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 > Joyce's Profile
Joyce's family
Joyce
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Teaching
faceAge:
32
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($492 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 had I not received the transfer. This is because I no longer walk for a longer distance looking for clean water for domestic use. This is because I now have water at my doorstep as I was able to harvest enough rain water using the tank that I bought using the transfers. In addition to this, I was able to practice large scale farming this year unlike the previous years. Due to this, I am optimistic of a good harvest that will last us till the next harvesting season.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well by uplifting people's lives and I do not see anything that they do not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 15000 from my transfer to complete building a house for my family. I had started building it using my first transfer but left in incomplete when I ran short of funds. Also, I spent KES 20000 on farming. I hired a tractor for land preparation purposes, bought some quality hybrid seeds and also hired a tractor for planting purposes. Also, my creditors were on my neck as they knew that I had received some money and due to this, I used KES 15000 tk clear all the debts.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($498 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I had gone to school which is my place of work to ask for maternity leave to be granted to me when I heard an SMS alert on my phone. I pulled out my phone from the bag to check it because I thought that it might be something or someone needing my attention. I could not believe what I saw in the SMS, it was reading that we had received the lump sum amount of 55000/= from GiveDirectly. I was so happy about seeing this and I immediately called my husband to inform him of the good news. He was so happy to hear this and we said thank you because we were now going to be able to achieve what we had planned to do.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The transfer has brought a big positive change in our lives as a family. We were able to buy a water tank and hence we will no longer be having to make long trips to the river to fetch water. The tank will enable us to collect rainwater that is going to be enough for our household use. We will also be able to get more time to do other important works such as going to the farm. This is because making long trips to the river usually consumes a lot of our time. The transfer has also enabled us to fully complete the construction of the kitchen by cementing the floor and placing the plywoods on the ceiling and the walls. Having done this, the kitchen now looks good and warmer. My work has also been reduced because I will no longer have to go through the stress of looking for mud and smearing the floor. Also, having fenced well around the farm, the cows will no longer be getting into it and hence the crops will no longer be getting destroyed. The transfer also enabled us to buy seeds and hence we have been able to plant.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The transfer from GiveDirectly has been of great help to us. We were able to buy a water tank with it and barbed wire for fencing our piece of land where we grow crops. We have also been able to cement the floor of our kitchen and to place the plywood on the ceiling and the walls. The transfer also enabled us to buy seeds for planting. The reason why we decided to buy a water tank is that we have been making long trips to the river to get water for household use. We have also at times been borrowing it from our neighbors who have dug boreholes. The fence that we had set up around the farm had become loose and hence the cows had found a way of getting into the farm and destroying the crops. We hence decided to buy the barbed wire so that we could fence it again. We had built the kitchen before but due to lack of enough money, we were not in a position to finish it, and hence we decided to just smear mud on the floor and use it that way. All of the above activities needed money for them to be done. My husband and I depend mainly on agriculture and a little on the contract jobs that we have to earn a living. The money that we have been getting from these sources of income, has mostly been going to payment of school fees for our children and re-investing in the farm. This has therefore rendered the other developments impossible.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I bought a piece of land somewhere in the year 2015 on a yearly installment basis. Up to date I have not cleared the outstanding balance. Receiving this money means that I will be able to offset the outstanding amount of 70,000 shillings and process the necessary legal documents for the parcel using the remaining amount.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I am teacher by profession and I teach at a nearby school. Therefore, I spend most of the daytime with my students. The happiest part of my day is in the afternoon when I have a class session with them called 'lenee emeet'(meaning what the nature is saying). Here, I get so many creative and amusing responses from the students that creates a positive learning environment unlike during the routine learning sessions.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I bought a piece of land in the year 2015 as an asset. The agreement with the owner was for me to give an initial amount and then the rest to be repayment on a yearly installment for 3 years. But due to unreliable source of income, I did not honour the agreement and as such, I have been locking horns with the owner up to date. He is not in a position to refund the money that I have already given to him and also I am not in a position to offset the remaining amount. Now this stalemate, is the biggest hardship that I have ever experienced.