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 > Gladis's Profile
Gladis's family
Gladis
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
48
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($442 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?
My new goal is to be able to buy additional livestock. I had not been able to get enough money that would see me buy livestock like I did with GiveDirectly transfers. Having bought one, I got so much encouraged and my new goal is to buy additional livestock. This I know shall help me a lot in terms of paying school fees for my children especially when they join secondary school. We rely on casual work to make income that helps in sustaining the needs of our family and my plan is to make sure that I save enough from the casual work that I do until it is enough to buy one. I am however very grateful for the support that we received from GiveDirectly and for the things we were able to do as a family.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly did very well by giving each and everyone of us an equal opportunity to benefit from the program. I did not see any form of discrimination at all from the officers that dealt with enrollment and this to me was a very good thing. It gave us an opportunity to benefit from the program and to make decisions that have positively impacted our lives. On the other hand, I only felt that the selection criteria sgoujd have been more linient to make sure that every deserving person benefitted from the program.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 25000 to buy a heifer and used another KES 15000 to pay back debts owed to us as a family. The amount that remained was used to buy food and other basic household needs for my family. I made a decision to buy a dairy cow since I did not own one until I received support from GiveDirectly. I am a mother of six children and my husband and I rely entirely on off casual jobs to raise income to sustain the needs of our family. T he e amount of money that we often make from this odd casual jobs is hardly enough to feed our family and it is for this reason that we were unable to make such huge investments like purchasing of livestock.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($489 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was a few minutes past 10 am when I requested one of my daughters to help me check if I had a missed call on my phone since I do not know how to operate it. After scrolling it for some time, she informed me that I had received some cash from Segovia technology. I got confused with the name at first but upon confirming to me that it was KES 55000, I immediately knew that it was from GiveDirecly since it was the only organization that had promised me that I would be receiving money from them before date 20th of that month. The realization of what had already been sent made me so happy and I started shouting joyously thanking God for using GiveDirectly to bless us in such a manner.
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 have been able to acquire an asset that is an investment to me. With it, I will be able to earn some money through the sale of surplus when it calves and also be able to save the money that I would otherwise use in buying milk. My family is and will forever remain grateful to GiveDirectly for making this possible.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 25000 from my recent transfer to buy a heifer. We settled on this as a family so that we will have enough milk for consumption and sale to earn an income when it calves. I will in turn use this income to pay school fees for my children and to cater to our basic needs. We used to live in a small grass-thatched house and it had always been my prayer to build a more spacious one thatched with iron sheets. I am glad since receiving the transfer enabled me to achieve this as I was able to spend KES 25000 on buying iron sheets, timber, nails and to pay for the labor and use the remaining KES 5000 on foodstuffs for my family.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means we shall afford to build a bigger and better house. Precisely, shall use about KES 20000 on building a new house. This is because we need more rooms to accommodate any person who may visit us. Currently, we have only a one-roomed house. Moreover, we will utilize KES 30000 on purchasing a cow as an investment for future use. Finally, we shall spend any remaining amounts on acquiring basic needs including food and education. The transfer shall definitely improve our lives.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the afternoon when I am taking some rest after accomplishing my household chores and farming duties. This is the moment that I get to socialize with my neighbors and get updates on various trending issues.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship we have faced as a family is the regular inadequacy of food. As peasant farmers tilling only 0.2 acres of land and relying on natural rains, and living in a semi-arid area, our farm produce could hardly sustain us for a month. Hence, we are facing perennial inadequacy of food in our household.