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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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Completed
Newsfeed > Mercy's Profile
Mercy's family
Mercy
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
26
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($482 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I have plans of buying a dairy cow and improving my kitchen. When I received my first and second transfer we were able to improve our house by erecting a ceiling in it and cementing the floor of the same. We were also able to buy a water tank and cleared all debts owed to us by some individuals. I am happy that I was able to accomplish all these and now looking forward to improving our kitchen and buying a dairy cow. Some of these investments we have not been able to accomplish since the amount of income that we receive from the work that we do is just enough to feed the family and we are hardly left with anything to save.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly did so well in the way they enrolled people into the program. They did not just enroll anyhowly and one had to be asked a lot of questions before they could qualify to benefit from the program. They were very keen on confirming whether someone was a full time resident or not and were quick to notice people who were not residents of our village. This is something to commend them for. On the other hand, I felt that GiveDirectly should have been more careful not to exclude anyone in the program. I felt there was a group of people a small group for that matter that needed to be included but were rather excluded in the program. I would recommend that they be more keen in future.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We used KES 30000 to buy a water tank and erect gathers in our house. For a long time we had had to deal with issues of water shortage and we often had to use dirty and unsafe water for both drinking and domestic use. We also took so much time travelling in search of water in rivers and ponds around the village. We are glad that this is now a thing of the past and we will be able to prevent waterborne diseases and other ailments that may come with taking dirty and unsafe water. We were also able to use another KES 10000 to clear some debts owed to us by neighbors and this has left us living happily than we have ever lived before. The remaining amount was used to buy food and other basic household needs for family. I am a trained teacger and a mother of two but I am yet to be employed by the government. My husband too is engaged in small scake business at a nearby center.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($484 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
The moment I received my transfer I was in my house, I was unwell that day, it was at night when I heard my phone ringing, upon checking I saw a text message showing that I had received a sum of KES 55,000 from GiveDirectly, I was so overwhelmed with joy, I knew that I will be able to complete my house halfway, this was the best things was the best thing that had happened in my life.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference today is that I have been able to complete my house which was left halfway due to financial constraints and the high cost of building materials, I feel relaxed because I no longer worry about where I will source the funds, in that the transfer came at every crucial timely hence I was able to do the finishing thus my house is now decent, I am grateful for the great milestone in my life, I can't ask for more but to be thankful.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a teacher by profession, my husband is a businessman around the village, we had started building a house that unfortunately we were unable to complete it due to financial constraints, the building materials are also expensive, Upon receiving the money, my husband and I settled on completing the house with the funds we had received, therefore I used KES 40,650, I then bought foodstuff with the remaining amount, I am grateful for the support that changed our living standard amazingly.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means comfortable housing to my family of 4. I have always desired to complete my 3 roomed house that I began constructing 18 months ago but unfortunately, finances could not allow me to. I moved into this incomplete house 2 months ago for the one I previously lived in was leaking during the rainy season and the cold immensely affected my 5month old baby. Since my family depends on farming for a living, the climate has not been favourable enough for the crops that could otherwise provide income for us to complete this house construction. Thank goodness Give directly has visited my home as my dream of living comfortably will bear fruits for I intend to use KES 70000 to cement, paint and furnish this house.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Although my house is incomplete, moving into it has been the happiest thing this year. I moved in 2 months ago under its state because the one I previously lived in was leaking and it affected immensely the health of my 5-month-old baby. Currently, the health of my child has improved as she has been free from frequent colds and this excites me.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
We should all agree that clean water is a basic need in each family but sadly, this is not the case for my family of 4. Access to clean sufficient water is a challenge I am currently facing as I have to move between homesteads with boreholes to fetch some. This is draining especially now that it is a drought season here and they at times deny me access for they preserve some for their cattle and households. The only option remaining is to access this basic need from the river that is 1.5kms away. This consumes most of my time and energy that I could have otherwise used to fend for my family therefore this saddens me.