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
55000 KES ($530 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Having a dairy cow I feel my life is totally different with helpful impacts. I settled to rear a dairy cow because apart from getting milk from it, I will also be selling the remaining liters to my neighbors. It has been my preference for a long period of time to have it but the amount of money i was earning was not enough. Currently, the cow is already providing us with milk, i am so delighted since my children are now healthful. Apart from that, there are some liters which I a sell to my neighbors which is now my additional source of income. I am feeling like I have been empowered financially through the selling of the milk.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly has done well by giving out transfers to improve the living standards of the poorest people in the village. This is because the majority of us in my village now own livestock like goats, cows and sheep. Some have started a business of buying and selling the animals in their local markets and creating employment for themselves. Some keep them in their compound for milk, ploughing of their farms and many more. Secondly our houses are also well constructed currently. Everyone is now sleeping under an iron roofed house which is well plastered. Our previous one's were very small and in a critical condition. God has always been seeing us how we are suffering and He decided to bring GiveDirectly in our villages. That is what we believe. According to me, I do not see any part that GiveDirectly has not done well.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
I spent part of my second transfer on buying thirteen goats at KES 25000. I settled in rearing them in my compound because they have various benefits. Apart from that, they can dwell in any kind of climate and their pasture is also readily available. To add on that they reproduce faster compared to other domestic animals. I then constructed a latrine because previously I was sharing with my neighbor and I felt there was no privacy. I then saved the remaining amount of money into my bank account. That is for incase any emergency arises.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($546 USD)
access_time almost 6 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
Having enrolled my child in school is the biggest difference in my daily life. The joy of every parent is to give their children the best education since I believe that education is the key to a brighter future. I'm happy I full filled part of my duty as a parent. This is the biggest differeence in my daily life.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was early in the morning when I was already out on the farm then I got a message alert from my phone. I ignored the first because I thought that was a flashback. After a few minutes, another message alert streamed in. This got me curious and I thought it must have been an emergency, so I decided to read the message. To my surprise, it was a confirmation message that I had received money from GiveDirectly. The joy I had couldn't allow me to continue working on the farm, instead, I headed straight home to share the news with my spouse.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I bought cows with a portion of the money for rearing so that in the future after they have given birth I'll be able to get enough milk for family consumption. With this, I won't be spending on milk which is so expensive, yet I do not have a stable source of income. Secondly, both my spouse and I have skills in sewing, but we only had one sewing machine. This limited us and in most cases, we couldn't serve our customers on time. I, therefore, bought an extra sewing machine to add to the one we owned. In addition to that, I had a child who was to join preschool so used part of the money to enroll her in school.
Enrolled
access_time 6 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
There are three important things that I had desired to do but due to lack of financial resources, I have not been able to.
Purchasing stock of tailoring materials, buying oxen for ploughing and taking my daughter to a private school.Receiving this money is therefore a big boost in terms of achieving the three.
Tailoring will ensure we have a stable source of income while farming will enhance food security. Taking my child to a private school where quality education is ensured will give me the sense of a responsible parent and empower her to be self reliant.
What is the happiest part of your day?
A normal day for me starts at six in the morning when I wake up and head straight to the farm for ploughing. At ten in the morning,I return home for breakfast and proceed to offer tailoring services until two in the afternoon. I head back to the farm until six in the evening.
I derive much happiness in the morning when at the farm as I watch the crops growing healthy, an indication that I will get good harvest.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The inability to handle medical needs of my family members that come as emergency remains my biggest worry.Afew months ago my wife had to under go a medical operation to deliver and that was very costly. This forced me to seek help from relatives and friends who became so unreliable and I felt exposed.I may not want to go through the same but the feeling of being exposed haunts me to date.
