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.
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Newsfeed > Jane's Profile
Jane's family
Jane
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
56
workCampaign
UBI
Upcoming Stage
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Follow to be updated on Jane's next check-in.
 
21st Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time 4 years ago
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Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My new goal in the next four months is to plaster my house. I have been smearing on a monthly basis for the last two years just to ensure my house is in good condition. I feel its time I get relived of that by plastering the house so that I can focus the time and energy on smearing to handle other needs.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
I have really struggled to raise money through school fees for my children in the past. They would be sent home and stay at home for almost two weeks as I was still looking for the money to pay. This is because I only relied on a small income from the grocery business which was not enough to meet my family needs. I ended up having so many debts just to ensure our lives were moving in the house. When I started receiving these transfers, I first cleared school fees arrears for my children before paying back the debts I had. I am glad since last year, my children have never been sent home for fees arrears and I have cleared all the debts I had with my friends. I have also witnessed improvement in my children's performance during last year and I know if I continue on the same process, they will pass well in their final examinations.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I know I will have plastered my house. I plan to save part of my transfer to use in buying building materials such as cement and sand which I will use in plastering my house. Just the same way I used the transfers to clear fees arrears for my children, I know I will manage to raise enough money to buy the materials needed and the amount I will use in paying the masons.
 
18th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
The difference in my life in the last four months courtesy of GD transfers is that I was able to expand my house. My house was not big enough to accommodate my family well and I had plans for expanding the house. Due to the low income from casual work, I have not been able to. In the last four months, I used part of my transfers to buy building materials such as iron sheets and nails which I used in expand my house. Right now, I don't have to take some of my properties outside at night to find a sleeping space for my family.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
In the next four months, I wish to plaster my house. I would not want to keep on smearing on a monthly basis as I have. It is tiresome and costly and I would want to handle the issue once and for all by plastering the house.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
My children were always sent home for fees arrears on a monthly basis before the transfers. I would really struggle to raise money to pay their fees since my main income was from casual work which was not consistent. In most cases when they were sent home, I would have to talk to the teachers to allow them back in school as I still look for the money to pay. Sometimes they would take as long as a month without going back to school because I lacked the money to pay. Since I started receiving these transfers, I have been able to pay for their fees bit by bit and I am glad I am soon clearing the balance courtesy of GD transfers.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect my life to change in the next six months in that I will have plastered my house. I want to save part of my monthly transfers to buy building materials such as cement, sand and ballast which I plan to use in plastering my whole house.
 
15th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
Previously I used to engage in a lot of casual jobs such as the sale of charcoal which of course used to generate very insignificant profit margins. However, so far, things have changed and I no longer need to be engaging in such hectic and exhausting jobs in order to raise school fees for my children.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I want to buy new seats because I currently use some very old seats which needs some serious face uplifting but for me, I prefer buying new setas which I will replace with the old seats. I believe that the ones I currently use have served me quite well and it is time I got new seats in the near foreseeable future.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
I no longer struggle so much when it comes to the payment of school fees for my children. Previously I had to make sure that I sold charcoal so as to raise the school fees for my children. The preparation process for making the charcoal is quite cumbersome and also very harmful to my health but then I had to do it because I had no other option. I am, however, glad that Give Directly came to my rescue and so far I believe my kids have had an ample time concentrating on their studies.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I have a long term goal of making major repairs on my house which I can call a temporary structure considering how poorly structured it is. I want to make sure that I do all I can to transform it into a semi-permanent building so that it can serve me and my family for so many years from today.
 
12th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
I only depend on my small business to take care of my family needs which include the basics such as clothes, food and even school fee payment. Because it does not give enough profits to take care of all these, I was forced to look for other sources of income such as charcoal making which is quite a hectic task. In the last four months, I have taken a much-needed break from this because these transfers combined as a family, enabled us to clear a huge fee balance that my children owed the school last year. We are currently focusing on paying this year's fees which is a huge relief. The difference in my life now is that I don't have to struggle as much as I did because GD has come to my aid and I have more time to do my business and take care of my own farms.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I have three children in high school and one in college. Paying their school fees is the biggest challenge I am currently facing. I have no other plans for now but to use these transfers to clear their school fees. My husband assists with this when he receives his share too because he does not have a reliable source of income to raise the fees.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
Using these transfers to pay for my children's school fees has given me the chance to better provide for my family. I am now able to offer them better meals and other needs which were impossible before. The little profits I made from my business could not allow me to take care of everything in the family which meant that we had to sacrifice a lot.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I don't expect my life to change much in the next six months, maybe just the relief that comes with knowing that my children don't have a huge school fee balance in their respective schools as we will be using our transfers to pay part of the fees each month.
 
8th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
I am more healthy now because my stress levels have really gone down. I used to worry all the time on how to raise money for my children's school fees and at the same time provide for their daily needs.GD transfers have taken care of the school fees part and I am now left with the smaller bit of family provisions,that is why I am so happy.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My aim is to clear the school fees in time so that I can plan with the rest of the transfers that will be coming thereafter. I wish to buy new seats,though that may not be possible in the next four months.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
In the past four months, I have been able to relax because these transfers have helped pay my three daughters' school fees which has been my greatest challenge.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I am planning to talk to my husband so that we can combine a month's transfer and purchase seats for our house then continue paying the school fees with rest of the transfers.
 
3rd Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time almost 6 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
My daily life has really changed because the stress I had due to paying school fees for my four children in secondary school has reduced because the money that we receive monthly is used to take care of that.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months,if we spend our money wisely,we will have been able to clear the school fees so that we can invest in other income generating businesses that can boost our family's daily income.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I can now save my farm produce for family use instead of using it to pay for my children's school fees. This is an assurance of enough food for my family even during famine seasons.
Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
I would like to build a new permanent house using these transfers because my current house is made of soil and is very hard to maintain as it easily gets ruined by the rains.
 
Enrolled
access_time 6 years ago
 
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced is lack of adequate resources to take my children to school. This was caused by lack of a stable job that guarantees a stable income.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening resting,after working for the whole day. I get to relax with my spouse and entire family as we wait to partake of our dinner.
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
I am planning to spend my transfer on reviving my small scale "omena" business. This will earn some money and be at a position of paying school fees for my four daughters in high school.
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
The achievement am proudest of was the decision to start rearing livestock. It has helped me in several occasions.When I was in need of my children school fees, I could sell and use the money to settle the fee arrears.