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 ($523 USD)
access_time 5 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 in that I now have money to buy or do whatever I want. Life was hard before I started receiving money from GiveDirectly since I would struggle to get money to buy food or even clothes to wear. Today I can eat as much 'Ugali' as I want and I can buy good clothes to wear. I now have some livestock to keep, before I did not have money to buy them but now am so happy and grateful to GiveDirectly for supporting me and helping me improve my life for the better. This livestock will be used to tilt my land and later I can sell them so as to get money to keep feeding myself and my family.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly has done well by coming to our village and supporting us by use of cash so that we can improve our lives. Personally, I am very happy and grateful for the money I have been receiving. I have been able to feed myself and my family every day, we have not lacked food to eat. People in the village have been able to buy food, cattle and clothes to wear. I have not seen anything that GiveDirectly has done wrong.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
I received my second transfer with joy and I decided to give my son the whole amount so that he could invest in his small groceries shop. He sells vegetables and some food stuff like sugar and flour. His business was not doing so well and since he has a wife and children who depend on him, I decided to give him this money to enable him take care of his family. I am not worried about myself since I know that my son will still take good care of me.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($538 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
The transfer has enabled me to buy cows and goats of which to me are all collateral for the future. I know in case of any financial crisis I can sell them at a profit to overcome such a crisis.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I felt happy since I had never received such a large amount of money, and at first, I had to switch off my phone to calm down my joy. Receiving the transfer also brought big happiness into my heart and to my family and wished GD could be around just to witness the extent of the happiness.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent my transfer on purchasing a cow and two goats. The desire that I had towards owning livestock could not allow me to spend my transfer on anything other than ones mentioned. I knew this was the best opportunity to have them since for all that duration that I had this in mind, I could not let it come true. The cow will provide milk to my household and also upon reproducing, I will be able to sell them in future to enter into more investments. I also spent part of the transfer on buying food for my family. For a while, I struggled a lot to bring food to the table for my family. The unfavourable economic status could not give me space to offer the full food support for the family.
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that I will be able actualize my dream of owning my own livestock. I plan to purchase five goats and four cows for rearing. Once they start reproducing, I will then engage in the livestock trade business.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening when I am sharing a meal with my grandchildren. They like narrating funny stories that makes us to laugh a lot
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship that I have faced in life was my inability to afford paying for medical bills to treat my daughter who was suffering from epilepsy. For a very long period of time, she kept having the fits but I could not raise the amount to take her to hospital, as a result, she succumbed to the illness and passed on four years ago. This pained me a lot because I had really hoped that she would get better with time.
