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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Transfers
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Completed
Newsfeed > Samuel's Profile
Samuel's family
Samuel
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Small business
faceAge:
33
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($478 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Immediately I was enrolled in the GD program, I developed a goal of building 3 houses for rental in the center on my 1/8 acre parcel of land. I prioritized this following the high demand for business houses both by GD beneficiaries and other civil servants working within my community. Although I have not fully accomplished this goal, I considered coming up with a new plan of raising goats for sale. Generally, in my community goats are valuable assets that have a better return to the owners.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Despite the fact that many people tend to offer support to their relatives and a people they must have known previously, GiveDirectly is so unique in all its ways of operation. It does not practice any form of discrimination for all the recipients enrolled in its program. It thus does well in sending cash directly to individuals who qualify for its aids. Although all the approaches of GiveDirectly is good, its program can have more impact when all individuals are enrolled in the village instead of limiting transfers to households only.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
In the past two years, I developed an interest of raising goats for sale once they are fully grown. Although I did not have sufficient capital to carry on this venture, I first began with two goats which fetched me KES 24,000 during the last Christmas festive season. Therefore, when I received my recent transfer, I spent KES 28,000 on buying 13 goats with an aim of selling them during the next Christmas festive season. Surprisingly, some of them have already begun giving birth, and at the moment I have an additional 3 kids in my flock. I am glad that through this, my family assets will continuously increase thus I shall find it easy to comfortably support my children's educational needs.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($486 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 9 AM when I was preparing breakfast for my siblings when my cell phone started ringing so loudly. Since I was late for my daily hustle, I decided to ignore it. However, five minutes later another message popped in. I was so curious and opted to check who it could be. After reading, I realized that it was an Mpesa message from GiveDirectly, I had finally received my first transfer. I was overexcited because I knew I would send all my siblings to school. I can still remember very well that on thi9s particular day, I opted to stay indoors so that I could celebrate with the family.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life just that through the transfers, I have been able to pay school fees for my three siblings who are in colleges and secondary schools. My parents passed on so many years ago and I was left with my three little siblings. Since then, I have been the family breadwinner and it has never been easy at all. I have solely been relying on odd jobs with meager incomes and sometimes I cold fail to bring the food on the table leave alone pay their school fees. As a result, they were always forced to stay home for weeks because of the accumulated fees. This affected their performance because they hardly attended all the classes nor sit for the exams. This has been bothering me for quite some time I never washed any of my siblings to undergo the troubles I have been exploring for not getting a chance to go to school. However, I feel my prayer is fully answered because through GiveDirectly, I have been able to send all my siblings back to school. This shows that their future shall be brighter and blessed courtesy of GiveDirectly. I will live to remember this organization for the huge positive impact it has brought into our lives as a family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent a huge part of my first transfer on paying school fees for my siblings who are in colleges and secondary schools respectively. Since I have been the family's breadwinner our parents passed on so many years ago and I had to step in for all the household expenses. It has never been an easy journey because I depended on odd jobs to cater to all their needs. In addition to that, I bought a mattress KES 5000 to replace the old one and for now, I am sleeping comfortably with no more pain. I also bought a water tank of 1000 liters which has been of help to me especially this rainy season, I was able to harvest and store water which is for my domestic use. Also with the remaining amount of money, I bought enough foodstuffs for my family that would take us to the next harvesting season.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have a plot at our nearest town that I have for a long time wished to construct a 3 roomed rental house on it but due to financial crisis, this has never been possible. Receiving this money means realizing my dream because I intend to spend a better portion (40000 KES) of the first transfer to ensure the house is completed. This is possible since I plan to construct the superstructure by myself. From this house, I expect to earn 9000 KES per month, which will be my reliable source of income. The remaining amount will help me to pay school fees for my siblings because as of now, I have been struggling so much since I depend on charcoal vending as the source of income for our needs.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I consider the morning as the happiest part of my day because I usually find myself more energetic to carry on with the day's activities. Unlike in the afternoon and evening hours when I get more exhausted such that, I lack the energy to perform my work.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
At the age of 33 years, I am still single because of the many responsibilities that I assumed immediately after the demise of my parents. This has forced me to look after my siblings and also ensure that, they are settled in school. Consequently, this has resulted in engaging in odd jobs like charcoal vending to earn a living, a job that drains much of my energy. I, therefore, consider the lack of a reliable source of income as the biggest hardship that I have ever faced in my life.