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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 > Mutai's Profile
Mutai's family
Mutai
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
House construction
faceAge:
27
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($436 USD)
access_time 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My goal is to land a great position. I could live a better existence and keep my family close by living together if I had more money. When that time comes, I hope to be able to support my two brothers financially so they can pursue their dreams of becoming the best versions of themselves.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
As I'm sure you've heard from numerous other recipients, GiveDirectly is exceptional at realizing dreams. I was able to return to school, change my life, and graduate debt-free thanks to the money. Many people in my community share the same situation. Our lives have altered significantly as a result of GiveDirectly. I only ask that they think about returning so that they can help us all do much more and finish some of the projects that these transfers have given us the opportunity to commence.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The funds from GiveDirectly allowed me to pay for my computer classes. I am currently pursuing an International Certificate of Digital Literacy at Brite Computer School. There is a $385 tuition fee. With the cost having been covered thanks to GiveDirectly, I have one exam left. I'll be fully certified and done with the lessons. Part of the funds also went towards paying for my rent. I made sure to pay a couple of months in advance, guaranteeing I would be in the black for a few months moving forward. My rent is $40 per month. I also set off to stock up on as much food as possible in my house, to make sure I had enough for a while. My wife and our three-year-old kid live in Bomet. She's a stay-at-home wife and takes care of our poultry that we rear to sell. With the casual labor jobs I do, earning $5 to $10, the funds from GiveDirectly were a welcome blessing. It allowed us to be able to do so much as a family, and the results of that will continue to impact us positively for years to come.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($473 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I felt so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. I remember very well that it was early in the morning when I had just woken up and we were having tea with family. I had waited for the money for quite a while having been promised that I willl receive the money by mid February. It was already April and I was yet to receive the money. I was almost giving up and with the kind of pressure that I faced from villagers who kept asking me whether I had received the money or not. Receiving the money that day was a huge relief for me and my family. I knew that my plans of putting some things together were finally going to be realized.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference is the strong foundation that I now have with the money that I received from GiveDirectly. I had so many plans that were thwarted by covid since I had to lose my job upon lockdown. This money came in to help me plan myself a fresh and I am now happy that I am going to seek certification for my business management course. This has brought so much joy and given me peace of mind that I had long lost.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 12500 to start a poultry keeping project. With this money I was able to buy 13 egg laying chicken and bought a chicken wire that was meant to enclose a place that would be used by the chicken. The project of keeping poultry was one that had been in my mind fir the longest time but which I had not the capacity to implement more especially after I lost my job due to covid 19 and it's effects that left me jobless .I used another KES 13000 to buy goats for keeping and another KES 5000 to take buy beddings and clothes. I saved another KES 15000 to be used to gradually improve my poultry keeping project. I feel happy that my wife and my kid will finally have a project to run at home and that which will give us more income and make us stable even as I pursue my studies once I get my second transfer.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Ever since I graduated from campus in 2017, I have been hoping to venture into a sustainable business that will secure a future for my family of 3. However, acquiring capital to begin a poultry farm has been a challenge since I depend on house construction to earn income. The availability of such jobs is dependent on the state of the country's economy, as I can even stay for up to 10 days to earn on average KES 6000 per completed house. With this income, I have managed to build a poultry house that is yet to be completed. Givedirectly has come in handy and I am happy that my dream of owning a poultry farm will come true as I intend to use KES 30000 to purchase mature 10 kienyeji chicken for a start as well as complete the poultry house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My baby boy turned 2 years in November 2021 and I was privileged to hold a birthday party for him. I invited his peers and friend which saw him playful and joyful the entire day. It is the joy of each parent, me not left behind, to see his children happy as I was happy because I had fulfilled my family wants by providing for him.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Thereupon completion of my undergraduate studies in Project Planning and Management in 2017, I hoped to get a well-paying permanent job. Unfortunately, due to the state of the economy, I have been always on short term contracts jobs with the tiniest compensation. With the onset of Covid 19, I was laid off and I ended up in the village. For the sake of my family of 3, I ventured into house construction which sadly, is rare to get and pays on average KES 6000 after 10 days. This is insufficient to sustain the family and venture into poultry farming. It pains me that I have not yet met my dreams for lack of capital to open up a poultry farm.