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 > Hellen's Profile
Hellen's family
Hellen
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Raising livestock
faceAge:
55
workCampaign
Standard Kenya
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($517 USD)
access_time 4 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life has improved when I bought the dairy cow. Milk for consumption in my household is now available. My children have never gone to school hungry like before the transfers. They always have breakfast before school which makes them learn better. The eggs from the chickens I bought too contribute greatly towards the provision of school supplies for them. They are having their education facilitated well as compared to before. If I had not received this transfer, my children would have been facing huge odds against their education.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly did so well by training us just before we received the transfers. The knowledge in hand enabled me to manage my mobile money account, which was a new concept, quite well.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
I spent the money I received on buying a dairy cow. I needed to own a dairy cow mainly because I needed milk for my household use. I wanted to stop buying milk from neighbors. Its high prices mean that whenever I did not have money, We would go without it This was not desirable and my children were the ones who suffer the most. They could go to school without breakfast. I then bought chickens to rear. I finally bought clothes for children.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($531 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have built a better and spacious house for my family. Before we were living in a small grass-thatched house which had a leaking roof. Whenever we had visitors it was so embarrassing because it was hard enough to accommodate all of us. During the rainy season, we were exposed to cold and this affected my children the most as they would fall ill due to the harsh weather conditions. I am happy that we have been able to bring the new house to completion and we are now living quite comfortably as a family.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received my money from GiveDirectly, I felt so happy. It was very early in the morning that day when I heard my phone ring. It was notifying me of a message that I had just received, something very unusual, especially at such odd hours. On checking the message, I could not believe what I just saw. Throughout my entire life, I have never received such an amount of money before. I felt so happy and appreciative of the same. We all celebrated as a family and quickly got down to planning on how best we could utilize the money to give us maximum benefits.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent my first transfer to build a better house for my family. The house we were staying in was too small and this made it a little more uncomfortable for us to live in especially with the growing size of my family. I also used part of the transfer to build a poultry house since I have plans of rearing chicken on a large scale. The remaining amount was used to buy the basic household needs for the family.
 
Enrolled
access_time almost 5 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
The small hut my family and I live in is too old, too small and leaks in water during rainy seasons. Receiving this money will therefore enable me to build a new three roomed iron roofed house meaning my life will greatly change. I will then use the remaining part of the transfer to add a dairy cow to the one i have since i rely on selling milk to earn some income to support needs of my family each day
What is the happiest part of your day?
My typical day revolves around waking up as early as 6.00 am to prepare my children for school after which i milk my ayshire cow which produces 1.5 litres of milk daily, whereby i sell 1litre to a neighbour and the the remaining is left for family consumption. I then spend the remaining part of the day grazing my cow near the forest till evening, which is the happiest part of my day since its the time i head back home knowing that my cow had enough feeds and will produce more milk the following day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I have always wished to venture into poultry farming in order to boost and support the income i get from selling 1.5 litres of milk daily, money that ain't enough to support all the needs of my family but my wish has been futile since i can't afford to get any capital to do so. I have three children studying in primary school and paying their schoolfees has been an uphill task due to financial constraints. What i strugle to offer my children daily is breakfast and evening meal, which is the biggest hardship i face in my life