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 ($512 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is different from how it was in that, I have managed to buy a few chicken and cows. These were some of the dreams that sounded impossible before I started receiving transfers from Give Directly. I feel proud of owning them because almost everyone in our village has them, therefore, I will cease being the odd one out. I also feel good because cows are always considered to be very important assets
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, what GiveDirectly does is out of the ordinary. I have never had an organization with such an initiative. The best part about their program is that it is nonrefundable and it is at the same time unconditional. Because of this, the project has since uplifted the living standards of many people in the village. People have accomplished most of the goals that they had dreamt of for a long time. Our village looks different and our living standards have improved because of the help we received from Give Directly
What did you spend your second transfer on?
I spent a large part of my transfer on purchasing a dairy cow. I have always desired to buy one but I was unable to do so due to financial constraints. I am a teacher by profession but I work on a contract basis. I do not earn much as compared to when I would have been employed by the teacher's commission. This explains why I have taken so long before buying a cow. Owning a cow means a lot to people in our village. The fact that I was able to own one with the help I got from GiveDirectly makes me feel happy and relieved. It always appears to me like a miracle. Now I am assured of getting milk. Soon I wouldn't have to spend money every day to buy milk. Apart from buying a cow, I also managed to buy chicken feed for the chicks that I bought using the first transfer
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($530 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I am now a proud owner of a highly productive dairy cow. I have been milking cows but the most unfortunate thing is that the cows that I have all along been milking are not mine. They belong to my parents and we could only get milk for household consumption from them. With the dairy cow that we have bought, we are looking forward to having more milk that can sustain us as a family and even get surplus for sale. This will definitely change our lives as a family. I have also improved my poultry keeping business and I am looking forward to having a successful poultry unit. Right now the chicken have not started laying eggs but I am optimistic that they will be laying soon.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I received this money at around 4:42 am on 9th July. I hardly had a wink from then. I was with my husband and he got curious that I was receiving a message at that time of the night. I just laughed him off and he got more curious. When he demanded to know who the message was from, I gave him the phone to read the message himself. He was so happy and immediately we started planning on how to spend the money from the following day.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I used part of my transfer to improve my poultry keeping business. Before I received this money I only had 20 chicken to rear and I now have 100 chicken to rear courtesy of GiveDirectly transfers. I also used the remaining amount together with other savings already made to buy a dairy cow worth KES 55000. I am now a proud owner of one valuable asset a thing I never thought I would own soon.
Enrolled
access_time almost 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am rearing about forty chicks at the moment. Imagine increasing the pack to a hundred and having them as fully grown chicken layers in about two months? This is exactly my ambition and what receiving this money means to me. Occupationally I am a primary school teacher, a job synonymous with frustrations of delayed payments so much so that I am contemplating to quit. This is why I am planning to fully venture into poultry farming business which I intend to make it a fulltime job in a few months time. All these would only be a dream if not for the impending GiveDirectly cash transfer.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Being a primary school teacher, it is almost certainly expected that my children would perform well in school. That is why at the end of every day I would strive to fulfill this public perception. In the evening, my daughter and I would engage in recapitulation of her day's lessons to correct her learning points and reinforce her strengths. This is the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Every graduate in my community would fancy a job at the county government. Definitely not my husband, a casual, whom after last month became a former employee of the county government! He was the main provider in our home and when his salary delayed for six months in a row, I was faced with challenges after another. A poultry project I had initiated stalled, but what broke my heart is when my daughter had to drop out of a private boarding school to enrol in a government school due to pile of arrears. Besides, we did not eat well for a long time. Now that he has quit the job doesn't make it any better. My worry is that my children may drop out of school altogether and we may lack a balanced diet. This is the biggest hardship I've faced in my life.
