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 ($461 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
After spending both transfers as we had planned with my family members, I now have a new goal of building a chicken coop where I can keep chicken so that I can sell eggs and spend the income on buying foodstuff. When I received my first transfer, I started a grocery store and am saving earnings towards opening it.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, Givedirectly did well by giving everyone freedom to choose how to spend the transfer on their own. This favored everyone and nobody had any complaints.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
On receiving the second transfer, I opted to purchase a dairy cow for KES 35,000 which was an addition to my livestock. This will be of great help in the future since we will have an adequate milk supply for consumption and also for income-earning purposes. With KES 11,000, I spent on buying bedding for my children and myself. I am glad that we are now sleeping in a decent place full of warmth.With the remaining amount, I spent on buying maize which will sustain us for a couple of months before the next harvest.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($485 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 10 am while smearing my semipermanent house when I heard an SMS notification on my phone. Immediately on checking, it was the KES 55000 I was eagerly awaiting from GiveDirectly. I was very excited and immediately relayed the good news to my husband who works in the city. He was very excited and requested for some fare to come home so that we could plan for the money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is happiness because my house is now well renovated and my teen sons have their own house.Initially, from farm proceeds I would try to save towards purchase of roofing materials and building a house for my son's but the money would end up in school fees payment.But now I am now grateful because GiveDirectly has relieved me of this burden.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 40,000 on building a house for my teenage sons and buying of roofing materials for my house which was burnt down two years back .This was due to poor electric wiring and the roof had been leaking since then especially during rainy season. I also spent the rest on my sons clothing's and the rest on food and household items. I normally rely on my husband who works in the city for food and school fees.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means good housing for us, I have been struggling to have a better house with no success since what my husband earns KES 8000 monthly is not enough to buy basic needs for the household and construct a modern house. With the help of this money, I will set KES 60000 to build a two-roomed house. Milk is also hot cake in our area and with the help of this money I will add one dairy cow with KES 35000 to help us earn more income from the sale of milk. With the remaining money, I will buy food and clothing for my children.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The evening is my happiest part of the day, this is the time I am usually done with my household chores and farming activities. I spent my time relaxing as I get ready to prepare supper for the family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Food shortage has been a big hardship for us. We own a small piece of land which is not enough for us to live and plant crops. This makes us depend on buying food and with our little income of KES 8000 per month, this is not enough making us even skip meals or even depend on a less preferred food for lunch or supper.
