GDLive Newsfeed
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. Learn more about how recipients opt in to share their stories.
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Enrollment
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Transfers
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Completed
Newsfeed > Betty's Profile
Betty's family
Betty
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Casual labor
faceAge:
27
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($462 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?
Our new goal is to buy two more sheep and a cow. We have one cow and two sheep and we would like to add more so that they can help us in the future most especially with the children's school fees. We have two children and one of them is about to complete his primary school education. With the two cows, we will be able to get more milk and we can sell some. The sheep usually reproduce and multiply in number very fast. We can sell some of the offsprings in the future whenever we lack money and we have an emergency.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly staff taught us in the meeting that they held with the members of the community. We got to learn everything about the program and GiveDirectly. They also did well because they transformed the lives of many in the community for the better. People made many developments with the transfers and the village is no longer like before. I thus do not see anything wrong with how they do their work. I would like to urge them to continue with the same.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We spent KES 30000 of the recent transfer on repaying money that we were owing someone. We had borrowed the money because we didn't have enough money for buying a motorbike. It was being sold at KES 70000 and we only had KES 37000 from the first transfer with us. We bought the motorbike because we wanted to start the motorbike taxi business to get income for meeting all our needs as a family. My husband has been engaging in casual jobs to earn a living for us. The money that he gets paid is little and it is only enough to buy maize and the small household needs. I have been supporting him with the little money that I usually make from selling some milk from our cow. We are glad that we managed to buy the motorbike and we are now making more money than before which is enough to meet all our basic needs comfortably. With the remaining amount, which was about KES 20000, we used it in buying some household items that we didn't have. We bought some chairs, a gas cylinder, and some clothes for our children. We also bought some food with it. Thank you so much GiveDirectly for supporting us.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($485 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 about to step out of the house, this is because I needed to go to the farm when I had my phone ringing, I can vividly recall that it was around 9 am upon checking my phone I saw a Mpesa message showing that I had received money from GiveDirectly, the excitement was immense that I never headed to the farm again, instead, I called my Dad just to concern if he too had received the money. I then embark to plan on how I would spend my money.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I no longer worry about coming back home, I have enough time to bond with my children, this is because I was able to purchase a motorbike, I get to earn an income daily from it, I am also proud that I was able to create a job opportunity to the youth who does the riding, I am so happy and grateful that I was able to realize my goals within a short period.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
working as a casual labourer is not easy, you get to roam all over the village and the neighbouring villages in search of work, when I was promised of the unconditional transfer from GiveDirectly I thought of buying a motorbike bike to start a transport business, I had saved some money before, therefore, I topped up a sum of KES 37,000 in acquiring a motorbike, I then used the rest of the money in buying foodstuffs.
 
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My husband is a motorbike taxi rider and he has been employed by someone because he does not own one. He makes KES 600 daily and out of this KES 400 goes to the owner. He is left with KES 200 which we spend to buy food leaving us with nothing. My desire and that of my husband has been to buy our motorcycle but that has remained a dream because of financial constraints. I plan to buy a second-hand motorbike worth KES 70000 so that my family can sufficiently eat from my husband's sweat. Receiving this money will give my husband the self-employment he has yearned for so long.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Three months ago my only cow calved and that has been my source of happiness. This is because it produces 6liters of milk every morning and I can be able to sell it at a cost of KES 40 for each liter. That means I am in a position to get money to buy other household items like maize flour without having to strain
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Food security is the main challenge that I and my family is facing currently. I have two young children and that means they have to get nutritious food like milk and eggs to grow healthy. I depend on casual jobs like weeding in other people's farms to earn a living. On a good day, I can make KES 200 in a day, and because these jobs are not guaranteed sometimes I come home empty-handed. This forces me to go to my neighbors for assistance. I have had to sleep hungry on several occasions due to lack of enough food to share with my children.