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.
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Enrollment
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Transfers
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Completed
Newsfeed > Charles's Profile
Charles's family
Charles
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 ($466 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 next goal is for me to be able to acquire another cow, I plan to achieve this by saving up the money from my business now that I don't need to buy milk daily, I am thankful for the support that was an eye-opener to new and better beginnings.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The financial support from GiveDirectly gave us the opportunity for us to uplift our living standards to a better one, my village has been transformed and empowered, In that, the children are comfortably studying in their respective schools, people built new houses and many other good things, throughout my interaction with the GiveDirectly staffs I have not seen anything that was not done well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am into the business of selling wooden clubs in the village, I am married and blessed with one child, when I was promised the unconditional transfer, I opted to buy a dairy cow to cut down on the cost of buying milk daily with KES 30,000, I then used KES 5000 in buying sofa set seats. Lastly, I used the remaining amount in buying clothes and foodstuffs. I was unable to buy all this due to unreliable sources of income thus I am so grateful for the support that lifted my living standard in a short time.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($493 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 at home with my wife when I received a message confirming the receipt of my first transfer. I was very excited knowing that most of the projects that I had been having in mind would be starting as soon as I withdraw the money from my account. We thanked God and informed the other members of the family that we had received the amount we had been expecting as we needed to plan on withdrawal in the next few days before getting down to spending.
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 that has given me great hope of comfortably welcoming visitors and enjoying extra free space with my only child and even more in the future. It has taken me a long time contemplating and hoping to construct one but has been so hard since I could not raise such a huge amount that could facilitate the construction. I am grateful for the support from GiveDirectly that has given me a chance to build my life afresh and make my family happy again.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
With my current family of three, It has been a great opportunity to invest in the new projects that will last to serve not only the present family members but also the unborn generation. Constructing a new house to replace the small hut that was slowly getting older and deteriorating on the roof during the rainy season had always been on our prayer list. I purchased 25 iron sheets, building posts, nails, obtained labor at a total cost of KES33500. I am glad about the progress that will soon usher us into the new house with a better roof compared to the leaking grass-thatched that we had been living under for a long time. I also needed a lactating cow to relieve me of the burden of spending a lot on buying milk from the neighborhood. With the tight budget that we had in place, I could not fully deliver on that but purchased a heifer instead at KES15000 that will still take more time before we start depending on milk production. With the remaining KES 4000, I managed to obtain foodstuff for the household.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am currently living in a single grass touched house which is leaking. When I receive this money I will buy 0.1 acre of land with $500 and build a two roomed iron sheet house with $400. I will then give the remaining $100 to my wife to start a business to enable us earn income.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Evening in the 4 is my happiest part of the day, this time I usually come from work with some money from casual job. I am happy that my family has something to eat in the evening.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Being raised by a single parent, school fees and food shortage was the biggest hardship I experienced. This lead me to drop out of school, I am currently struggling with casual jobs to earn a living and feed my family which is not easy for me.