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 > Zeddy's Profile
Zeddy's family
Zeddy
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
36
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($462 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?
My new goal is to be able to accumulate enough money through a savings plan that will enable us pay school fees for our children who will start joining secondary school soon. Our first born is in standard seven and we have always dreamt of offering them the best in terms of education especially at their secondary level. We plan to save up from our daily hustles as well as from the sale of milknonce we start having milk from the cows that we bought. I work as a tailor and my husband works as a mechanic and it is only through saving that we can be able to pay the school fee of our children comfortably. We look forward to doing this together as a family and we are so grateful to GiveDirectly for having gave us a helping hand to accomplish whta we have accomplished and be able to concentrate on the education of our children.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly did very well by giving each and every household in our village money without any precondiotions or demand for pay back at a later date. To me this made people feel so much empowered and thus the ability to make very informed decisions based on their needs.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used part of KES 10000 to complete a shop that I had built but which was not yet complete. We are happy thet the shop is now complete and its only a matter of time before I can put it into use. I intend to use the shop as my business place where I will be doing my tailoring work. Currently, I do the work at home and I feel I am not reaching out to many customers and I am hopeful that I will be able to add the number of clients that I have and make more income for my family. I used another KES 37000 to buy a dairy cow as an additional living asset to the one that we already had. Having two cows will make sure that we have continous milk production throughout the year and this too will make sure that we have enough money to sustain the needs of the family and savings as well. The remaining amount of money was used to buy food for the family. The investments made shall not only boost the living standards of my family but shall always remind us of GiveDirectly going into the future.I am personally very grateful and on behalf of my entire family I want to say Thank you so much.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($485 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was filled with joy when I first received and confirmed that the message I had received they morning from GiveDirectly bore great news that we had been expecting. Receiving such support warmed my heart so much that I got emotional over it. I was at home with my whole family that celebrated that receipt with a lot of expressions of gratitude. Just after enrollment, we had been in deep consultation as we make advanced planning within the household. This made it easier for us since we could not start it over after receiving it but I only had to collect and start spending on all that we had planned.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the construction of a new house and relocating my tailoring business to it. This has made my main house looks spacious and neat unlike before when the cartons were full of clothes and the small pieces would flood the sitting room. I am glad that I can now work on ample space that is easy to clean and maintain.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Just after enrollment into the program, all I wished to see it complete was to free some space I had been working on in my current house. I had been using a sewing machine that needed enough space within the house. Customers' clothes could sometimes pile to the spillage on the cartons that I had been using in storing them before dispatching. On receiving the first transfer, I spent KES 20000 on establishing a small house just at my doorstep that will specifically be for my tailoring business. I am glad that the space that the machine and the luggage that I was working on is now free giving more room for another chair. I also obtained four rolls of chain link at KES 10400 that I used in fencing around my kitchen garden, bought household foodstuff that included maize, rice, sugar, and cooking oil at a total cost of KES10000, bought new pairs of clothes for my family of five and saved the remaining amount to serve any emergency that may arise before I receive the second transfer.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means a better education for my children. I depend mainly on farming to get school fees for the children, Recently I have struggled so much to raise school fees for the children hence they are always out of school and they have missed a lot of classes resulting in poor performance. I plan to spend KES 40,000 on paying school fees and pay the balance I owe the school. I will also buy a dairy cow worth KES 35,000 since I do not have a cow in the family. The remaining amount I will use to buy foodstuffs for my family, beddings, and clothing.  
What is the happiest part of your day?
My happiness for the last since months is that my husband managed to secure a job in the nearby Centre. He was employed to be a night guard on one of the premises and that means he has been helping out with foodstuffs and other basic items that are not available for the kids.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Raising school fees has been the biggest challenge am facing currently. Production from the farm has been so little. I always depend on farm produce like keels, onions, and potatoes to sell so that I pay school fees, For the last 8 months I have not harvested anything, from the farm because of the low Rains in the area. I feel so bad as a parent to see my children out of school.