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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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Completed
Newsfeed > Valerie's Profile
Valerie's family
Valerie
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Other
faceAge:
25
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($435 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?
I spent $480 on purchasing a second-hand motorcycle. I had discussed with my spouse investing in an income-generating business. My spouse used to do casual jobs and the amount of money he would get was so small that he could not provide all the basic needs. We had always wished to start a business but there was no capital. I had no steady source of income either, I am doing small horticulture farming where by I plant maize and beans and this is majorly for consumption. Currently, my spouse operates a motorcycle taxi business, which has been our primary source of income. The daily income from this business is an average of $4 per day. we are able to meet all the basic needs of the family and even save some money for other investments. We are so grateful because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards to be much better than before. The remaining amount of money I spent on clothes, food and household items that we were lacking.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The training was perfectly done and most of the people in our village invested the money wisely. The money was unconditional most people invest in different income-generating businesses. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
48k Motorcycle. My spouse is operating the motorcycle taxi operator.. We had always wished to start an income generating business. But I did not have the money.. We could study so much to get some income to meet the basic needs.. Casual jobs no steady source of income We get a daily income of 400kes which we used to buy basic needs.. This would have taken quite some time Clothes and household items.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($460 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
attach_money
 
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 6:30 Pm I was preparing supper when I heard a message notification from my phone. When I checked out I could not believe my eyes it was a message confirming that I have received some amount from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy and immediately called my spouse who was not at home. He was so happy too and grateful when he heard that GiveGirectly had sent the transfer. This was one f the happiest evening we have ever had. We knew we would be able to purchase a daily cut to cut the daily cost of buying milk. I went and withdrew the money the following day. We are so grateful for the support.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Purchasing a dairy cow is the biggest difference in my daily life. This is because I used to buy milk daily and it was so costly for us. We would spend not least that KES 50 per day. This was much since I do not have a continuous source of income. We do small-scale farming where we plant maize and beans. This is majorly for consumption since the land is small. My spouse is employed as a security guard in one of the towns and the money that he would get was so small and it is meant for the basic household needs of the family. We had always wished to own a daily cow but this was not possible since there were no savings. When we received the transfer from GiveDirectly we decided to invest in daily keeping. This was to cut the daily cost of buying milk. Currently, I have enough milk for the family. I save the money that I would have used to buy milk for other basic needs. My children no longer missed getting milk like before. I am so grateful for the support since GiveDirectly has changed our living standards.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 40,000 on purchasing a dairy cow. This was one of the main priorities since we used to buy milk daily and it was so costly since we do not have a continuous source of income. Currently, we have enough milk and we sell the surplus to earn an income to meet other basic needs of the family. We spent the rest of the money on purchasing an ox. My spouse had always wanted to pay part of the dowry to my parents. This was not possible because there was no money to pay the dowry. Currently, we have an ox and we will pay out as part of my dowry payments with a promise to wait for the rest. We are so grateful because GiveDirectly has improved our standard of living.
 
Enrolled
access_time almost 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I fully depend on my husband who is a security officer in londiani, he earns KES 10,000 every month. His salary is not sufficient to cater to all the needs of y two children and I like food and clothing. I have always desired to be a dairy farmer for a long time but due to financial instability I have not been able to accomplish my heart's desire, I, therefore, plan to buy 2 freshian cows each at KES 30,000. This will grant me the opportunity to practice commercial dairy farming whereby I will be able to sell milk from the cows, I anticipate milking approximately 20litres of milk per day from the cows and I will be able to sell at KES 30 per liter. This will allow me to be financially independent. The remaining money from my transfer I will use to build a one-roomed house for my children, who have been sleeping in the kitchen.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Putting a meal on the table is a nightmare at times in my house and wherever we have sufficient food we are always so happy. This makes my children appreciate my efforts.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Food insecurity is the biggest challenge I face at the moment, our area food crops does not do so well due to poor rains and the type of soil we have. I fully depend on my husband who is a security officer and earns KES 10,000, his salary is not sufficient to buy all the monthly food stuff and other basics needs this has made up skip meals most of the time.