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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Completed
Newsfeed > Karembo's Profile
Karembo's family
Karembo
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 ($498 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
If it was not for the Give Directly transfers I would not be having cows. I nolonger spend much on water since I use the cows to fetch water. We have to walk for more than 20 KM in search of water. The cows have made it easier because they are able to carry enough water in the cart.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion Give Directly does well in giving cash to individuals and let them to decide on how to spend it which enables people to meet various needs. On the other hand they are not anything wrong that they need to improve on.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I bought cows for rearing with a bigger portion of the recent transfer .These are investment for the future. After they have given birth I will benefit from milk and also use the ox for ploughing. Since we are currently facing farmine getting food has become a real challenge. I, therfore, bought enough corn and water for my family to take us for sometime.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($501 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was my helper who checked my messages and confirmed to me that I had received my first transfer. I felt happy since I could comfortably fulfil my household basic needs like buying food. I was at peace and relieved from the financial hardships that I have been going through for years.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that through through the transfer, I was able to adequately fulfil my household basic needs with ease. I was going through financial hardships to the extent that even providing daily food was a struggle. I could stay for some days without food. Even buying and changing to new clothes was hard for me. I thank GiveDirectly because the transfer helped me to do a shopping on new clothing for myself and my children. I also purchased enough food daily for my children. I could now take three meals a day unlike before when I could stay for some days without food.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 15000 of my first transfer on buying a cow which I am currently keeping in my homestead. I am expecting that it will reproduce and have many of them. I will be getting an income from selling milk besides it being an asset. I can readily sell the offspring in future when I am faced with a dire financial need. Apart from this, my children's school uniforms were torn and worn out thus I bought new uniforms for them. I also paid their school fees and bought some stationery as they resumed their studies. In addition to this, I also bought new clothes for myself and my children. I spent the remaining amount on buying foodstuffs since this was also a problem to me.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I'm planning to use 450 dollars from this donation to buy three indeginous dairy cows @150 dollars each. The cows will produce milk both for domestic consumption and for sale. It has been my desire to produce milk and this dream will come true courtesy of GiveDirectly. I'll further use 400 dollars to buy one pair of ox-plough to improve my productivity in the farm. This will be an assurance that I'll manage to till at least six acres of land every farming season thus improving my food production.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening. This is the time I take a rest after a tiring day walking longer distances to fetch water.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship in my life is lack of clean water for domestic use. I'm forced to walk 15km away to get water. Sometimes I even miss water to prepare a meal with.