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 ($427 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
In the coming year and beyond, I hope to purchase a quarter of an acre of land where I would build my home. At the moment, I am forced to rent which is very costly. Additionally, I intend to purchase one dairy cow which will provide readily available milk for the family. Similarly, I would like to take the extra milk to the milk cooler station where to earn extra income.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Givedirectly does well in enrolling every poor household into their program without discrimination. Giving aid in form of unconditional cash was a great and unique decision. Furthermore, the officers were very polite and professional during the enrollment stages. In my opinion, everything went well and there is nothing I feel they did not do well and need to be improved.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I had wished to start a cereals shop as an alternative source of livelihood for my family of 3. This is because I was depending on casual jobs at the quarry harvesting sand for sale. I was rendered jobless after the quarry owner decide to close it. The coming of GiveDirectly was a great relief for me. I spent $200 of my recent transfers to start a cereals shop selling sacks of maize in Nakuru town. Additionally, I used $20 to rent a shop for the business. At the moment, I am proud of selling 15 bags of maize every week thats translate to a profit of $100.5. Through that income, I can cater for the needs of the family comfortably. Additionally, I used $75 to lease a half an acre piece of land for farming where I grow maize. Currently, I was able to harvest 11 bags of maize from the farm.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($496 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
On this day, I was at home sleeping because I am a new mother. At about noon, I noticed that I had received a message indicating that I had received KES 55,000 from GiveDirectly. Words can not describe how much joy I felt as I was now able to meet my family's needs.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Owning livestock such as sheep that can be sold in times of financial emergencies is a dream come true for me. Before receiving this transfer, I would constantly worry about where we would get money from in case of an emergency, especially since I am unemployed and a new mother.
This cash transfer, however, changed all that. I was able to buy sheep and a goat. It gives me some peace of mind, knowing that I can sell these whenever I need money. I'm so grateful to GiveDirectly for this donation.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I feel that it is important for a family to own cattle, as they can be sold whenever financial emergencies arise. When we didn't have any, I constantly worried about this. So I spent KES 16,500 on acquiring three sheep and KES 5,300 on a goat. I also used KES 10,500 to pay my secondary school fees arrears that I had not settled because I have no source of income. Since most of our clothes were in tatters, I spent KES 10,000 on buying a few new ones. Lastly, I spent KES 10,000 on food such as maize, beans, rice and sugar to ensure we had enough for the household.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am a single mother of one. I depend on sand collection along the river for sell. This is depend on the dept of the water because sometimes when it rain a lot it can be dangerous. Also some part of the river is deep and one can fall into it if not careful. So when i get this money I will buy 5 goats so that I can sell them in future when there will be other needs. A goat cost KES 4500 each. We also have food shortages. My land is rocky and dry due to insufficient rainfall, so I will use some of the transfer to purchase food.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the morning when I wake up feeling healthy and strong. This give me the energy to hustle for money to feed my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship is financial constraints. We cannot grow different foods since most of my land is rocky, so most of the food we get from the market. To get money for buying food we have to risk our lives collecting sand in the river.
