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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Enrollment
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Completed
Newsfeed > Betty's Profile
Betty's family
Betty
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Other
faceAge:
38
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53010 KES ($392 USD)
access_time 11 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Instead of sitting at home idling and waiting on my soldier husband to support our family of six, I enrolled in a tailoring course that I will hopefully complete in December 2023. After graduation, I plan on using $1000 to open a tailoring shop at Mwarandinda Center to sew clothes and sell materials to the people of this area. Through the profits, I will be able to expand the business as well as support my husband in raising the family.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
If you walk around the village, you will notice a noticeable change, unlike when the transfers were not yet out. For instance,assets have increased, houses have been built, and children have attended school without any issue. This is a commendable job overall. I will only wish for the organization to change the supplier of the phones that are distributed to the recipients because currently, these phones hang, rendering the recipients unreachable.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Being a stay-at-home mother is stressful and demeaning because you have to always ask for help, even though you have the energy to fend for yourself. As a family of six, we often depend on my husband, who is a soldier, for support. Since I want to make some changes in my life and be independent, I enrolled in a tailoring course, which I will hopefully complete in December 2023. For practice, I bought a sewing machine for $125, and I am hopeful that I will sharpen my skills before graduation. In addition to this, I contributed $50 towards medication for my 2 sisters, who are ailing from high blood pressure, and $40 for a reading table for my children to use while attending to their homework. For the rest of the transfers, I bought food for the household. I am now grateful that the family has food security.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($442 USD)
access_time 1 year ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was curious to read through a message from one of the Mpesa service providers after seeing it pop up, thinking it was one of the random fraud messages we had been receiving. Because I was expecting to receive the exact amount indicated in the message, the indicated amount was a clear indication that it came from GiveDirectly. I double-checked my account balance, and I was ecstatic to see that I had $550 in it. It was around 4:00 p.m., and I was with other family members who I couldn't tell. My husband was not at home, so he had to call to let us know we had received the money. He was equally delighted and eager to follow through on the budget we had established.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The most significant difference in my daily life is my hope of learning tailoring skills at the new school I have enrolled in. I believe this will provide me with the necessary skills to open my own tailor shop in the future, allowing me to serve the community by both repairing and making new clothes for them. I was almost out of hope, but I am grateful to have received the funds that allowed me to break out of my routine and try something new.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Even though we had not planned for any emergencies, I am grateful that the first transfer arrived when we needed to take our son to the hospital for a dental problem. We sought a good hospital that we believed would provide the best services at reasonable prices because he was in pain. The entire process cost us $200, and I am relieved that the problem has been resolved and my son is now safe. I also enrolled in tailoring school after paying a $20 registration fee and still owe $180 to finish the course. I am excited to learn skills that will be useful in the future. I also spent $80 on new clothes for my three primary school children, $4000 on a visit to my parents' house, and the remainder on food for my family of six. My husband works in administration and has been extremely helpful with bill payments. He was also grateful for the support because we could handle all of the plans together.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 1 year ago
 
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
I am a trained Early Childhood Development (ECD) teacher with 12 years of experience. I quit my last job last year due to a lack of payments. My husband and I decided I stay at home as we figured things out. It is now a year and I am still at home with no income and depending on my husband. There is a joy that comes with earning your own money, it boosts your esteem. Nowadays I feel like a beggar, I have to ask for everything I need which makes me shy off from asking for some things and I ended up lacking them. Thinking of this money, I want to invest in myself, acquire some tailoring skills and put up a business to create my flow of cash.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Mothers would agree with me that giving birth through cesarean section is hard and painful, especially with the recovery. I can attest to this because I have undergone two of them. I carried my third pregnancy through last year and this March I put to bed a beautiful baby girl but through normal delivery. It came as a surprise because I expected another survey. I was overjoyed because the healing has not taken the time and I can comfortably move around unlike the previous pregnancies.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I hear people talking of areas where food is in plenty and rotting, I think to myself and wish I could be in such a position. The past year has been tough, with no rain and scarcity of food. I can not remember the last time I had a different meal for lunch and dinner. Every meal we eat cornmeal mush with kale, this is daily. It is so hard to eat any other type of food like rice because of the prices, I simply can not afford them. I no longer know what a balanced diet entails.