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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 > Viola's Profile
Viola's family
Viola
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
23
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($421 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?
I want to continue the fashion and design course I had earlier started but had to quit owing to not having enough money for school supplies. I want to establish my own tailoring business after graduating so that I can help my spouse provide for our basic requirements while also earning an income.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my perspective, GiveDirectly performed admirably in our village and even in the villages it visited before ours. The advice on sensible spending was also well received, as shown by the final results, which left me feeling inspired. Residents' living standards have improved as a result of our impartial enrollment.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Getting enough water from the river, which is far from our village, every day has been difficult for my two-person household. My children still attend school and only get home in the late evening, so I had been in charge of this. It has been difficult for me to provide enough water for both residential use and to improve their hygiene. We decided to purchase a $5,000 storage tank worth $350 after getting the second transfer with my husband. To install the tank, I additionally spent $50 on gutters and other extras. I bought food for my family and new clothes with the remaining $130.
 
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?
I had earlier taken my phone to a charging shop that day because it had drained off the charge. In the evening, I send my elder child to go and pick it and when she came back, I switched it on the phone and abruptly, a cash transfer message popped up. I was eager to open the message because I was not expecting money from anyone and upon checking it, I realized that I had received my first transfer. I got a bit emotional because I was so broke then and knelt down and said a word of prayer. It felt like a moment a turning point to me and truly it is.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
I can't hide my joy everyday when I get outside my house and see a dairy cow and water tank in my compound. In a year's time, I will be milking my cow and selling milk to earn money and I will nolonger have to walk far away in search of water. I can't really thank GiveDirectly enough for the support.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
For the longest time, I had desired to have two things in my life; a dairy cow and water tank. This is because, I wanted to have an additional source of income and harvest water during rainy season because sometimes during dry season, I can walk for kilometers in search of water. I am a housewife and my husband works as a casual labourer in a certain company and therefore, he couldn't afford to take care of me and our two children out of the meager wages that he earns. Being enrolled in the program was the greatest opportunity in my life because this was the only way that I could afford to get myself all that I wished to have. I spent KES 20,000 to buy a dairy cow and the balance to buy a 5000 litres tank. I'm so grateful to GiveDirectly for making this happen because I couldn't have achieved it by my own.
 
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
We are farmers depending heavily on farm produce for income. At the moment, we do not own a cow of our own, we are forced to purchase milk from the market which costs us up to KES 3,000 a month. It has been in our plan to purchase a cow but due to insufficient funds, we have not been able to. We, plan to use KES 40,000 to buy a cow mainly for milk production for domestic use. This will go long way towards reducing our daily expenditure which will be a relief for us financially. For the rest of the amount, we plan to purchase a water tank. It will help us collect clean rainwater for drinking.
What is the happiest part of your day?
In early January my husband got employed by a Transportation company. This was a joy for the family. Since then things have changed, I can get monthly shopping and clothes for the school-going children.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest challenge is food insecurity. We live in a semi-arid area where we experience more dry seasons than rainy seasons in a year making farming very unsustainable. Sometimes we are forced to work extra hard, more hours, or at other people's lands to afford a meal. My farm used to produce 10 bags of maize but in the last 8 years, I harvest at most 2 bags which is not sufficient to feed my family.