Penina, Lukas, and Fredrick spoke to our follow up team about how they spent their cash transfers and how this money impacted their lives. Each household has different responsibilities and needs, and cash transfers give recipients flexibility to set their own priorities.

Penina

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Penina, age 29, lives with her husband Thomas and four children.

Penina: I spent 10,000 shillings [$95] on farming, 14,000 shillings [$135] on buying a cow, 3,000 shillings [$29] on clothing, 2,500 [$24] on paying for medical bills, and 5,000 [$48] I invested in business while the remainder I spent on food.

My business is doing well and I am sure of daily income from it. I also spent some cash on farming, and even as we speak we are in the farm harvesting. And I am sure the harvest will feed my family for the whole season.

Lucas

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Lukas, age 35, is a widower who makes a living selling charcoal. He lives with three children. 

Lukas: I built a house and used part of the transfer to expand my business.

I am a business person, I sell charcoal. I used part of the transfer to expand on my business. I used to burn charcoal on my own, now I can buy from people who burn, then I sell.

Fredrick
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Fredrick, age 35, lives with his wife Elizabeth and three children. 

Fredrick: I spent a larger portion on building materials (iron sheets, iron nails, timber, and wall poles), bought clothes for the family, purchased grains for family consumption, and also paid 5000 shillings [$48] school fees.

Though I’ve not managed to establish my house due to other financial commitments, I bought building materials. This has revived my hope of building an iron-roofed house, and this will rescue me from seasonal rains.

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