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 > Alice's Profile
Alice's family
Alice
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Casual labor
faceAge:
53
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($461 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 am planning to invest more in maize selling. This will help with school fees payment and household expenses.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well to help the poor because there is a big transformation in our village. Nowadays, everyone is capable to fend for their own families. This is because every household in our village was enrolled and therefore there is happiness.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a mother of 6; of these four are grown-ups fending for themselves and I still have two living with me. I have been a sorghum seller for the past 8 years and my daily returns have been KES 50 a day. Life was a real struggle because this was only sufficient for the purchase of a kilo of maize meal. I, therefore, had to rely on casual labor to meet other needs like sugar, milk, and vegetables. So, when GiveDirectly transfers, I bought a KES 27000 heifer which is due in a few weeks.This will not only be a source of milk but an income source for schooling my kids. Secondly, I used KES 3, 200 as capital to start a maize selling business. From this, I get a daily profit of KES 200 a day. This has helped cater to daily household expenses. Thirdly, I also used KES 6,400 on two bags of maize. This has sustained us for the past two months and the remainder will sustain me for the next two weeks. Previously, we used to eat a meal a day and my household budget was KES 100. Further, I utilized KES 11,500 on the latest clothing for my family. These look more presentable compared to the second-hand clothes we used to afford earlier on Lastly, I spent KES 1,900 on a sofa seater that can accommodate six people at a go. I also spent KES 1,300 on a table and the remainder of KES 7,000 was used on the settlement of a debt.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($484 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was late at night when I received my transfer, though I never realized this because I was deep asleep, upon switching on my phone in the morning, I saw a Mpesa notification showing that I had received money from GiveDirectly, I was so happy and excited, I then informed my daughter who is also my helper the good news, I was relieved because I knew that I would be able to fulfil my plans.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that my son has a place to sleep on, at the same time I was able to pay back a debt that I was owing someone for a long time, my soul is at peace, this is because of the great milestone that I was able to achieve in my life, I am forever grateful for the support that transformed my living standards.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a local businesswoman in the village where I sell cereals, the business is not well established because I do sell the cereals in small quantities, thus I never had enough money to construct a house for my son, the transfer came as a relief in our lives because I was able to construct a small house for my son at KES 10,000, I then paid a debt worth KES 15,000, In addition to that I used KES 6000 on medication, lastly I used the remaining amount of money on clothes and foodstuffs. I was unable to accomplish all these due to financial constraints as a result of unreliable source of income, I am forever grateful for the support that transformed my life
 
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I do not own any animal and I desire to buy a cow. Receiving this money means that I will be able to get one for dairy. I plan to build a house with KES 30000 for my son who is now a grown-up because he sleeps in my neighbor's home and also fence my compound in over to restrain animals from straying into my farm and destroying crops.
What is the happiest part of your day?
We are happy that we have had sufficient rainfall for the last 8 months and with this, we have been able to plant and harvest more produce as compared to other years.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The current challenge that I am facing is food security. I farm a small piece of land that is not productive and on to it, our area does not receive enough rainfall that sustains any farming. With this, I resort to buying food to supplement the little that I harvest from my farm.