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 ($517 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My husband has been our bread winner and he operates motorcycle taxi businesses to see us through. Since we was employed by a neighbor, he had to undergo a lot of pressure of waking up early, coming home late to meet his employer's standard. This was tiring and demoralizing for him with the little commission he could come home. When I received my second transfer, I used it to buy a motorcycle which is currently used by husband for taxi businesses. This is the biggest difference in my daily life since we currently enjoys full daily income from that helped us meet our family needs and save some for future investment.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly has done well in uplifting our lives. We have been able to provide for our families effectively, purchasing livestock as assets and most importantly, building better iron-roofed houses thus enjoying good shelter. I do not see anything that GiveDirectly does not do well.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
I spent my entire second transfer to buy a motorcycle. My husband has been a motorcycle taxi operator and he had enough experience to run the sector but little to earn since he was employed. He used to earn little that could only caters for our daily basic needs thus investing was a problem. I decided to buy a motorcycle so that we could enjoy the all profits alone. I am thanful that currently, meeting our daily basic needs has made easier with the income from the taxi businesses. We save some amount for more investment in future.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($538 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
Before GiveDirectly came, buying milk was my daily routine. I am glad at the moment that all this is in the past since I have my own milk which I get from the dairy cows I bought with the transfer. Even though I am not able to sell some of it, I appreciated the fact that I no longer incur any cost on buying milk. Owning the dairy cows is so far the biggest difference in my daily life that I am and forever be proud of.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 7 o'clock in the morning when I realized that I had two unread messages. I made a decision to go through them and I noticed GiveDirectly had made me 55,000 KES richer, my heart pounded with happiness because it felt like the manna which came from heaven. I immediately rushed to where my spouse was and shared with him the good news. I knew that this money would uplift my family in one way or another.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
Buying milk on a daily basis has been my routine and I feel that it is costly. Sometimes, my family took tea without milk when I did not have money to buy. When I received my first transfer, I spent a larger portion to buy two dairy cows. For an instant, when they will reproduce in the future my family will get milk for their consumption without any expense incurred and sell the surplus to my neighbor's as well. I used the remaining amount to buy one sack of maize, clothes and shoes for my family members.
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have always wished to be a dairy farmer.I have two cows for now but the piece of land for grazing is small.I am therefore planning to buy a small piece of land where I will expand my livestock farming.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I spend the better part of my day looking after my cows.I feel happy in the afternoon when I see that the cows have been well fed.This gives me freedom to do other duties like fetching firewood from the nearby forest.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The hardship that I am facing currently in my life I believe is because of my early marriage.It all began when I was fifteen years old when I decided to elope and get married.I was in standard six at that time.This didn't go well and therefore the marriage only lasted for three months.Since the marriage was against my parents wish I had to beg them to take me back to school.I went back to school but dropped out again after one year.My parents took me to a nearby polytechnic to train as a tailor but I did not finish the course due to lack of school fees.This is where I decided to get married again to my current husband.I am now married with one child at the age of twenty .Looking back I see that I made poor decisions.Marriage life is not easy as I had thought especially when you get married at a tender age. I wish I had not rushed into making such a decision.If I had completed my studies I could be in a better position to secure a job to help me take care of my family well.
