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
access_time almost 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Before I was enrolled in the program, I had already enrolled myself to a hairdressing collage but I was struggling to pay the school fees balance. I am grateful that I was able to pay it with part of my transfers and I am hopping to graduate next year and open my own salon. This will come in handy for the family as I will be able to boost my husband financially.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I would want to first give a special shout out to the GiveDirectly for the amazing contribution that they had towards the transformation of my community. How we no longer have grass thatched houses in the village no more, people have got dairy cows and many more. May you God give you grace to transform the whole world in to a better place to thrive especially to the poor.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
As per my community customs and culture, my husband was supposed to pay dowry to my parents but since he was not financially stable, he was not able to deliver everything that he was required to. When we received our second transfer, we saw this as a perfect opportunity for him to buy the two cows for dowry that he was requested because previously, he was not able to afford to raise money to buy them from the casual jobs that he does. We spend $400 to buy two cows, $80 to pays school fees and the balance to buy food for my family. We are so happy that we are finally done with the dowry payment and can now focus on other family projects.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I felt so much happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. My husband was in possession of the phone here at home since I had gone home to visit my own parents. When he saw the message, he called me and shared the good news with me. I was filled with joy as I looked forward to coming home to join my husband in planning what to do with the money. We could not wait to build a better house for our family since we were staying under one roof with one of our in laws and this often brought some degree of shame and embarrassment on us.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the house that we have been able to build to almost completion now. This to me is a huge investment to us as a family and more importantly to our two children. As they grow up, they now have a place to call home and this makes us very happy as a family. We have not had enough privacy living under one roof but right now I can see we are almost there. I am looking forward to seeing my family live together as we figure out what more we can do to make our lives and those of our children better.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We spent KES 25000 to build a new kitchen and a poultry house. We used another KES 10000 to pay back loans owed to us from a building that was still under construction. We had had to seek help from different sources in an effort to b to bring the house to completion. The remaining amount was used to buy food,clothes and other basic household needs for our family. My husband is a trained teacher but has not yet secured a job with the government while I work as a salonist and the amount of income that we have been making from these jobs is hardly enough to enable us make ends meet. We are so much grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling us realize our dream of bringing our house to completion and taking away the shame of having to live under one roof with my in laws. I honestly feel very happy now and relieved about this.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
It means my ability to move to my own home is stronger. I have been building houses using my husband's salary as he works as a teacher. It has not been enough because he is the only one with an income in my household. I will soon move out of my father in law's compound after spending about KES 10,000 to complete the new home. I will definitely need milk for household consumption as well as selling it for income. I will therefore buy a cow at about KES 30,000. Finally, my husband will then use the rest in attaining a certain certicate that has ben made mandatory for all teachers after introduction of a new school curriculum.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In the last six months, I have been able to grow maize on a piece of land that my husband bought. I have been enjoying the fact that we get our foodstuffs from the farm, which relieves my husband from incurring heavy daily expenses.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Currently, my life is difficult because I don't have a source of income. My husband earns about KES 5000 per month after some deductions. We try to provide for dor the household using this over the whole month. As you can see, It is not enough given the current bt rise in food item prices.
