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 > Sidi's Profile
Sidi's family
Sidi
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Casual labor
faceAge:
48
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($481 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Food insecurity has been the biggest hardship I have ever faced. My husband has been sick for a while forcing me to struggle up and down to meet my family’s needs. I have been doing toiling jobs like digging wells for a wage that is never sufficient even to cater for the basic needs. But as at now my life has greatly changed due to the aid I received from GiveDirectly. As a family we can now access the needs especially food shelter and clothing without much struggle. I purchased enough food stock with my transfer. I also constructed a decent house since the one we had had poor roofing which was leaking. I also managed to pay dowry for my daughter-in-law whom we are together now.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
This organization is the best ever I have heard or hear of. It is here to aid the less advantaged by holding their hands so that they can also define themselves as human beings. The organization has no faults.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have been living in fear for a while since my house was almost open on the roof. One could vividly count the stars in the sky at night while in the house. My biggest worry was during rainy season; everything of mine was getting spoilt and damaged. Upon receiving the 1st transfer, I decided to construct a good stable house which I completed using the 2nd transfer. I also managed to pay school fees for my 2 children knowing that education is the greatest investment one can offer to their children.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($510 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
attach_money
 
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I can still remember vividly, it was exactly 8 in the morning when we taking breakfast with my family then I heard a very loud vibration on my phone. Since I am illiterate I asked for a hand in support from my niece to confirm the sender of the message. On checking, she confirmed that it was the Mpesa message that I had anxiously been waiting for. Due to the excitement that I had, I couldn't afford to take the remaining tea.
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 now have a better house. Previously, I used to say in a small house which had a single room and one my family is big, it couldn't accommodate us all. I had to endure all this because my spouse has been suffering from asthma and this made him lose his job. Therefore I had to step in and became the family's breadwinner. I have been burning and selling charcoal to make ends meet and the little I could earn wasn't enough for me to purchase the buying materials. My children could mostly suffer at night especially when they gave school assignments. This was really stressing me as the parent. All is when now because we are comfortably sheltering in a decent house which is spacious enough. Also, my children have ample space to study at night without any distance.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first transfer on buying some building materials such as building materials, iron sheets, timber, threads, and nails. I purchased to buy all these with an intention of constructing a new hose becasue the initial one was very smal and in a critical state. Also, I gave KES 7500 of the transfer to the mason as his labour charge. With the remaining amount of money, I bought enough foodstuffs for my family and some other household items that I was lacking at the moment
 
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My house is very small and it can not accommodate us and this has forced my 2 children to seek shelter from my neighbor something that has ashamed me for a long time. When I heard about the arrival of GiveDirectly to our village, my hopes of owning a spacious iron-roofed house got renewed and I am now confident that soon this dream will materialize. My intention once I receive this money is to spend utmost $350 l to construct the house and the remaining amount of the first transfer to cater for beddings. With the second transfer, I plan to buy oxen at $300 to upscale my farming and I will also get 5 goats at $20 each. All this will change my life for the better, a transformation that I have wished for a long time.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Considering the nature of my jobs which require me to spend much of the morning and afternoon time at the bush, I always feel tired and weak. It's only in the evening when I am back home that I get ample time to relax and share a meal with my children. Hence, evening becomes the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Charcoal burning and aloe vera extraction are the only sources of income that I have known in my life. Considering the nature of these jobs being tiresome, their income is also very low and it can not fully support my family's basic needs. Therefore, the lack of a reliable source of income becomes the biggest hardship that I have ever faced in my life.