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 > Ruth's Profile
Ruth's family
Ruth
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Small business
faceAge:
48
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 if I never received the transfers in that I have bought a dairy cow. I used to buy milk and it was so costly for me because I do not have a continuous source of income. I do small scale farming and the harvest is only for consumption. I sometimes sell the surplus at the market to earn an income to meet other basic household needs. I has always wished to own a dairy cow. When I received the second transfer I found it Worth to buy a one. My family now have enough milk and we sell the extra milk. I am so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has enabled me to own a dairy cow.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly does well by giving money to the poor in the community to build better houses and to buy dairy cows. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spend part of the money I received from GiveDirectly to buy a dairy cow. I used to buy milk from my neighbors and it's so costly for me. This project will cut the cost of buying milk. I was not feeling and I was admitted at the hospital. I used the rest to pay hospital bills. I am so happy because GiveDirectly came to my rescue on time. I didn't had any source of income. If not for GiveDirectly I wouldn't have reach this far. Thank you so much much for the immense support.
 
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?
When I heard the my phone SMS tone ring it was around six in the morning. I immediately gave it to my daughter who confirmed it was the GiveDirectly Mpesa notification message and I was very excited and relayed the news to my husband. We were all very happy and grateful to God and GD for remembering us. Immediately together with my husband we went to the nearest market withdrew and started spending as planning.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my life is furnishing my house with modern sofa set seats. I had desired to buy sofa sets for the past one year since I completed construction of my house but I was not able to.I used to stress up because I had no seats but not anymore. I am also glad because my house is well lit and can easily identified from a far off. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for all these.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent 150USD on a heifer because I have only one dairy cow and also in order to secure my future financial security. I also spent 100USD on a solar lighting system because there is no electricity in our place and we used to rely on kerosene lamp for lighting. I spent 40USD on a wheelbarrow for to ease transportation of farm produce, firewood and water because initially I used to carry everything on my back. I spent 100USD on three 3,-seater sofa set because I before I had locally made arm chairs which could easily break.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Poultry keeping is what I depend on to earn a living. I usually sell eggs and chicks whenever the hens hatch and this activity has really empowered me economically. I therefore plan to use $50 to build a modern and more spacious chicken coop, then use $50 to add more chicken to my poultry. I also intend to spend $35 to buy household furniture, $10 to replace my old tattered beddings and then use the remaining part of my transfer to stock food stuffs such as corn, rice and beans in my granary.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Waking up feeling energetic to plan my daily activities is enough motivation for me, that makes morning the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Imagine having 4 acres of land meant for farming yet it is unproductive due to prolonged drought seasons in this region! This is the root cause of poverty in my household. I buy all kinds of food from the market thus all the other dreams of engaging in bigger projects such as initiating businesses to boost our livelihood remains futile.