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 > Maria's Profile
Maria's family
Maria
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
59
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($435 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I want to start a business. We can no longer farm because of the lack of rain, therefore we must work several jobs to supplement our income. This will be a supermarket store. Last but not least, I want to build a water tap, sell water to the neighborhood, and install a water pump.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Receiving this money from GiveDirectly has been of great help to me and my family. At least my children are continuing with their education after I finished paying their school fees. I do not have any complaints at all but I am requesting additional transfers in order to continue educating my children and boosting my business.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
For my family and I, receiving this money from GiveDirectly has been a huge help. My life has never been the same since it unexpectedly arrived. I was able to pay my son, who is currently in form 4, kes. 12000 in school fees. I paid a kes. 15000 medical cost for my spouse, who had an eye condition and was unable to see well. Despite receiving several treatments, he is still unable to see clearly today. Along with food, I also bought two goats. Due to gasoline price increases, I was able to travel to and from Embu with a companion for a total of kes. 1400 to each and kes. 3000 from each. I spent at least $10,000 on this trip, and I spent $5,000 on presents.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($478 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
One of the evenings when I was at home winding up the day I got a message notification and upon checking I had received the cash transfers. My evening was brightened by the great news amidst the worries I had going through my mind. We were facing a tough financial situation, but I was glad the money was sent when we most needed it. I immediately shared the news with my spouse who was equally happy.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
It was not easy to come to terms with the fact that my spouse would stay blind forever. He was the main income earner but after losing his eyesight life became challenging. I had to look for ways of raising money for meeting our household needs and at the same be his nurse because he could not do most of the basic things by himself. Balancing the two was not a walk in the park but I had to figure out how to go about it at the end of the day. When we received the first transfer we opted for a specialized optician who has been attending to him. I am glad his health has improved. His eyesight is not fully back, but he can do nearly everything by himself. I feel so relieved because I not only have enough time to do productive work but am not worried anymore about how he operates whenever I am out to fend for the family. We are slowly getting our lives back and the family is more lively with no worries.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My spouse lost his eyesight a year ago but since we could not afford a specialized optician, we had to learn to live with the fact that he would stay in that condition forever. With the first transfer, we spent 20000 KES on his medication. We have seen a great improvement. He can now see, walk on his own and do almost all the basic things own. I feel relieved of the burden since I no longer play the role of both a nurse and the main income earner. 10500 KES I paid for my son's secondary school fees to clear the balance he owed the school. He had stayed at home for the fee for quite some time, and I am glad the money came on time. His performance for that term improved because he was able to attend all the lessons. I also bought two goats at 5000 KES for rearing. They not only act as a remembrance of the Give Directly project, but they are an investment because in the future after they will have given birth then I will have more goats that I can comfortably sell to meet urgent needs. Out of the remaining 19000 KES, I bought a mattress worth 9000 KES so that I could replace the old worn out we had and used 10000 KES to purchase a stock of foodstuffs for my household members.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I will invest in Livestock farming, I had two cows but I had to sell them because of the previous drought. We had no food to feed them and also getting food for our consumption was a challenge. I plan to buy two cows, a cow sells at 20,000 KES. Once I have the pair I will use them to plow my land. I plant maize, cassavas, and different kinds of vegetables. I will sell the produce later and cater to my family's needs.
What is the happiest part of your day?
We were blessed with rains this December, it had been a long hard year. It was refreshing to see our streams filled with water. My first insist was to get back to the farm and plant some vegetables, maize, and a few cassavas.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Access to water is my main concern, we walk for about an hour to the stream. The train is bad and the mountains we have to cover are many. This slows down our activities both in the house and on the farm. Our local leaders have been promising to dig boreholes for easy access, but we ate still waiting for them to fulfill their promises.