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.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($442 USD)
access_time 2 years 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 did not have before receiving the transfer is starting a business of buying cows from the farmers and selling them at the market at a higher price to earn a profit to meet the daily needs of the family. I will borrow the money from friends and return it on time. This will be the source of my capital for this new goal. I hope to save some money and run it myself.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirecly does well by giving money to the poor in the community to improve their living standards. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well since the training and enrollment were well done.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 40,000 on purchasing a dairy cow. This is because I used to buy milk daily and it was so costly for me. I depend on casual jobs and the amount of money that I get is only for basic needs of the money I did not have the extra money to purchase a dairy cow. Currently, my family gets enough milk and I am in a position to save the money that I would have used to buy milk for other household basic needs. The rest of the money I spent was on food and household items. We are so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has changed our living standard.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($476 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 8 am while at home holding a village meeting when I heard a message alert on my phone. On checking, I had received KES 55,000 from GiveDirectly. I was very happy and withdrew the money a few days later.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving the transfers is the availability of time to attend to my farm. This is because before I used to wake up early to look for food for my family through my motorcycle taxi. But after the transfers, I no longer wake up early since I have access to basic needs.
Secondly, I am happy because I now own a dairy cow which I had desired to buy for the past three years but couldn't afford.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a father of three and a casual motorcycle rider for the past year. From this, I get a daily income of KES 300 which helps to feed my family and pay school fees for my kids. I also do small-scale farming of bananas, maize, and beans farming solely for household consumption.
Before GiveDirectly, my main challenge was hunger due to low income. Therefore when I received my transfer I spent KES 40,000 on an Aryshire heifer breed from a neighbor due to its high quality in milk production. Additionally, I had adequate livestock feeds like nappier grass, bananas, and sugarcane that remained after selling my only dairy cow a few years back.
Secondly, I spent KES 3,600 on a bag of maize, and KES 2,000 on beans. These have relieved me of daily household expenses for the past month. Earlier, I used to spend KES 250 on household items like maize meals, and sugar
Lastly, I spent KES 7,000 on the latest clothing fashion best worn out for special occasions.
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am a small scale farmer with three children.My ambition is to be a large scale dairy farmer.For more than ten years now I have engaged in farming and I have realized that dairy farming yields better revenues as compared to crop production.I am glad for this opportunity to receive the transfers because I will be able to establish a dairy farm starting with two dairy cows.These cows will curb the school fees challenges in future because I fore see a monthly income of KES 10000 from the sale of milk.These cows will cost me approximately KES 50000.
What is the happiest part of your day?
After the decline of maize yields due to maize lethal necrosis , decided to shift to mixed cropping where I engaged in beans ,wheat and banana production.We harvested the first fruits of bananas late last year and I have been able to earn an average of KES 1500 a month.This has brought happiness in my life because I can comfortable meet the household needs.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Inadequate availability of food is the biggest challenge we are currently facing.Farming being the main economic activity in this area has been affected by pest and diseases.This has resulted in low productivity and hence food shortage.In order to make ends meet I have had to engage in casual jobs such as fencing , digging holes and weeding in order to earn a living.This is emotionally and energetically draining because we get low incomes despite intensive work.
