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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.
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Enrollment
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Transfers
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Completed
Newsfeed > Esther's Profile
Esther's family
Esther
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
83
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($458 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I do not have any new plans or goals except to fence my compound and to buy a dairy cow. Right now the compound is in a bad state and I am looking forward to having it fenced and making sure that all our livestock do not invade into other people 's farms.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly did well by giving us money unconditionally and allowing us the opportunity to choose how to spend. I did not find anything that I thought Givedirectly could do better.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I used KES 50000 to buy building materials and used the remainder to buy food for the family. I was living in a very small house and the casual work that I engaged in would not give me enough cash to put up a structure that I would be proud of. I am glad that GiveDirectly has allowed me to do this and looking forward to doing much more.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($485 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I received my first transfer a month after all other villagers whom I enrolled with had received it. I was glad to finally see it come in after such a long wait and had to confirm more than once to ascertain that it was real. My helper had to also confirm one last time after arriving and to send him the same day to collect since I needed to start initiating the projects I had almost immediately.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the clearance of the hospital bill that had been pending since I got out of the hospital four months ago. It has been hard imagining how I could raise enough money to settle that bill but when GiveDirectly came in, I was grateful and thanked God for that. I am now assured that my small piece of land would not be sold for that reason but will still be helpful to me in the coming months.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
On the same day after my helper collected the money, I had instructed him to purchase some household goods most of which were foodstuff since we had been facing a challenge of insufficiency of foodstuff in the household in the past months. We have had to just cook and take what we had in lack of alternatives. With the first KES6000, he bought all that I had listed down. Second, on my priority list was the completion of the construction of my new house. I needed to work on the floors that were dusty and hard to maintain at my current age. Even though I have not started the renovation, I managed to spend KES24000 on obtaining all the required materials. I could not proceed with the construction immediately but had to hold it first as I needed to clear the hospital bill that was standing at KES 30000. On clearing it, I felt relieved as I had been in great fear that some of my properties would have to be auctioned soon to settle that bill. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for giving me an option that removed all the worries I had.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
$400 of my transfer will enable me to cement the floor of my house. At 83 years, I am no longer strong enough to smear the floor of my house, hence an health hazard to me due to dust all over the house. I will then use $300 to buy a cow that will be my guaranteed source of income from selling milk daily within the locality.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My usual day entails working on my farm during morning hours when the weather is still favorable enough. I am always happy in the morning, since it is the only time I am energetic enough to engage in my farm activities unlike working in the scorching sun latter in the day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
2 years ago, my son was diagnosed with stomach cancer which saw me on and off hospital in search of his treatment. This situation forced me to sell 3 hectares of land and all the livestock I had. He later succumbed to the disease and I have been unsteady since then. I had plans of renovating my old house before my son fell ill but I spent all the resources in paying hospital bills. This is the biggest hardship I have faced.