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
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Transfers
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Completed
Newsfeed > Paul's Profile
Paul's family
Paul
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
52
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($467 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I used part of my second transfer to improve my farm activities. I was able to cultivate more land and put it under agriculture. I was also able to buy hybrid seeds that will see me have a huge harvest if all goes well. This has left me having a new goal and that is building a store for my farm produce. This I expect to accomplish once I get to have my first harvest from my farm. I will sell all the produce to be able to realize this.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly did very well in making sure that each household within the village was enrolled to receive the transfers. Thee was no discrimination at all and the officers in charge were very professional in how they handled the whole exercise. I did not see anything that I tjought should have been changed to improve the processes.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I saved KES 40000 of my second transfer in preparation to buying a motorcycle. The motorcycle shall enable me to start working for myself in the transport industry and better the living standards of my family. Right now, all I rely on is farm produce to make a living and it is sometimes very discouraging when the produce is affected by bad weather conditions. I used anther KES 10000 to buy building materials for completing a house that I had built with the fist transfer. The remaining amount of less than KES 5000 was used to buy farm inputs and put our land under agriculture in time. We are looking forward to a better harvest and a general rise in living standards of our family.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($492 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I can vividly recall very well that it was a few minutes past 9 am and I was on my way to the canteen to purchase some items when I received the message. I became so happy upon reading its contents and I rushed back home to share the news with my spouse and children. I will forever be grateful to GiveDirectly because finally, I was able to acquire a dairy cow like some of the people in my village.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have been able to build a more decent kitchen for my family near our main house. Apart from the previous one being a bit far from the main house, its roof was old and needed renovation since it had already started leaking. I am glad that we will start using it very soon and I no longer worry about the cost of changing the roof every two years since iron sheets are durable.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my transfer, I spent it to buy a dairy cow worth KES 30000. We decided on this as a family because we wanted something that will be our source of income in the future. When the cow calves, we will be able to get milk for our consumption and sell and use the income that we will get from the sale of milk to pay school fees for our children. Also, I spent 10000 to buy 12 pieces of iron sheets to use in building an iron-roofed kitchen for my family since the one we had was a bit far from our main house. I did not incur the cost of buying poles since I used the old ones that I got after demolishing my grass-thatched kitchen that we had. I used the remaining KES 22600 on farming by hiring a tractor for land preparation purposes and to buy quality hybrid seeds.
 
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have always wanted to shift my kitchen to a place nearby to the main house, but I have not had finances to do so. The kitchen is located in a place far from the main house and I fear for the safety of the property in the the house thus I intend to use KES 30000 for this purpose. Additionally, my wife pursued a course in tailoring but she has not been able to practice . I will use KES 15000 to purchase a sewing machine for my wife hence sharpening her skills and the income I earn from it to support the family . I will use the remaining transfers on food for the household.
What is the happiest part of your day?
On afew instances , I do casual jobs to earn a living. I am always happy in the afternoon for I have food for my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Drought and hunger has been my biggest hardship. Although I am a subsistence farmer, the climate has not been favourable for my produce. We have had prolonged periods of drought with a few onsets of rain and this has impacted negatively on the crops. We have resulted to purchasing food to sustain my family of 2 from the income we get from selling of chicken and goats.