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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Enrollment
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Completed
Newsfeed > Mwenda's Profile
Mwenda's family
Mwenda
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
70
workCampaign
Standard Kenya
Upcoming Stage
Next Payment
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Follow to be updated on Mwenda's next check-in.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($514 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
attach_money
 
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 7 AM when I received a message notification. I decided to check its content, only to confirm it was an Mpesa message from GiveDirectly. I became so happy and thankful to God for bringing GD in my life because I definitely knew I would soon own what I have been longing to have.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life that I can proudly mention is the fact that I now have a dairy cow. Had it not been this money, I wouldn't have purchased any at my own cost simply because they were very expensive. This is an asset to me that I can readily lean on in case of a financial problem. I am expecting it to reproduce and have many of them. In a few months to come, I will be selling milk that the cow will be producing and earn an income to support my family's needs.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of my first transfer on buying building materials, which include, iron sheets, building poles, nails, and timber. This was for the construction of a new house since the previous one was old and almost collapsing. I also spent KES 4500 of the transfer on the labor charge. Later I bought a dairy cow as my living asset that I am currently rearing. The remaining amount of money, I bought enough foodstuffs for my family.
 
Enrolled
access_time almost 4 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Owning a wooden bed plus a mattress is something that I have wished to have in my life. Imagine since I was born, i have never privileged to enjoy the comfort of sleeping on a mattress that i can call mine. My first plan is to use utmost 100 dollars to enable me to achieve this. My other plan is to construct a decent iron-roofed house for myself using 250 dollars because the one I currently have is small and leaking. The remaining amount will aid in buying oxen to help me upscaling my farming.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Evening is the happiest part of my day because it is at this time when I can relax from my farm work. Unlike in the morning and afternoon hours when I am always busy at the farm working.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I currently depend on subsistence farming but this work is not reliable to me because I usually use the old methods of farming like the use of a hoe. This is because I do not have money to hire oxen to help me preparing my farm in time something that has forced me to have low or no harvests. Therefore, food insecurity is the biggest hardship that I have faced in my life.