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?
Before the coming of GiveDirectly, I was living in a grass thatched house with no hope of upgrading to a better one. My life is currently different because I have been able to build a new decent and spacious house to live in with my family. I have also been able to buy a cow which I am expecting it to reproduce and have many of them. I will benefit from the milk that this cow will be producing. I will sell the surplus and earn an income on the process.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly has done well in giving us the transfer to plan for ourselves. We have been able to build better houses and we can now access better shelter, we have also taken our children to school. Apart from this, we also own livestock to keep which are assets to us. I do not see anything that GiveDirectly does not do well.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
I spent a bigger portion of my second transfer on buying building materials that include iron sheets and building poles. I was initially living in a grass thatched house because I didn't have the resources to construct a new house. I paid for the labor expenses incurred in building this house at KES 14000. In addition to this, I also bought a new bed and mattress at KES 15000 and spent the remaining amount on buying food for my family and other household items.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($545 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
Ever since I had been having a desire that someday I would own livestock in my compound since having them in our community is such great pride since you have some assets to lean on in case of any emergencies. This was made possible when Give Directly came to our village and gave us the transfers. To this far, this is the biggest difference the transfer has brought into my daily life.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
On receiving the first transfer notification, my happiness and joy were beyond control and I smiled all day long and felt peaceful in my heart for I was greatly troubled by many issues that I couldn't be able to accomplish due to lack of money.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent part of the transfer on buying a calf and two goats. This livestock is a source of wealth to me since they are the only assets that one can own in our poverty-stricken area. I am expecting them to reproduce and increase in number in order to sort me out in case of financial crisis. I can also sell them in the future so as to educate my children who are still young when they can be enrolled to higher levels of learning. I will also be getting milk from the cow for family consumption. In addition to the livestock, I also bought iron sheets to renovate the roof of my house since it was dilapidated and leaking when it rains. I replaced everything on my roof and now it is well with my house. I also paid for school fees for my young children for them to continue with their learning comfortably without any interruptions concerning school fees.
Enrolled
access_time almost 6 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
With two years of experience working as a hotel cook, I feel that I have what it takes to start and run my own small hotel so that I can be financially independent in the long run. It is my dream to see my children well educated and this venture will give me good returns that will ensure they stay in school as I will be able to pay their fees consistently. Secondly I will buy iron sheets to complete roofing my house that has taken a while due to lack of funds. Thirdly, I will purchase some goats because they are more drought resistant and marketable compared to cows.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The best part of my day is in the morning when I see my children off to school, it gives me hope that with education they will have the keys to a better life and not the one I have full of struggle and pain.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
As a hotel cook in Bamba, I earn 100 shillings a day but this can only afford one meal yet I still have to pay school fees for my children and be able to treat them when they fall ill. I live in a house with a partly open roof because I have been unable to buy iron sheets yet I have a small baby and it happens to be very cold at night. My children are always sent home from school for one reason or another, one day its fees, the next its books etc. I have had to incur debts at different shops to make sure I feed my family and also that they may have the necessary items they need such as books.
