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 > Hellen's Profile
Hellen's family
Hellen
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Tailoring
faceAge:
29
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53010 KES ($426 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?
In the coming year, I am planning to continue paying for my brother’s school fees since my business is currently booming courtesy of GiveDirectly, and getting school fees will no longer be a problem. Secondly, I am going to continue working hard in my tailoring shop in order to get more profit to sustain it and cater to our basic needs. Lastly, to take good care of my two goats and feed them well creating room for a high fertility rate and reproduction hence an increase in income.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I thank GiveDirectly for the far It has bought us. My happiness is beyond measurable since never in my life had I dreamed about such a wonderful surprise from an organization like GiveDirectly. I will forever be grateful and thank you so much for the transfers I received for the two months, a sum of Kes. 110000 which I could not get anyhow. May God bless you. , I do not have any complaints at all.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am an orphan, living with my younger brother after my sister got married. I am a tailor by profession while my brother is currently a college student. Before I started receiving the GiveDirectly transfer, I would work hard in my tailoring shop and also sell clothes materials to support my brother in paying his college school fees. The amount of money that I used to get was so small. I was not able to pay the school fees on time. He sometimes would be sent home to collect the school fees and this was affecting his performance, since he would miss some lessons. Currently he is studying well and I hope to see better performance because I was able to pay $200 for his school fees. I also managed to buy two female goats worth $60 and since goats reproduce twice in a year, this would increase my source of income. I would be able to sell the young one to pay the school fees and meet any other emergencies that might happen. I spent $ 100 on boosting my tailoring shop, I added more stock and now my business is booming. The profits that I get now is much higher compared to when I had not added any or none. The remaining amount of money I spent on food and other basic household items that we were missing at that particular time.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($450 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was incredibly happy when I received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. Even though I did not know the exact date, I was certain when I read the message's content and saw the figures that matched my expectations. I was out in the woods getting firewood at the time and needed to finish the job before returning home. I could not tell anyone about the news because I live alone after my parents passed away. I collected the money from the nearby shopping center after three days of aligning my foals.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the ease with which I can complete the work of my customers, which has saved me a lot of time and earned me more money per hour in my tailoring job. Previously, I was earning $1 per day, but now I am earning at least $2 per day and sometimes $5 on weekends. I am grateful for the assistance that allowed me to purchase a new sewing machine and work for an extended period of time without having to spend money on repairing the old one.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have been tailoring for more than five years, and my machine has been slowing down my productivity in the last three months because it is old and requires frequent repairs. When I received the first transfer, I spent $200 on a new machine, which has made my job easier and satisfied my customers, who no longer have to wait too long for their work to be completed. I have also been able to increase my profit margin, which I believe will help me grow my savings. I also purchased three goats, which I am currently rearing with the intention of breeding them and selling the offspring to purchase a cow. Even though I am buying a liter of milk every day, the price of milk has continued to rise. Purchasing a cow will provide me with an additional source of income, as I will be selling excess milk. In addition, I cleared $150 in school fee arrears for my brother in college, who had been at home for more than a month trying to raise the full amount. The remainder was spent on groceries, linen, and threads for my tailoring work.
 
Enrolled
access_time almost 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
It has been my desire to renovate the house where I am carrying out my tailoring business. The room lacks floor and the soil dirtifies clothes during sewing. This has made it almost impossible to cut and sew white clothes. In addition, the job is also affected by the use of old sewing machine and lack of materials for making school uniforms. GiveDirectltly cash will help me in solving all these problems. With 20 000KES, I am going to plaster the room and also make a cemented floor. I plan to spend 15 000 to purchase a singer sewing machine and 30 000 will be spent towards buying school uniform materials which can make up to 20 000KES profit.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The past one month was the best since the year began. Since January, the outcome of my small business has been between 1500-2000KES monthly. In the month of April, as schools near opening, many pupils were brought to get new school uniforms for the new academic year. In the single month I was able to harvest 9 000KES which helped me in offsetting a portion of the school arrears for my siblings.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am a total orphan left with the responsibilities of fending my two younger siblings. One is in college while the other one is in secondary school. I depend on tailoring which do not yield much since the machine is old and I also lack materials. The lack of adequate resources has made my business stagnate for years as my brother and sister struggle in school due to lack of fees.