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 ($430 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I hope to start a grocery business and a salon . I had already build 4 shops so I'll keep 1 for myself . I have chosen grocery and salon business because I see there is ready market here . I'm not sure about the exact capital , maybe I will ask my friends who are already in the business but with $500 I'll be able to start small and expand later . I'm not in any merry go round group nor saccos , so I cannot say that I'll take a loan , I will try to save from my water and charcoal businesses to see if I'll raise the capital .
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Your organisation has done us good . It is my prayer that God will bless you . I always wished to have my water back , and it is through Give Directly that it happened. Now I sell the water and earn a living . The best thing yo did is giving us non conditional transfers . How can I see wrong in good hearted people like you? Personally , everything you did was okay .
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have no stable source of income , I usually sell charcoal and just keep myself busy with house and farm chores . My husband who is the bread winner was the manager of an M.C.A but he lost he job after the M.C.A lost elections . When I received the second transfer we had no tap water , It had been disconnected because of bill arrears which had accrued upto $75 , so I paid it and got the water reconnected . I went to Kilifi town and bought a 3,000 litre water tank worth $188 and used $15 to transport it home . Before I could really suffer because of fetching water from far . So I spent $23 on 3 bags of cement and paid $42 labour for the water tank to be firmly installed . Right now that is a problem of the past , infact I now sell my water to the residents of my village . I used to keep goats for my sister and I really wanted to buy something that I would use to remember Give Directly , so I bought 2 does , each did cost $35 . As we speak , I'm already enjoying their milk since they both gave birth not so long ago . You see these are blessings ! My 3 primary school going children had school fees arrears which had accrued to $55 , I also cleared it . I then used $22 to buy 1 bale of maize flour and $10 to buy 10kgs of powder soap .I was left with about $30 so I saved it so that incase of an emergency , I'll have where to run to . I thank Give Directly for literally changing my life .
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($475 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I felt so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. I was at home and it was early in the morning when one of my young children told me that we had a message from GiveDirectly.I told my husband who was at home that time
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference is the house that we renovated our business place. At the end of the month at least we get some income from the businesses that we have since opened. I plan to start a business
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used part of it to buy building materials worth 20000 and used another KES 10000 to wire our house and used the remaining amount to do finishing in our house.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I had piped water that used to help me especially during drought where the community members would come and I sell to them. Selling water used to be my source of income, unfortunately, unrealistic water bills started coming that made me pause paying the charges. When I stopped paying the bills my meter was taken and now I have to find money to retrieve it so I can go back to business. Since the source of income was cut I had no choice but to depend on my husband who earn his living from riding a motorcycle. Receiving these transfers will enable me to clear the water bill of 7,650 KES and then buy a water tank that will cost around 30,000 KES for storing water in case we ran out of water in the taps. I will then save the rest of the money as I plan with my husband on the next investment.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My husband's motorbike broke down but he managed to repair it and he can now use it to ferry people and earn some money. This made me happy because sometimes when he is not busy he uses it to help me fetch water.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
When the water was disconnected I started to experience difficulties in getting water because now I have to walk 2km with my child on my back to fetch water. This has made me develop some medical conditions like back pains and frequent asthmatic attacks due to exposure to dust and cold. My current challenge is therefore lack of water.
