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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 > Flossy's Profile
Flossy's family
Flossy
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
40
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($436 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 have been a businessman for so many years. In the near future and beyond, I am planning to start up boutique shops which deal with women's dresses. It has high demand as women tend to buy clothes on a daily basis. I am also planning to do subsistence farming whereby I will be mostly concentrating on farming maize, when produced, I will be supplying it in boarding schools. My family is still young, I will therefore use the profits earned to save for my children's school fees as well as basic needs like food and clothing.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
According to my opinion, what Give Directly does so well is that they give out unconditional transfers, different people have different needs, and we have the freedom how to spend the transfers so long as it is something that does not harm us together with community members. The transfers are given in lump sum amounts and this helps in planning purposes in terms of the developments that we would wish to engage in at a personal level. Unlike other projects where it is given in small amounts. To avoid household conflict, what needs to be done differently is enrolling all the individuals in the household. During enrollment, those individuals who did not have responsibilities by then were left out of the program yet these are the same people who steal from their old and vulnerable parents. Another thing that needs to be done differently is enrolling all the communities in a specific village for uniformity purposes and this will prevent too many complaints coming from the communities that are left out during the registration to the programs
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Before the transfers, I never had cows before as I had no stable source of income. I used the transfers to buy female cows for kshs 35,000. This is for milk production for my family's consumption and sale. I do casual work to earn a living and most of the time the pay is too little to cater for my basic needs, I do top it up with the money from selling milk and this has enabled me to take care of other basic needs like food, clothing and kids school fees. I used the remaining part of the transfers of kshs 20,000 to buy a piece of three-seater furniture. I used to fear hosting friends and relatives as I never had enough seats for them, but my self-esteem has improved since I started receiving transfers from GiveDirectly.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($464 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I can vividly recall the moment that I got a text showing that I had received a sum of KES 55,000. It was in the evening when I was preparing dinner for my family. Then suddenly, I heard my phone ringing. Upon checking I was lost for words when I saw a message notification showing that I had received money from GiveDirectly. I was so happy and grateful for the support that came when we least expected it. I then told my husband who was equally grateful and relieved because he knew that we would accomplish our goals. We then embarked on planning.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life today is that my house is in a good shape at the moment. The floor was dusty before since we had not plastered it. This is because I had prioritised advancing my education with the hope of improving our living status. I am so grateful for the unconditional transfer that aided us in achieving our goal easily in a way that we would not have imagined.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My husband and I had started constructing a house before but unfortunately, we were unable to complete it due to financial constraints. This is because we diverted part of our savings to pay for my college fees where I was doing a course on animal health/ veterinary. Upon receiving our second transfer, I decided to use my initial transfer on completion of the house where I used KES 17,000. Additionally, I used KES 10,000 on paying the school fees areas for my three children. And lastly, I used KES 12,000 on farming since we all depend on it fully to make a living. I am more than happy for accomplishing a lot in a short period.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money will mean that I will be able to clear my fee arrears. I am in my final year in school and rely on my husband to pay for my fees since I do not have a job right now. This is our major challenge since we still have children in school that require money for their fees and at the same time, I am in school.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Having a supportive husband who pays for my college education and at the same time take care of our home when I study has brought me joy because I will be able to complete school, get a job and assist him in providing for our children.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The current challenge that we face is the lack of a source of income. I do not have a job while my husband is a farmer who relies on selling crops that he farms to support us but the money that he gets is not enough to meet all of our needs.