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 ($524 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Before, provision for my family's needs was a struggle . This was because I couldn't afford to till my farm with an oxen or apply the modernized methods of cultivation hence the only option was to till the land myself with my family members. This was never effective because at the end of it all, I harvested poor yields which lead to food shortage because of the little piece of land I would cultivate. My daily life is different in that I am able to get daily food with ease since I spent most of the transfers to cultivate ten acre of my farm with an application of modern methods of cultivation and the yields I have harvested are fairly enough to feed on hence sell the surplus and use the money to educate my children.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDIrectly did well by offering my community financial support which had no conditions on it . Personal, being one of the beneficiaries is the best gift GiveDirectly made because, I was languishing in poverty and I had lost hope .However, GiveDirectly's transfer has made a bigger transformation in my life. I do not see what it did wrong at its work.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
I spent the money I received from GiveDirectly to buy food for my family's consumption . I purchased 20 chicken purposely to keep and later sell then use the money to cater for emergencies that might occur. I also bought building materials such as sand , doors and bags of cement. I haven't built the house yet because the money was not enough and all hope isn't lost since I intend to finish the construction of my semi-permanent house which I have always desired after collecting my saving in a few month with the money from GiveDirectly that has remained.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($542 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
Owning the cow to me is the biggest difference in my daily life. In my community livestock is greatly valued. It is usually seen as a source of wealth since once they reproduce over a short period of time. They also have numerous benefits and one would wish to own many of them. I used to rear goats only until I got the means to buy a cow. The livestock will come in handy when paying our children's education in future. Meanwhile, I will continue enjoying the milk from the cow. My family will have enough for consumption, as well as sell the surplus to earn an income.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was my helper who showed me the message early that morning. She had my phone when the message got in. I was greatly overjoyed on receiving the good news. Finally, GiveDirectly had fulfilled their promise. I will continue thanking them for not giving us false hopes. May they continue with their good deeds. The financial support has greatly improved my life. I managed to start projects I didn't know I would one day do them
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent KES 14000 of my transfer on purchasing a cow. To me, having a cow is an achievement because it will reproduce and increase in number. I know with time, I have a herd of cattle that I can decide to sell whenever an emergency occurs. Apart from that, I also took KES 10000 to hire labor. I needed to plough my five acres of land before the planting season was over. In addition to that, I also bought bedding for my children. I bought a bed and a mattress My children can now sleep peacefully compared to when they slept on mats. I spent the remaining amount to cater for my other household needs such as food and some household items.
Enrolled
access_time 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Having had a vast experience in selling clothes before, it is my greatest desire to start over again. Reviving it will be a dream come through to me and therefore, I intend to invest my initial transfers in it. This will go into renting the working place, furnishing it and buying the opening stock. For the following transfers, half of it will cater for educational needs and basic household items. And for the remaining part, it will go towards improving the business because this is where the income will come from. I will work hand in hand with my husband to gain the best out of it.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Morning is the happiest part of my day. Usually, my day starts as early as 6 o'clock, and since I'm a stay at home, my daily routine revolves around household chores and caring for the kids. I always look forward to a new day and that brings about the nice feeling about the morning part of the day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Three years ago, I developed a severe chest complication that saw me hospitalized for a month. At that time, I had a clothesline, where I used to sell all sort of clothes. But since this was my only source of income, I had to use all the money that I had saved from it to meet my medical costs. I spend over ksh 80000 in hospital and up to now, I'm still under medication. As a result, the situation forced me to close shop since that money that had remained was not enough to run the business, and that meant a financial instability in the offing. Ever since then, sustaining my family's needs has been an uphill task. My husband had to resort to odd jobs around the village to at least earn a daily wage for the family to get food and basic education.
