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
53010 KES ($392 USD)
access_time 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My goal for the rest of the year is to improve my milk business by feeding the cow better feed and taking better care of it so that I can boost milk output, which will result in more milk and more sales.
I can use my savings later to buy another cow or a motorcycle for the transportation business, depending on how climate change appears at the moment, If we will experience drought, I will opt to buy a motorbike instead.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I am very pleased that Give Directly considers offering financial assistance to individuals who are still financially challenged, and on top of that, we were given free money to spend in the best way possible, giving many of us the opportunity to solve our own financial difficulties in our own method and plan.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Since I don't have a job, my aim was to utilize my second transfer to find a method to provide for my family.
As a young maize farmer and casual laborer, the only thing I could provide for, was food because the one sack of maize that I harvest from a quarter of an acre were only enough for our family of three's consumption, and the $5 I earned per week from casual labor made little difference.
So, with the second transfer, I decided to buy a dairy cow for $250 so that I can gather milk and sell it for profit, I bought furniture for the house we were able to build with our first transfer with $200 and food for two months for $80.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES
access_time over 1 year ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I remember very well that day that I was relaxing in my house after a hard day's work in my farm. I had just finished preparing my farm and was thinking of how I was going to get money that will help me buy fertilizers and seeds for planting. It made me so happy to see the money hit my account at a time that I needed it the most.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the things I have invested in. Looking at the furniture that I now own in my house added to the fact that I have completed the construction of my own house makes me so happy. I feel my firstborn child now has a place to call home.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used $6 to buy maize seeds and used another $5 to buy fertilizers for use in my farm. I also used $50 to buy clothes for my children and another $70 to clear debts owed to me by my friends. I bought furniture worth $100 and the remaining amount was used to improve my house. I feel so happy that my house has been improved from that which is mud walled to a timber walled house. GiveDirectly has changed my life for the better.
Enrolled
access_time over 1 year ago
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
Receiving this money will be a major boost for us. We have been depending on casual jobs which are erratic and unsustainable. My wife, Mercy is endowed with business skills, previously she was in the business of buying and selling second-hand clothes but we were dealt a blow by a lack of capital. We had always wanted to venture again into the same business to be able to get sustainable income for our household use but that has just remained a dream up until when GiveDirectly came to enroll us in our village. We are so elated that our ambitions will finally come to fruition. We plan to use $20 to start up the business and use the rest of the money to purchase a dairy cow and household goods.
What is the happiest part of your day?
We received a heavy downpour recently that has made a difference after a dry season that had lasted for about 2 months. The maize I had planted is doing well as a result. I am hopeful of a bumper harvesting that will relieve us of the burden of purchasing maize. That is what is giving us joy.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lately, the cost of living has risen which has affected us a lot, especially the cost of food. We depend on casual jobs which have become hard to come by and so it is a tall order to put food on the table. We have resorted to food rationing where we skip lunch just to have supper so in a day we survive on one meal. Sometimes we feel so hungry but we have no otherwise but to withstand the situation. In the past, we used to buy 2 kg of maize grain at $0.7 but it has since tripled to $2.20 per 2 Kg which is expensive and at times unaffordable.
