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.
Stages:
 
Enrollment
attach_money
 
Transfers
check
Completed
Newsfeed > Stela's Profile
Stela's family
Stela
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 ($493 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
check
 
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Receiving this money attracted immense benefits to me. As a parent, the money eased the struggle of providing for my family as well as educating my children. We acquired virtually all our basic needs and even improved our assets.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well by giving us unconditional cash. This allows us to spend the money according to our varied priorities and preferences. On the other hand, I see nothing that GiveDirectly doesn't do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent 4,000 shillings of my second transfer on paying school fees and purchasing school uniforms for my four children. I used another 15, 000 shillings on purchasing furniture. Besides, I bought and installed a solar lighting system at a cost of 5,000 shillings. Still, I used 5,000 shillings on purchasing a goat for rearing. Moreover, I repaid a debt of 10, 000 shillings which we had. I spent 5,000 shillings on buying clothes for my family members. Finally, we utilized the remaining amount on purchasing food stuffs.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($498 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
attach_money
 
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 1 pm and I was at the farm working when I heard an SMS alert on my phone. I decided to check what it was all about and I could not believe what I read in the message. The message was indicating that we had received the 55000/= that GiveDirectly had promised us. I became so happy and I left what I was doing for a while to rejoice. I told my children who had accompanied me to the farm and they were so happy that they started making requests for new clothes and shoes. Seeing their excited faces, I could not say no to them. This made them very happy and they jumped up with joy.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
This transfer has brought a big change in our lives as a family. We have been able to build another house that is roofed with iron sheets. We hence have more room that is enough for us and the children. Guests visiting the household will also be able to have somewhere to sleep. We also no longer look odd one out in the village and hence we now look like our neighbors who have houses roofed with iron sheets. The one and a half bags of maize that we bought will enable us to have something to eat for a while and hence we will no longer go hungry. We have been able to have a meal at lunch unlike before where we had to at times take tea only. The children are hence happy because they have something to eat and also because they have gotten new clothes and uniforms for themselves.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The transfer from GiveDirectly has helped me a lot. I have built a house with part of the money. I also bought one and a half bags of maize that will serve as food for my family. The transfer also enabled me to buy a few clothes for my children and I also bought new school uniforms for them. We have always wanted to build another house that is roofed with iron sheets because we have been living in the one that is grass-thatched for quite some time. Getting grass for roofing the house has become a big challenge, you have to go to a very far place to get them. Although we have always desired to have another house, we were however not in a position to build it because of a lack of money. I practice small scale farming of growing and selling vegetables, onions and my husband usually does casual work on other people’s farms. The little money that we get from our sources of income has mostly been going to the purchase of food. We sometimes experience a dry season in our area and hence the maize does not do well at times. This hence leads to a lot of hunger and we have to buy maize for consumption. So when we got the lump sum transfer from GiveDirectly, we saw an opportunity to do what we have always wanted to do.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Just like every other parent, I want the best for my children. I feel that the best reward I can give them all is quality education. I am a mother of 11 children and 5 of them have had to drop out of school due to my inability to raise the required amount of school fees. They are leading a miserable life of having to work in other people's farms to make ends meet. Right now I feel like I am the architect of my downfall for leading my children into a lifetime misery. All is not lost because I still have 6 other children who are in their primary level of schooling. Receiving this money will mean the whole world to me as it will revive my hopes of giving them the best education ever.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am ever happy in the morning. This is because I count myself lucky to have seen yet another day. This is something I never take for granted and I always thank God for it.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Having to feed my family is the biggest nightmare I have ever faced in my entire life. We depend on farming to sustain our lives and this venture can be very discouraging especially in this region due to very unpredictable weather patterns. We normally experience prolonged seasons of drought which is hurting farmers big time. Personally, I farm an area of 0.5-acre piece, and what I get every harvesting season is hardly enough to feed my family for even 2 months. Last year, for example, I harvested half a sack of maize from the very same piece of land. This is just a drop in the sea considering that I have 11 children to feed for an entire year.