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 > Gilbert's Profile
Gilbert's family
Gilbert
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Small business
faceAge:
22
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($493 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?
My life is different than how it would have been had I not received the transfer because I have been able to buy a piece land. This land will come in handy in reducing our daily expenditure since I have started farming it. I am glad that this year will be a year of change since I will not buy maize flour daily like I am used to. Before buying buying this piece of land, I used to buy maize throughout the year since the piece of land that I was given by my father is small and one cannot practice any farming activity in it.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well by uplifting people's lives through cash transfer and I do not see anything that they do not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 35000 from my transfer to finish paying for a piece of land that I had bought using my first transfer. I decided on this so that I woukd be able to do other things knowing that I do not have any debt. On the remaining amount, I bought a dairy cow after topping up KES 3000. I settled on this as a way of reducing our daily expenditure since buying milk has been our routine and it is costly. I am now glad that this will no longer be the case in the near future.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($494 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was early in the morning and I was at home when I heard the SMS notification on my phone. I checked it and I was filled with a lot of excitement to see that we had received the lump sum transfer from GiveDirectly. I informed my family of the good news and they joined me in the celebration. We were happy because we saw that we will be able to achieve what we have always wanted.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
There are going to be a lot of changes in my family after the receipt of this transfer. Having bought the piece of land that we have always wanted, we will now be able to till it and get food that our family can consume. We can also sell some of the farm produce and use the money from the sales on other important things such as buying a cow. With enough food from the farm, we can use the money that we get from the chicken business on other things such as paying school fees for our children. Thank you GiveDirectly and may you be blessed abundantly for what you have done to us.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The transfer from GiveDirectly has helped me in a very big way that I have never imagined. I bought a piece of land with it by paying half the amount that was needed to be paid. We have always wanted to have our piece of land but due to financial constraints, we were not in a position to do so. I used the remaining part of the transfer, in boosting my business of buying and selling chickens. This business has been of great help to us since it has been our source of income. The money from the business has been enabling us to buy food and other basic needs such as buying clothes for the children. It has however not been enough to save up and use it on other things such as buying the piece of land.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means that my family shall have more income and hence lead a better life. This is because I will use the money to lease some pieces of land for crop farming. Besides, I will spend some of the money on expanding my business of buying and selling chicken.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening when I am returning home from my small business of buying and selling chicken. This is the time that I am reuniting with my young family. Besides, it is the time that I am taking some food after struggling the whole day to get some income.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced in life is the inadequacy of land for farming and living in. I have been yearning to do crop farming as a source of livelihood for my family. Unfortunately, I inherited only 0.15 acres of land from my father. Since I have no reliable source of significant income, I have never managed to lease or buy more land.