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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.
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Completed
Newsfeed > Tumaini's Profile
Tumaini's family
Tumaini
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Other
faceAge:
41
workCampaign
Standard Kenya
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($538 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Having a permanent rental house is the biggest difference that I can proudly mention in my life. This is because its previous state was deplorable and as a result, I had to lower the rental charges to lure the tenants who felt the conditions of the house didn't warrant their habitation and for some were had second thoughts of relocating to other rentals. This was a big loss to me as the landlady because I was not able to cater to my daily needs with the meager income and being that these rental houses want I rely on for upkeep. Ever since I renovated it, my income has doubled because I increased the prices. Therefore, I am able to meet my family basic needs without any difficulties and all gratitude goes to GiveDirectly.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, Give directly has done well by giving out transfers to improve the living standards of the poorest individuals in my community. This is indicated evidently by most of us who own permanent iron-roofed houses from temporary huts. Secondly, the majority of us now have some livestock such as cows, goats, and sheep since this has always been the dream from most of us but due to high levels of poverty, we could not afford it. Thirdly, some of us have acquired solar panels that have a great impact on our children because they can study at night very comfortable without any hindrance. According to me, GiveDirectly has not done anything that is not good.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
Previously, getting tenants to rent my house was hard and I had to lower the price. This is because it was in a deplorable condition, meaning the walls were made of mud and had cracks as well as the floor which was risky for habitation hence scared away most of the tenants. Therefore, I spent the larger part of the second transfer on purchasing building materials for the purpose of renovating my rental house by cementing. The materials included; sand soils at KES 7,000, hardcore at KES 15,000. I later paid the mason at KES 33,000. Ever since I renovated it and its in a good condition for human habitation. I have raised the rent and due to that, I am getting enough money to sustain my family's needs. Thanks to GiveDirectly for the finances which have empowered me as an entrepreneur once again.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($544 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
I used to cultivate a smaller acreage because hiring was a bit expensive to me and having my own pair would help with a bigger acreage. Through the pair of oxen that I acquired through the GiveDirectly transfers, I am assured of increasing the acreage of my arable land to get better yields. To me, owning this pair of oxen is the biggest difference in my daily life. This is because it is not only an asset to me but it will also ensure food security for my family since I am expecting my productivity to increase as I am now planning on ploughing a large acreage of land.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was woken up by a message notification early on my phone early in the morning. As I went through the contents of the notification, I realized that it was from GiveDirectly informing me that I had received my first transfer into my M-pesa account. I was very happy for I had never received such amount of money in my life and I was also thankful to them for honouring their promise.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I have been hiring the farm labor services from my neighbors which was costly to me. I could hire their pair of oxen to use in ploughing my farm and because of lack of finances, I could not manage to plough a bigger acreage. When I received my first transfer from GiveDirectly, I purchased my own pair of oxen after incurring hiring costs for a very long time during the planting season. I am glad that I will be able to plough a bigger portion of my land for better harvests. In addition, I bought building materials which include iron sheets and building poles in order to construct a house for my children for they are now grown up and having their own house will be good for their privacy. I also purchased bricks which I am planning to add more materials to build and open a general shop and stock it, which to me will be an income generating activity. I spent the rest of the transfer on buying daily foodstuffs for my family and in meeting other basic necessities.
 
Enrolled
access_time 5 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Illiteracy contributes greatly to poverty in the society because uneducated people often do not have stable sources of income. I would not want my children to languish in poverty and my biggest ambition is to educate them for a better future. In order to achieve my ambition, I will reopen a shop business that I used to run earlier before it collapsed due to insufficient funds. I will also purchase oxen which I will not only use to scale up farming but also hire them at a fee. This will enable me to attain a stable income that will finance my children's education besides meeting other needs such as food, clothing and healthcare.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My daily activities which range from household chores to farm work are very tiresome. They drain my energy as I hardly get time to rest and sometimes I am forced to forgo my lunch. In the evening when I am done with these activities I get sufficient time to take supper with my children. This helps me to regain the lost energy as I prepare for another day. Therefore, I regard evening as the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship that I faced was raising my six children singlehandedly for two years. This was after my husband neglected us and married another woman. Life became difficult as I could not meet their basic needs and most of the times I would struggle with casual jobs to make ends meet. This also resulted to constant fights with my spouse which resulted to psychological trauma on my children and I. However, the situation changed after the other woman left.