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 > Juliana's Profile
Juliana's family
Juliana
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Raising livestock
faceAge:
49
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($432 USD)
access_time 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Having improved our main house by putting up a cemented floor, we now have a kitchen that is mud walled and with uncemented floor. In the next one year and beyond, we look forward to improving this structure by erecting timber walls and having the floor cemented as well. I plan to raise enough money from dairy keeping and subsistence farming that I do. Once I do this, I will have a more comfortable home for both our children and us. Having a more comfortable home reduces some stresss especially after a hard day's work. It makes our homes very lively. Achieving this shall make me and my family very happy.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly does very well by giving us support in form of cash. This leaves us with a variety of choice and gives everyone an opportunity to choose how to spend the money and achieve maximum returns. Everyone within my village is very happy and impressed with whatever they spent. I do not see anything with GiveDirectly's operations that I think should be corrected or done in any better way. Everything seemed right for me.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my second transfer of $550, I used $200 to buy a heifer and another $100 to buy maize for consumption. The remaining amount of $250 was used to cement the floor of my house. I chose to invest the money on livestock as a long term investment that would see me meet some of the emergency needs that may come by. I had for a long time longed for a house with a cemented floor since this would be easy to maintain but due to little income that we make from our subsistence farming then we were unable to raise enough to do all the improvements that we have been able to do with GiveDirectly transfers. I now feel so much happy and grateful to GiveDirectly for what it has enabled us to do-something we would not have achieved anytime soon.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($468 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 5 p.m while on the farm planting maize. That's when I received a message alert on my phone. On checking, I was excited to have received KES 55,000 from GiveDirectly. Overwhelmed with joy, I left the farm and thanked God for GiveDirectly for such a gift.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I received my transfers is the availability of adequate food. This has helped reduce the strain of waking early for casual labor. Secondly, the additional heifer will be key in milk production.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a mother of five, four are grown and independent and one is still living with me. To feed my family I rely on dairy and maize farming on a small scale. During enrollment, my first plan was to buy a dairy cow. True to my word, KES 20,000 was spent on a heifer when my transfers arrived. Once these reproduce it will be a source of milk and income majorly for household consumption. Secondly, KES 4,000 was spent on a bag of maize. And as we speak a kilo of maize meal is now KES 100. The remainder will be over in a week. Earlier on, my weekly household budget was KES 1,000 spent on maize, sugar vegetables, and soap but this has gone up the due increase in commodity prices. Thirdly, KES 10,000 was spent on 1,500 liters of the water tank. This helps store more water compared to the smaller one I had. Lastly, KES 5,000 was used on the latest clothing fashion which is of high quality compared to second-hand clothes.
 
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am a widow and a mother of five. I primarily depend on farming to meet my needs. I am lucky that I have been able to educate my children with my youngest having just completed a degree last year. I sold my asset to make sure that I could see them in school. Currently, I own one cow which is at the risk of being sold in case any financial crisis comes up. To me, receiving this cash transfer means added assets to my family. I am planning to use KES 40000 to buy a cow. This will boost my financial security and increase milk production from my farm. I see a higher income in milk sales which helps me expand and improve my farming.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I have toiled both on my farmer and other peoples' farms as a casual laborer to make sure that my family does not suffer. I am a widow and bringing up five children single-handedly is not been easy. In the last six months, my last-born daughter completed a degree. This has been the biggest joy knowing that I have achieved my dream. Though they are not employed yet, I am hopeful they will soon secure jobs and start earning.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Even though I am a farmer, I have not been able to produce good yields to take me throughout the year. I have one cow which produces milk for approximately 6 months a year. The maize crop which is my main food has been adversely affected by maize disease and low rainfall. Food shortage is my current main challenge.