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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Completed
Newsfeed > Mercy's Profile
Mercy's family
Mercy
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
27
workCampaign
Standard Kenya
Upcoming Stage
Next Payment
check
 
Follow to be updated on Mercy's next check-in.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($514 USD)
access_time almost 4 years ago
attach_money
 
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I received the message alerting me of the transfer at around 6 am. I immediately got up to read the text message and was happy to see that the day we had been waiting for had finally arrived. I shred the message with my husband who then joined me in saying a little prayer to thank God for answering our prayers and giving us a means to get out of our tiny grass thatched house through Give Directly. I then immediately got up to take care of my daily chores so that I could head to the nearest shopping centre to withdraw the money as soon as possible.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is having a bigger and better house which can comfortably accommodate all my family members. With an extra bedroom for my children they don't have to walk in the dark every night to go to their grandmother's house where they slept before. We also don't have to worry about where to get the grass to cover the roof of our house to prevent it from leaking. Grass has become very rare to find nowadays which is why it was always a headache for us whenever our roof needed patching. We are now living a more comfortable life with less stress.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We had a very tiny grass-thatched house that was not able to comfortably accommodate me and my four children who had to sleep at their grandmother's place. When we received the money, we decided to construct a bigger iron-roofed house that can allow free movement and with an extra bedroom where my children can sleep. Now that we have an iron roofed-house we can also harvest rain water for domestic consumption,something that was not possible with a grass-thatched house. Having a bit more space in the new house, we decided to buy more seats so that the living room would be more occupied leaving just enough space for free movement.
 
Enrolled
access_time almost 4 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have always been aspiring to build another house since the one we are living is small and not in good condition. Since I am a house wife and my husband is casual laborer earning around $30 a month which is hardly enough for domestic use leave alone to save and build a house. I am planning to use $250 of my first transfer to build another house and the remaining $300, I will use to purchase a cow to supplement from what my husband earns.
What is the happiest part of your day?
As a house wife, my normal day starts earning in the morning by preparing my 3 Primary school going children. After they have left for school, I embark on my domestic chores such as washing clothes, utensils, preparing food for my children, among other household chores. At times I use my afternoon to fetch firewood, water, and go to buy food in the nearby centre. This leave my evening as my happiest moment since it is the only free time I have with my family as we chat while preparing food for dinner.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Lack of money to fend for my family has been the biggest hardship I have faced in life. My husband is a casual laborer who earn a meagre income of around $30 a month which is hardly enough to cater for the entire family of 6 (4 children, my husband and I). I am therefore planning to purchase a dairy a cow (of approximately $30) which we will use milk for domestic use and and sell the remaining in order to supplement what my husband earn as income.