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 ($442 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?
The new goal that I have now is starting a poultry-keeping project. I am planning on building a poultry house and getting the hens. This will be my other source of income in that I will sell the eggs to earn some money. I will use the money on meeting my daily household needs.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly does well in that the conduct the best training and enrolls without any biases. Most of the people who received the transfer spent it well. This has improved their standard of living. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 42,000 on purchasing building materials that were needed to build a better and more spacious house. This was my main concern since we lived in a small house that could not host all my family members well. Currently, we live so well and I am so grateful for the support. I had always wished to build a house but it was not possible since I do not have a continuous source of income. The remaining amount of money I spent on food and household items.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($481 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 5 pm and I was busy farming when suddenly I heard my phone ringing hence notifying me of a new SMS. I stopped to check what it was all about and wow! It was a mobile money SMS saying that I had received KES 55000 in my account. I was so happy about this and I thanked God and GiveDirectly for the blessing.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The transfer has brought a big difference into my life. I managed to buy a cow something I have wished for, for a while. The cow is yet to calve, when it does, I will be able to get milk for my consumption and I can sell some to get money for buying food and other household necessities. I also managed to buy some maize for my consumption with part of the transfer. I have thus been able to cut down costs and I have been able to save some of the money that I make from the casual jobs that I do.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent most of my recent transfer on buying a cow and a calf. I bought the cow at KES 35000 and the calf at KES 10000. I bought them because I didn't have any. I usually buy a cup of milk and the milk is not usually easily available in our place. I had always desired to have a cow of my own but due to financial constraints, I was not able to buy one. I depend on casual jobs of farming to earn a living. With the remaining amount of money, I used it in buying food and clothes for myself. Thank you so much GiveDirectly for the help.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means a better living standard for my household. I trade as a middle man which is very competitive since it is the only available source of income for people my age. Every Monday go to our nearest market where livestock are sold and at the end of the day I pocket around KES 300. This sustains me for around two days only with no savings. I am planning to use KES 35,000 to purchase a lactating dairy cow. When it calves I will get milk for consumption and sell the surplus to add to my income. The rest of the money I will use in purchasing food and other household necessities.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In the last 6 months, our area experienced a prolonged drought that affected both farming activities and business. Even thou my source of income has not been productive the KES 200 I got has brought me happiness because I never slept on a hungry stomach.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The challenge I am facing currently is unstable source of income. I am middle man selling livestock but it is not reliable because it is only on Monday's that we sell livestock in our nearest market the other days I do casual jobs. We ended up separating with my spouse because I could not manage to provide for my family basic needs.
