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 ($467 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 spending decisions for the first and the second transfers went so well that I exhausted them having had all that I had planned. At the moment, I still feel that I should invest more in livestock since I only have six sheep that I bought with the transfer but I still have to buy milk for my family. It is my hope that I will soon sell some of the sheep, add the outcome to the savings that I have, and proceed to buy a dairy cow.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Everything done by GiveDirectly was great in my opinion. All that I had been dreaming of came to pass right after receiving the transfer. I am grateful for everything and no complaint at all since I never saw anything that was not well executed, especially after a clear elaboration of how everything will roll out during the initial stages.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Living in a dry region left me with few choices that informed my spending decisions of my second transfer. Crop farming on our farms has not been doing so well but investment in livestock that I ventured into after buying six sheep at KES 30000 had been so impressive. The plenty of grazing grounds especially in the nearby government forest makes it easier, and soon I am hoping to see them grow to the significant sizes that can be sold to earn some appreciable income. I spent KES 9000 out of the remaining amount on foodstuff for my household, equipped the two rooms with beds and beddings for my two sons and two daughters worth KES 8000, and the remaining amount added to our savings that have been useful in the daily travels by my husband and me and replenishing of the household goods.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($504 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was going on with my daily hustles when I received the mpesa message on my phone. I was overwhelmed with joy after reading its contents that confirmed that I had received my transfers that would transform our lives for the better. I live in a one room house and my children always have to sleep in our neighbors house. This is because I had not been able to build a more spacious house for my family and we would not sleep in the same room as they are all grown ups. With the money in my account, I could envision my family living happily and spending more time together in the evenings.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Before receiving the transfers, I used to live in a one room house. I depend on casual jobs and the pay is not always enough to cater for our daily needs and this always made me live on debts. Due to this, I had not been able to save even a cent to use in the construction of a spacious house for my family. Despite shelter being one of the basic needs, my children had to always walk some distance at night looking for a place to spend their night. What made me more worried is living knowing the dangers my girls are exposed to going to sleep in my neighbors house. Currently, my heart is at peace unlike before. This is because I am almost through with the construction of a house for my family and I know that very soon, my children will be sleeping at home.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We used to live in a one room house that served as our bedroom at night and during the day, we would assemble all our beddings in one corner. Since my children are all grown, they had to always sleep at our neighbors house. I was always worried about their security as it is unsafe especially for girls to walk around at night. My transfers came in handy as I was able to spend $ 370 from it to build a more spacious house. I am now glad since in the next few weeks, my children will be sleeping at home and I will not have to worry about their security anymore. In addition, I spent $ 50 on clothings in order to replace the old ones that were tattered. I also purchased a goat at $30 as an investment. I will sell it when faced with financial crisis and use to money to solve it. I spent the remaining $ 70 on food and other household necessities like toiletries and utensils.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
This program from GiveDirectly has come at a time when I was wondering what I will do to get money to purchase building materials. I live with my two children, an 18-year-old son, and a 16-year-old daughter in a small single roomed house.I have only partitioned it with a curtain so that I can get a place to sleep.Since I cannot share the room with neither of the children (our culture does not allow this),my daughter is forced to go to her grandmother's house every night and my son to a neighbour's.As a parent,it gives me no peace every night not to sleep in the same compound as my children especially my teenage daughter.Am constantly worried that something may happen to her especially with the way the society has turned out to be.I therefore intend to first start by building a house for my children.This will cost me approximately Sh 30000.I would also like to purchase two cows for Sh 25000 each because we do not have one now and depend on the little milk my parents give us.Doing this will not only provide this necessary commodity but also an income through the sale of surplus milk.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My daily activities involve shaping out bolts out of metallic pipes for sale.It is something I have done for two years now and my only source of income.It involves alot of hard labour and this means that each day needs a good amount of energy.In the evening,I close for the day after meeting a certain target I had set and head back home to my children.This is usually the happiest part of my day especially because I get sometime to rest as well as spend time with my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I separated from my spouse about 9 years ago after a disagreement. She then left our marital home to her parent's home with our youngest child leaving me with the three elder ones. Playing the role of both mother and father has been the biggest hardship I have faced. Raising girls is especially hard for an African man-there are things you cannot openly discuss with your daughter. Aside from this, meeting the needs of a family of four single-handedly is a challenge.The casual job I often engage in earns me Sh 2000 per week and with all the needs from food,clothing and education this is a very small amount for four people.With resilience though,we have been able to live one day at a time up to this point even though the children miss maternal care.
