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 ($493 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
dairy cows, goats, My life is now different than how it would have been becasue of the different types of livestock that I am owning. With the dairy cows, I have started benefiting from the daily milk. My children are now taking milk tea every morning making them healthier. Previously I have been buying milk from neighbors and some days I could not afford it. In addition, with the remaining liters, I am planning to sell to generate an income. This will help me cater to some other households' needs for my family and paying school fees for the kids.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDiretcky does so well becasue I am now hopeful and happier than before. For the first time on earth, I managed to own a phone through this organization. I used to admire those of my friends but I could not afford to purchase mine. Also, the money was sent directly into my Mpesa account without any restrictions.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent a huge amount of my second transfer on buying two dairy cows worthy of KES 30000. This is what I have been willing to own as my living assets but I did not give the required money to purchase them. Also since I had not completed constructing my house, I bought iron sheets and nails, and it's now complete. To add to that, I gave the mason, KES 6000 as his labor charge. With the remaining amount of money, I bought enough foodstuffs for my family
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($501 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was preparing lunch for my children when I heard my phone ringing loudly. This was so unusual since I was not expecting a message from anyone at such an hour. I decided to ask my spouse to check who might have sent the message since I am illiterate. He later confirmed that it was an Mpesa message from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy and we started rejoicing becasue money would transform our lives positively.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Having the goats in my compound brings the biggest difference in my daily life. Goats reproduce twice a year and to add to that they require little supervision compared to other domestic animals. When they reproduce and mature, I will be selling the offspring and pay school fees for my children using the money. In addition that, I will exchange some of the matured offsprings for a dairy cow so that I can get milk and sell it purposely to double my income. And according to me, these are the well-thoughtful assets that will help me in the near future. Thank you GiveDirectly for making an impact on my daily life.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first transfer on buying a few building materials such as iron sheets, nails, threads, and building materials. I decided to construct a new house because the previous one was very small it could not accommodate all my family members, and this made them seek shelter from the neighbors. I also bought some goats that would serve as the living asset I can depend on incase of any financial status. With the remaining amount of money, i bought enough foodstuffs for my family
Enrolled
access_time almost 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My family has been depending on livestock rearing as a reliable source of income and peasant farming. I have desired to improve my livestock rearing job by purchasing 5 goats at 3000 Kenya shillings each and one indigenous dairy cow for 15000 Kenya shillings. This will be my future investment for my family in case of financial emergency a great transformation I have longed for. The remaining amount will assist in construction of a decent shelter for my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Evening is the happiest part of my day. My day begins in the morning by working on my farm up to 11 am when I return home to have breakfast. After that, I took my livestock for herding till evening when I return home. This activities are so tiresome and always left me tired out. The only time that I can relax is in the evening which I consider if as the happiest moment of the day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I rely on subsistence family for a living, the income which I get per month is 20 dollars which is not enough to sustain our needs like food as well as improving my livestock rearing. Failure to actualize my desire of improving my livestock rearing job due to the financial challenges has been my biggest hardship.
