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 ($477 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
The heifer that I bought will still take at least three years before it calves and due to this, we still buy milk daily. It is my wish to buy a dairy cow that has already calved so that I will be able to save the money that I would otherwise spend on milk. In addition, I am planning to cement the floors of my house since it is always so dusty and this can easily affect our health. Apart from this, I am getting old as days pass by and I currently depend on my grandchildren to help me in dusting it using clay. This usually takes a lot of time before it is done.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly does well by uplifting people languishing in poverty through their cash transfer programs. Apart from being able to build decent houses and buying livestock, we were able to buy food and decent clothes.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I was not feeling well when I received my second transfer and due to this, I spent KES 7000 on medication since my health was a priority to me. Aside from this, I spent around KES 37000 to build a more spacious house for my son. He is a reserved person and rarely talks to people, a condition that he developed after falling sick for some time while he was still young. We are planning to get him a wife and since he did not have his own house, I decided to build one for him. He has been working as a herdsman in our neighboring county and would always sleep in our main house while I sleep in the kitchen whenever he visits. He had not been able to build a house for himself because his salary can only sustain his immediate needs and I had not been able to help him either since I depend on subsistence farming. Apart from this, I spent some amount on farming by using KES 2500 to hire a tractor for land preparation purposes and KES 1000 on hybrid maize seeds. Using the remaining amount, I bought a three-seater seat and a table since I did not have any and also some foodstuffs to last my family for some time. So far, I am happy with the achievement that I have made with the help of GiveDirectly.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($486 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was at home relaxing not knowing what was going on when one of my neighbor's children volunteered to help me check if I was among those who had received their transfers since almost everyone in our village had received theirs. My helper was not around as she had attended her computer studies lessons. I became so happy when she informed me that I had already received a Mpesa message indicating that the money had already been deposited into my account.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Everyone in the village attests that their lives have changed courtesy of GiveDirectly. Mine is not different either as I was able to build a house for my son using part of the transfer. Because of this, I live a stress-free life as I no longer worry about how to get money to use in building him one. Also, I am happy that I now have a place where visitors can sleep whenever I have any who have visited.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent a good amount from my transfer to build a house for my son since he usually sleeps in the main house while I sleep in the kitchen. This always affected me emotionally, especially when I had visitors and I am glad that this will change very soon. Also, I spent some amount on farming by hiring a tractor to help me with farm preparation purposes and by buying some quality hybrid seeds and also spent KES 3000 on a goat as a way of investing this money. From the remaining amount, I bought enough food to last my family for some time.
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am a widow with five kids who failed to get quality education due to the frequent conflicts we had with their father.My late husband used to mistreat me , beatings and bitter words had become a norm in my home .One day he held a knife trying to strangle me but I escaped narrowly from the hands of death.I went back to my maternal home but I could not get peace since my parents were staunch about the culture and could not allow me to stay at home because they had received my dowry.During this time my husband got a great opportunity to sell everything we had worked hard for and used it on liquor which later let to his death.I came back here two years ago after his death and I have been struggling a lot to vend for myself, all my savings from the casual work I had done went to construction of these houses .Therefore receiving these transfers will enable me achieve my dream of owning a dairy cow.I shall purchase a cow worth KES 45000 .This will give me milk for consumption and some for sale to earn monthly income of KES 3000.
What is the happiest part of your day?
After breakfast, I graze this livestock which were given to me by members of the community up to midday when I come to prepare lunch for my granddaughter. She is a jovial girl age ten who tells me stories concerning her day in school. I love her so much because she gives me peace of mind. The afternoon is the happiest part of my day because I get to interact with her a lot.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of finances is the biggest challenge I have faced in life. This challenge started from the time my husband became an alcoholic. He sold everything we had worked for at our prime age to get some amount to purchase these drugs. Most of our livestock were sold and the money was wasted on alcohol. Whenever I questioned or tried to ask him to control his urge for drug abuse I would receive serious beatings and sleepless nights. Finding peace in my life has been a strange thing until the sudden death of my evil husband is when I felt a little bit of peace though I regret a lot the opportunities I lost during my youthful age.
