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 ($436 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?
In the next one year we hope to start a small business that will help us meet the needs of my family in a much more easy manner. Over the years we have sustained our needs through small scale subsistence farming and the little income that .u husband makes from his security job. It is for this reason that we are thinking of starting a small business of shop keeping which I will operate. With this investment, I will no longer have to rely on my husband entirely since I will be making more money from the business. I am taking part in a merry go round contribution scheme that will help me accomplish this within the next one year or so.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly does very well by giving full information and knowhow on how people can spend the cash that they give. Giving the money without conditions is also a gamechanger that sees everyone spend the money on various ways in which they are most comfortable with. This has given everyone an opportunity to spend the money in the most convenient way.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When we received the second transfer, we used $300 to clear some debt owed to is by someone who sold us a piece of land on credit terms. When we were made aware that we would be enrolled into the program and there was someone selling the piece of land, then we committed some amount that we had towards buying the piece of land. We are so happy that we now own a piece of land in addition to the one that we lived in. We feel we can even advance our agricultural activities and make more income that will henceforth improve our living standards and that of our two children. We also invested the remaining amount of $200 in livestock. We made a conscious decision to purchase a young heifer which is an additional to the one that we owned. This is a very convenient investment fir us that will also earn us profits quite easily. We will no longer have to rely on subsistence farming alone to earn a living neither will I rely on my husband who does casual jobs to earn a living as well.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($462 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I received my transfer around 8 p.m., just as I was about to go to bed. I was overjoyed and grateful to God for the transfer at such an appropriate time. Previously, I was burdened by debts incurred to support my family. At the time of enrollment, I intended to use the transfer to pay off my debts and purchase a 3,000-litre water tank. I immediately informed my husband, who was at work at the time because he is a security officer. He, too, was overjoyed, and he attributed it to God's divine intervention.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Since I received my transfer, the biggest improvement in my life is that I have a well-fixed and new water tank in my compound. Sometime back, I could not imagine that this could one day come to pass. I was always struggling to obtain water for my household usage. With the money, I can harvest rainwater easily. This helps me because I do not have to walk a long distance to look for water. I also find it easier to water my kitchen garden hence I will be able to raise some vegetables. Lastly, my two lactating cows are nowadays well watered resulting in increased milk production.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
As soon as I received my transfer, I spent KES 17,000 on paying back a debt that I had taken to take my children to school. I am so glad that currently I am light and much relieved from the shame and burden of delaying paying off my debt. In addition, I spent KES 23,500 on buying a 3,000-liter water tank. This I knew would help solve the problem of water shortage that we had been experiencing. A situation that could force me to walk a long distance to the stream to obtain water for my domestic use and my livestock. I am so grateful that courtesy of the transfer, my life has become better.
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
This cash transfer is a sign of hope in my life. I am a mother of two and married to a casual laborer. Farming has been my main source of income. Due to poor rainfall and pest diseases, farming has not been doing well enough to rely on. I dropped out of school just at the beginning of my final year at Kenya Medical Training College. This was five years ago when I got pregnant and I could not be accepted again at home. I thought I would go back to school to complete my course but soon after delivery, I had responsibilities that came before my education. These have been on arisen now that I have two children. I forgot about my education and focused on my family's needs. The lights of going back to college have been out completely. The arrival of GiveDirectly has given me the light of hope. I am planning to use KES 60000 to either start a new short-period course or go back and complete my diploma in a medical laboratory. I thank GiveDirectly for the support knowing that having employment and a better income could be realized in my life.
What is the happiest part of your day?
To enhance our savings and resources, my husband opted to join a merry-go-round group where they contribute KES 500 each among 24 members. In the last six months, our turn came and we got a total amount of KES 12000. This has been my greatest joy in recent days. I added KES 500 and used it to buy a heifer which is an asset to my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am a mother of two primarily depending on farming to earn a living. I own a 1.5-acre piece of land where home state, grazing piece, and crop farming have all been established. The maize farming which had been our main cash crop has been affected by pest disease. This has brought down our yields to a level it can not even sustain our household through the year. To me, scarce resources are a big challenge in my current life.
