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Newsfeed > Gladys's Profile
Gladys's family
Gladys
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
29
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($468 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
check
 
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Since receiving the transfer from GiveDirectly, I have been able to procure two cows, at the cost of Kes. 35, 000 and the other at Kes. 12, 000. Their success has made me want to add more. Milk sells for Kes. 40 per litre within our village and having extra cows would mean making more income to allow me to more comfortable cater for school fees for my 2 siblings and for my 2 kids when they eventually join school. The two in school are currently in form 4 and need Kes. 5,000 each per term in fees. Luckily I live in my own home and have minimal expenses, since they walk to school, taking an hour to and an hour back, hence the funds would be utilised fully to cater for our expenses.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly does several things well, primarily being the most obvious, helping people with financial challenges. In our village, people have been able to build houses, pay school fees, bought water tanks to store water and a host of hundreds of other things that have changed their lives, for good. In the process, I have observed that GiveDirectly excel at amazing communication and accountability - they explain things very well in plain language, have empathy and integrity- seeing as I have never been asked for anything in return for their assistance, most importantly do a great job in finding people who really, truly need their funds and making their lives better. I have nothing negative to say about GiveDirectly. I hope their continue to do their good work for years to come.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my most recent transfer on two cows, one costing Kes. 35, 000 and the other Kes. 12, 000 to use to sell milk in our village of Kamenwo, Bomet. Part of it was also use to pay Kes. 10, 000 each in fees arrears, in an effort to get us back in the black in terms of school fees.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($492 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
attach_money
 
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was outside washing utensils when I heard my phone that I had placed on the utensils' rack ringing to notify me of a new message. I stopped to have a look at it and I could not believe my eyes when I saw that it was an SMS saying that I had received KES 55000 on my phone. I jumped up with joy as I tell my sister who was with me the good news. She was so happy to hear what had transpired and we celebrated together giving thanks to God.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference that the transfer has brought into my life is that I have been able to save some money. I was able to buy some food and pay school fees for my sister. My family, therefore, does not lack something to eat and my sister can now study well without being sent home due to school fees arrears. The two, that is food and payment of school fees are what usually take up most of my money. With the saved money, I have been able to start sawing timber that I plan to use in constructing another house.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent most of the money that I got in buying a cow and fencing the compound. I decided to settle on buying a cow because I wanted something that I could remember GiveDirectly. The cow too was going to be of great benefit to me in the future because when it calves, I will sell some of the milk. This way I will get some income that I can use on other important things. I also decided to fence my land because I wanted to restrain the cow from going to other people's farms and causing the destruction of crops. I was not able to achieve all this before due to a lack of money. Thank you so much GiveDirectly for making this possible.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have been dreaming of adding another cow to enable me to earn more income through the sale of milk, with this money I will buy a cow at KES 50000. My wish has been also to add an extension of extra room to my house with no success since what I earn from farming is little. I will therefore use KES 30000 to do an extension of an extra room to my main house as it will help me when I have visitors they will have an extra room to sleep comfortably. The remaining KES 20000 I will use to buy a plastic water tank to enable me to harvest rainwater and avoid perennial water shortages which have been a big challenge we are experiencing.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My happiest part of the day is in the morning when I wake up healthy. I am happy that I will be able to pick up from yesterday's duties and manage to provide for my children. Being healthy means a lot to me because I will be able to work towards my future goals and live a better life.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I have been taking care of my sister and providing school fees for her since the time I lost my parents. Financial constrain has been my biggest hardship I have been going through. What I also earn from my farming has not been sufficient for me.