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 ($462 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I had planned to repay the loan that I had borrowed from a friend to start a business. This was one of my main focuses and concerns at that particular time. Secondly fencing the compound was something that I had always wanted to do but I did not have the money. I did not have a new goal.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Most of the people who were registered received the transfer and spent it well. Most of the people who received started businesses, purchase dairy cows, and paid school fees for their children in various schools. 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 to repay the loan that I had borrowed from a friend to start a business. I had always wished to clear the loan but I had no money because there was not much return from the business. Currently, I have peace of mind because I have e paid all the debt and I can do my business well. I spent KES 7,000 on purchasing a calf. I hope to keep it until it's all grown to be a big dairy cow. This is an investment because I will get some milk in the future. I bought some poles and wires and fenced all my farm. This was to prevent cows from destroying my crops and to make my compound look much more organized. The rest of the money I spent on food and clothes for my children. I am so grateful because GiveDirectly had enabled me to fulfill my dream.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($484 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was in the evening at around 5 pm. I was at home on the farm busy watering the vegetables. My wife had gone to the river to fetch some water. Suddenly, as I was going about with my duty, I heard my phone ringing notifying me that I had a new message. I stopped and I pulled it out of my pocket to check what it was all about. I was pleasantly surprised and I could not believe my eyes when I saw that it was an SMS saying that we had received the promised transfer of KES 55000 from GiveDirectly as promised. I became so happy on seeing this that I quickly finished whatever I was doing so that I could go share with my wife who was now back home the good news. She was so happy on hearing this and we celebrated together giving thanks to God and GiveDirectly for the blessing.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The transfer brought a very big difference in our lives as a family. With having bought the cow and the bag of maize, we no longer incur the cost of buying milk and maize. We have thus been able to save up the money that we are making from the sale of the vegetable seedlings. The money saved is now only going to the payment of school fees for our children. Thank you so much GiveDirectly for the help.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We spent most of the transfer money on buying another cow. We bought it at KES 30000. Other than that, we spent KES 8000 on installing electricity in our house and we paid off a debt of KES 5000. With the remaining amount of money, we used it in buying a bag of maize and some clothes for our children. Buying another cow was our biggest priority upon receiving the transfer. We have been having another cow but the milk production of that cow is less. As a result we at times incur the cost of buying milk where we buy 2 litres of milk at KES 40 per litre. We had always desired to buy the cow but due to lack of money, we were not in a position to. We usually grow and sell vegetable seedlings to earn a living. The money that we make from the sales is what we have been depending on to purchase food, that is, maize and milk, and to pay school fees for our three children. We are thus grateful to GiveDirectly because with having bought another cow and the bag of maize, we no longer incur the cost of purchasing the foodstuffs.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means I will finally have a stable income. I'm a vegetable farmer, mostly doing vegetable nurseries and selling the seedlings. During dry seasons, the market is bad, I do not get to sell much because most people have to wait for the rainy season. I plan to purchase a cow worth approximately KES 30,000. During dry seasons, when vegetables do not do well, it will be an alternative source of income through the sale of milk produced. For the rest of the amount, I will fence my farm and buy food for my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My cow calved down six months ago which I consider it a blessing. At least, I do not purchase milk which really cuts down my daily expenditure. Sometimes when I milk a lot, I sell to my neighbors earning me an income.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Food insecurity is the biggest challenge. I own an eighth of an acre which is too small to farm, part of the reason I resorted to just doing vegetable nurseries. I purchase all foodstuffs costing me KES 4000 a month. This is a lot for me considering I make KES 500 a week during rainy days which mostly goes to buying food for my family of five. These sales are inconsistent depending on weather conditions. When it's dry I do not sell at all, meaning we can go without food during those days.
