it for you. This is because I live in a semi-permanent house where the walls need to be repaired often due to the effects of rainfall or wind. Receiving this money means that I will use KES 45000 to fully plaster the walls of my house. This will in turn iron out the issues of constant repairs and ensure the appearance of my house is maintained all through. I also intend to use the remaining balance to buy extra land so that I can be planting animal fodder.
What is the happiest part of your day?
We used to live in a 0.1-acre piece of land that was only enough to accommodate the main house and kitchen structures. In August last year, my husband withdrew his savings and we managed to add another 0.1 acres of adjacent land that gave us additional space to construct a poultry unit and keep 2 dairy cattle. This has brought joy into my life since I have additional tasks of rearing chicken and dairy cattle and in return having some income from the sale of their products.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Food security is the biggest challenge that we are currently facing as a family. My husband is a foreman in a certain homestead and we mostly depend on his little pay to cater for our needs. A bigger percentage of his salary is for buying foodstuffs since the 0.2 acres of land we currently occupy does not leave any space to cultivate. This means that it will be difficult for us to cater for our family if one day his job ends.
