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.
Learn more about how recipients opt in to share their stories.
How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life is currently different from how it was four months ago in that I feel empowered to my own work. Previously, I used to spend much of time in other peoples farms. It was quiet challenging put in good use my piece of land due to the little resource. Currently, I used my transfer to improve my farming thus I will have better yields for both household consumptions and sales. My life has greatly changed since I am a stressfree lady now that It is easier to provide for my family and meet my basic needs unlike before whren I used to rely on low paying casual jobs.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
Since I spend much of my time in my farmer expanding my farming is easier for me. In the next four months, the new goal I have for my life is to buy a sheep. I prefer this since it is cheap and easily managed and they take a shorter time to reproduce this I will have more to sell in the near future to invest in other goals or meet any arising need in my family.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
I am a farmer and engage in both crop and livestock farming. Even though I earn from farming, It is so challenging to wait for three or more months to realize profits. It is always my happiness to expand my farming and bring in new ideas to increase my income. The biggest difference in my daily life is the poultry farming I started using part of my transfer. Besides better use of idle time and space my compound, I am happy that this has increased my earnings and reduce the time of maturity since I currently get eggs on a daily basis for both household consumption and sales.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I expect my life to be better than in that with the better farming I have done currently I will have enough food and surpluses to sell to increase my income. I expect to be earning more from poultry farming that I started before hence meeting my daily household expenditures will be easier.
16th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life is currently different from how it was four months ago in that I am an empowered woman and I can also support my family unlike before when I had to look upon my husband to provide everything. I am currently so happy that I also play a role in my family and I can access my basic needs with ease unlike before when I had only farming as a source of income. I currently own a heifer that grows day in day out. This my happiness and hopes of better family life in the future since I am sure that it will soon reproduce and adding value. I am happy that I am able to do a lot currently that I could do in the last four months.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
The new goal that I have for my life is in the next four months is to buy sheep. I prefer sheep since I have a grazing land and they take a shorter time to mature hence I will more in the near future that I can sell to meet other financial needs in the family.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
Farming is my main source of income and since it takes a long time to mature, fluctuating prices and climatical condition keeps on changing, farming has never been a reliable source. I majorly consume what I produce with the surplus being used during days when yields are low hence investing outside farming becomes a challenge. Since I started receiving the monthly transfer from GD, I had been saving a thousand each month through merry go round and when my time came, I used the lump sum I received to buy a heifer that has greatly changed my daily life. Whenever I see this heifer I am happy and assured of a better future since I am certain that it will reproduce and also produce milk for both consumption and sales hence more income for my family.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I expect my heifer to have grown bigger and will be about to calf hence I will be more hopeful than now. I expect to have bought more sheep hence will be more wort than my current life. I will be happy that I will be more empowered than now with my assets gaining value and this will also be my hopes for a better life since I will always have securities for any financial needs arising other family needs.
12th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time almost 6 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
Four months ago I used to depend entirely on my husband who is a waiter. All the burden of meeting our family needs was all on him. The burden was sometimes too much on him that he had to work overtime to earn extra money. Receiving the transfers was a relieve to him since I now channel some parts of the transfers in helping him meet our daily needs. At the moment he even has time to visit us and be together as a family. This had not happened in a while and we are really happy. The kids no longer miss him like they used to do.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
In the next four months, I am planning to engage in large scale poultry farming. At the moment I have only 10 chickens and they are free range. My plan is to build a bigger poultry unit and buy more chicken. I am going to do it bit by bit using the monthly transfers. In the 4th month,hopefully I will have gotten earnings out of the sale of eggs.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my life is that I now own a dairy cow. This has been part of my dreams in a long time. When we got the transfers, we joined hands with 10 other people and formed a savings group through table banking. We each contributed KES 1500 and when I got my share of KES 15000 I bought a dairy cow. I am really proud of this since in the next 4 months the cow will have calved and there will be plenty of milk for my family's consumption and also for sale to earn extra income to meet my family's needs. I am really grateful to GD.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, my plan is to buy goats each month from the transfers and the earnings from dairy farming. I am planning to buy these goats as assets for sale. My son will soon be joining a secondary school and when that time comes I will sell them and pay his school fees.
5th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 6 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life currently is different since I now have a calf.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
The new goals I now have is to buy some chicken in order to increase the number which I have.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life is happiness since my children no longer lacks food like before.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect my life to change in that the number of my chicken will have increased.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time over 6 years ago
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Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
The new goals we have laid with some village friends is to start a merry go round. The seven of us plan to buy heifers for each of us in the group. With the heifers in our homesteads we can sell milk and provide for our family once they calf.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life has changed I have chicken which I did not have and had never thought of owning but with the money I have seen the need of having chicken they are cheap to maintain. The eggs also sell well nowadays.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I will have better living standard and social life from the group/ chamas established by the help of these transfers. Members tend to share more with friends and our lives will transform out of this. I am also hopeful that I will also have a heifer by the end of six months.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I am really thankful for this project I have bought the chicken which are already laying. I sell the eggs when I am faced with little pressing household errands to run.
Enrolled
access_time almost 7 years ago
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship i have faced is that a few days ago a very heavy rain swept over my farm which i had just planted maize and beans.This has caused me heavy losses since i have to begin looking for seeds again to plant
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening when my children come back from school and we all meet as a family and share a meal
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
I plan to use the transfer in paying my children's school fees and as they keep coming buy a sheep
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
The achievement which am proudest of is when i bought our first cow which has helped feed my family