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 ($442 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My new goal now is to focus on horticulture farming. I would like to plant beans and tomatoes. This will be my source of income since I will sell the produce at the market. I will use the money to meet my daily household needs.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly does well by giving money to the poor in the community to build a better house and to invest in daily keeping projects. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 20,000 on purchasing a heifer. This was one of my main concerns since I used to buy milk and it was so costly. I will get enough milk for the family when it reproduces in the next few months. I spent the rest of the money on purchasing building materials and renting my house. I was able to cement the floor of the house and now it looks so decent and I am no longer being exposed to dust particles. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has improved our living standard.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($484 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 6pm while fetching water in the nearby river when my husband called me to confirm if I had received the eagerly awaited GiveDirectly money but hadn't received it. Shortly after that, I received an SMS alert on my phone and on checking I confirmed to have received KES55000 from GiveDirectly. I and my friend were very happy excited started jumping up and down in the river for joy.
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 this transfers is cementing my house making it now easier to clean.I normally rely on dairy, maize and sweet potatoes farming.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES48000 on cementing my three roomed house which had a mud floor and we had lived in it for the past 8 years but couldn't afford to cement. I spent the rest on food and clothing.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have always desired to complete the current house that I built 6 years ago but unfortunately, I have not been able to accomplish this task because of financial constraints. It is about to collapse as the walls have been eroded with the rains. Furthermore, It gets damp during the rainy season thus getting cold and I fear my family of 6 might develop pneumonia. Therefore, receiving this money means a cemented floor as I intend to use KES 50000 towards this course. I will use the rest of the transfers to purchase a dairy cow that will produce milk to generate income for the family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My family of 6 depend on farming for food and income generation. I cultivated sweet potatoes last year and I have not been able to harvest because of the scarce rain. Fortunately, I got the first harvest 2 weeks ago of which I am still harvesting at the moment. This has brought joy to my life as I have sufficient food for my household.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
6 years ago, my family used KES 100000 to construct a semi-permanent 3 roomed iron-roofed house that we currently use as the main house. However, it saddens me that over those years, we have not been able to complete it. Infact, it is about to collapse because the walls are being eroded by the rains. This is a challenge I am currently facing as I fear this house might fall at some point thus rendering us homeless.
