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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Newsfeed > Catherine's Profile
Catherine's family
Catherine
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
56
workCampaign
UBI
Upcoming Stage
Next Payment
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Follow to be updated on Catherine's next check-in.
 
18th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
I have a very beautiful house that is the envy of the entire family. I also ventured into livestock and poultry rearing as the financial security of the family. My family can also afford to eat healthy food for my family as I can easily afford to put food on the table for them every day.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I wish to expand my farming by leasing a bigger farm to help in farming so that I increase my farm produce.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
I save d the transfers in a merry-go-round and bought building materials like cement and sand that I used to plaster my floor. I had a dusty house that would expose us to a lot of flu and colds. I am really grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling my dream come true. This was a faraway dream as I could not afford to buy the materials because I earned so little that could only cater to my other needs.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect to have expanded my farming by leasing bigger farms, hiring casual workers to work in my farm, buying hybrid maize seeds to plant and boost my products and also buy fertilizer to help improve the growth of my farm produce.
 
15th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
Give Directly has greatly changed my life. I am in good shape because I am less worried about life compared to before when this organization had not come to our village. Through their help, I am able to plan well and everything is budgeted for. The fact that I have peace of mind and I can afford the basic needs without straining my self has made me look healthy and happy. My biggest worry has always been paying school fees. I usually do several casual jobs in a day in order to make sure they are not sent home or miss classes due to lack of school fees. Give Directly made life easier by giving us the cash transfers and I can't thank them enough. I wish they could see the huge differences they have made in our lives
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My life is currently from the way it would have been had I not received the transfers from Give Directly. Through their help, I was able to plaster the floor of my house. I had a floor made of mud and I had to sprinkle water occasionally so as to get rid of the dust. This used to be very difficult especially during summer when water was scarce. We at times ended up having respiratory diseases from the dust on the floor. By cementing, I know that we will not have health issues related to the dust in the house. I thank Give Directly for enabling us to make that change.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life ever since Give Directly came into my life is; I am happier and healthier. Initially, I looked emaciated and hopeless in life. It is because I used to work very hard and not eat well. I am a casual labourer and the wages I got on a daily basis were never enough to cater for the family needs on a daily basis. This meant sleeping hungry in with an intention of sacrificing for other pressing needs such as paying school fees especially when they were almost doing exams. I am glad that is no longer the case because we can now afford to eat well. There is a great change in our lives, my neighbours are even wondering about the great developments in my family
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I recently joined a merry go round in our village with the intention of saving. I planning to buy a dairy cow using the savings from the group. Therefore my goal for the next six months is to save religiously and look for an affordable dairy cow in the neighbourhood. I decided to buy a cow because milk is in high demand in this region and again dairy cows don't require much as long as there are enough feeds and water. I hope that this dream will be successful. Nevertheless, I can't stop thanking Give Directly for enabling us to do such big projects
 
12th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
I have been able to accumulate savings every month which now puts me at a better position of buying a cow which I intend to give the name Give directly. Having a female cow is such a calculated move because for one I know that it will give birth in the future and based on that I will have an additional stock apart from just the fact that it will be providing milk for me and my family.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I want to make sure that I make enough savings in the table banking group for the purposes of buying a cow in the near foreseeable future. We intend to combine efforts with my husband who is also a direct beneficiary of the transfers from GD.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
I have been using the transfers to pay school fees to one of the orphans that I have been living with ever since his parents passed on several years ago. I want to make sure that the kid gets quality education so that he can have a bright future later on in his life.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
My long term goal is to cement the interior parts of my house so that I can stop living in this mud covered house. Staying in this cow dung swabbed house is such a stressful thing because I have to be re-doing the same procedure weeks after weeks which at times is quite exhausting so that is why i prefer cementing it once and for all.
 
8th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life is very different because right now I have money which I am using to make huge budgets which I never had before. I am now I am in a position to save and buy a cow that I have always longed to get for quite a long time but I was not able to due to limited finances.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I still want to save the money that I will be getting from the organization so that i will be able to buy a cow in the next five months. The reason why I want to buy a cow is because I know that it will give birth in the future and I will be able to get milk which will also contribute to my balanced diet.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
This money has helped me so much because I have been able to handle an amount of money that I have never held in my hand before. I am able to buy food very easily like I never used to do before. Initially I used to do subsistence farming where I planted vegetables in my garden that I used to feed my family. Right now I am proud that I am capable of getting a balanced diet for the family because I buy different varieties of food.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I plan to use the modern fertilizers that I get from the one acre fund organization which will help me get a lot of farm harvest at the end of the season. I am sure next planting season I will be able to sell some of the products and earn some cash and the rest I will give to my daughters who are married elsewhere
 
4th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time almost 6 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that my house is free from dust after I plastered it. I am tired of smearing with Cowdung.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months,I expect my life to have changed for the better with after I shall have bought a cow for rearing.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My current life is different from how it would have been had I never received the transfer in that I am happier and free from stress and the thought of looking for money to feed my family.
Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
My new goal is to buy livestock with the money I will get from our local table banking.
 
Enrolled
access_time 6 years ago
 
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My biggest hardship I had faced in my life was when my four children died within a period of two years and my husband got an accident within that period which left him mentally sick up-to date.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the morning when I go to my farm to weed my crops because that is the source of my livelihood.
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
I would like to use my transfer in cultivating my land so that I can get enough produce to feed my family and also spend part of it in cementing my house.
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
The greatest achievement am proud of was when I ploughed a larget piece of land and I got a bumper harvest of 6bags of maize and 2bags of beans, that enabled me feed my family and also sold some maize to pay school fees for my child whom had stayed home for sometime due to lack of school fees.