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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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Enrollment
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Completed
Newsfeed > Paul's Profile
Paul's family
Paul
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
47
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($461 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
After spending both transfers as we had planned with my spouse, I do not have any new goals. We are focusing more on the projects that we initiated which will enable us to generate more income so that we can cater to our household bills.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Givedirectly did well by improving poor households in my village. Every household has a new facelift in my village. We are all grateful for the support that we received. I do not have any complaints.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Purchase of milk had been a challenge for a long period. On receiving the second transfer, I invested in buying a heifer worth KES 25,000. The heifer is almost calving and we will soon start enjoying adequate milk and eventually sell it to earn income. Clearance of school fees for my son in high school was also a priority. I am happy that he was able to study throughout the term without being sent home. With the remaining part of the transfer, I spent in buying clothes and foodstuff.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($497 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 9.15 a.m. and I was at home relaxing after taking breakfast when I received a message notification. On checking the SMS, I was met with a lovely surprise which indicated that I had received KES 55,000 from GiveDirectly. I could not believe it at first and my heart was filled with joy after confirming it by checking my Mpesa balance and it dawned on me that my life was about to change for the better.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Since receiving this transfer, my life has truly transformed positively as I am now a proud owner of a dairy cow. Due to this, I believe raising school fees for my children will not be a problem anymore since I will be using income from the sale of surplus to achieve this. I am so happy and grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling me to achieve my dream of owning a dairy cow as it would not have been possible on my own.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The day I received my transfer was the happiest day as I was able to open a new chapter in my life and achieve some of the goals that seemed impossible before. First, I spent KES 25000 buy a dairy cow as an investment that I can rely on in paying school fees for my children through the sale of surplus. In addition, I spent KES 10000 to pay school fees for my children who had been sent back home, KES 16000 on clothes, utensils, and food for my family after setting aside KES 4000 for emergency purposes.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that I will buy a dairy cow to add the one I keep. I have only one cow that gives me just two litres per day. Selling this gives me about 0.6 USD per day. It is less than a dolar and not enough for food, let alone to pay school fees for my children in school.When I get this money, I will buy a better breed of a dairy cow that will produce about 5 litres a day. The $150 that I will get per day will enable me to buy sufficient foodstuffs and pay school fees for my children. I will also buy some goats, as an investment to save part of the money so that I can later sale them to get more money.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Morning is the happiest part of the day. This is because I always wake up having a lot of energy to work for my family. When I am energetic, it makes me happy because I know that my family will get food when I go out to my casual jobs.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship in my life is food insecurity. I am a subsistence farmer relying on casual labour to earn a living, getting about $2 per day. This means that I don't money to buy farm inputs as I spent my income on foodstuffs. I always plant too little and also not on time. It leads to poor yields that does not feed my family sufficiently, year in year out.