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 ($485 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I am a peasant farmer and mostly, I have to buy all the food items for my family. This is costly since I do not have a source of income. Due to this, doing some developments and fulfilling my goals had been like a dream to me. With the transfers, I was able to build a more spacious house for my family and purchase three heifers. I had never thought that I would ever accomplish this in my entire life due to lack of income. At the moment, we enjoy our privacy and I am optimistic that I will be able to cater most of our daily needs using the income from the sale of milk. This has made my life different than how it would have been had I not received the transfer and I am forever grateful to GiveDirectly for making this to happen.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well by giving out unconditional cash transfers to people. By doing so, one is able to improve his/her lifestyle through building houses and acquiring assets like land and livestock. I find nothing that GiveDirectly does not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I depend on small scale farming and the harvest that we get annually is only for our consumption and does not last us till the next harvesting season. In addition, There're some months in a year that we have to buy milk daily. With unstable source of income, we're at times forced to skip some meals like lunch or take porridge in the evening as our supper. When I received my transfer, I decided to spend $500 to purchase two heifers. I will be selling milk and use the income on food and to cater for my children's school fees. I used the remaining $25 to purchase new school uniforms for my children. I decided on this since the ones they had were old and worn out.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($510 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The message I received notifying me of the transfer receipt at 9.00 a.m. was a stunner. I could not believe it at a glance but after perusal and confirmation of the balance check in my account, I got assured. This was one of the best moments in my life - full of joy and tears in my eyes then were uncontrollable. For once I got a mandate to sit and make a budget over all that we had been hoping for in our household.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
After receiving the transfer the developmental steps I took were immense. From having one small house to the complete construction of a new spacious one and also bringing in a potential milk-producing heifer, which means a simplified way of settling school fees for my kids as I had been supplying fresh milk to their school. All these would not have been possible had I not received the transfer since investing in both simultaneously was really impossible at such pressing seasons.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
With the first transfer received, I spent a larger portion on the construction of a new house. I spent 29000KES on buying 34 iron sheets, paid the labor cost with 11000KES, and used the remaining on obtaining an in-calf heifer. The huge amount on the new house was worth it since I had been living with my family of four in a small house. Currently, I am glad that I can comfortably accommodate up to five visitors unlike in the recent past when I could seek bed spaces from my neighbors. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the exceptional support which has really changed our living standard.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money mean a healthy family. Seeing my family happy and healthy has always been my ambition. My intention is to buy one additional dairy cow to the three I have which are less productive. We normally get 3 liters of milk a day from the cows which is hardly enough for both domestic and school expenses. I have six children and consume 1 litre and sell the remaining 2 which I feel it is hardly enough for my family. I am therefore planning to buy one dairy at approximately Ksh 20,000 to supplement from what I get from the ones I have.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening. This is because when my four school going children have left for school in the morning, I embark on taking care of the remaining two children while I herd the cows until around 12pm when I go back home to prepare lunch for them. I use the rest of the afternoon working in our garden of 0.25 acres of land where I have grown kales by weeding, transplanting and harvesting some in the evening for domestic use. Having time to rest while I chat with the rest of my family brightens my evening.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Prolonged period of drought has been the biggest hardship we have faced in life. We normally experience inadequate rainfall in our region making our everyday life unbearable. Owing to this, we opted for drought resistance cows (indigenous) which are less productive. Even though we have 2 acres of land under cultivation, we harvest approximately 1.5 bags of maize which is hardly enough to cater for the entire family of eight.
