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
attach_money
 
Transfers
check
Completed
Newsfeed > Kahaso's Profile
Kahaso's family
Kahaso
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Small business
faceAge:
32
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
Upcoming Stage
Next Payment
check
 
Follow to be updated on Kahaso's next check-in.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($488 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
attach_money
 
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
My phone was with my helper when I received the transfer from givedirectly. I vividly remember I was on the bed resting because I was very sick. My helper informed me that I had received my transfer. I was very excited about receiving the transfer. I had to wait until I felt well before I could cash out the transfer.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I am happy that I will be able to restart my livestock rearing after they all died because of the drought in our area. This will restore the happiness and economic status that I had lost after drought killed all the animals.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My desire has been to restart my livestock rearing especially cows and goats. I had earlier been depended on this activity but I lost all my livestock because of the drought that struck our area. After receiving the transfer I decided to save KES 40,000 which I will use to purchase the livestock once the drought is over. I also used KES 10,000 to purchase enough food for myself since there is famine in our area. With the remaining amount, I bought some clothes to wear since I was using old and worn-out ones.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am an old widow without any child to take care of me. I returned back home after my spouse died 20 years ago because I had no one to take care of me. I conceived once but had a miscarriage and never conceived again. People used to laugh at me because I was a widow with no child. According to our culture, if a woman is not able to conceive, she is considered a useless being because there is no value she will add to the family tree. This made me to come back home. When I returned home, I was forced to work for myself to get food because everyone had their families to take care of and nobody was ready to accommodate me. Since then I have been engaging in charcoal burning business which is the only economic activity because of the longer periods of drought in our village. This business earns me 200KES a week. This money is not enough to take care of my basic needs. Upon receiving the cash transfers, I will buy three dairy cows that will cost me 60000KES. I will then use the remaining amount to buy a bed and a mattress and also meet my basic needs. Receiving this money therefore means starting livestock farming.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My happiest part of the day is usually in the evening. This is because I wake up early in the morning and go for charcoal burning in the forest. I return home in the late afternoon around 3pm. I cook food, eat and rest. During this time I get time to tell stories with my brother's grandchildren. It gives me joy when I see these children laugh and enjoy the stories. This makes me happy.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have ever faced in my life is lack of a stable source of income to meet my basic needs.Have you Imagined being an old barren woman with no one to take care of you? This is the situation at hand. I am an independent woman who depends on charcoal burning business that earns me less than 200 KES. This money is not enough to take care of my needs. My desire has been to own my own livestock that I will sell when they multiple to get money. However, due to the economic challenges in our village, this has never come true. I intend to use the cash transfer to invest in livestock farming to help me get money.