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 > Karisa's Profile
Karisa's family
Karisa
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Casual labor
faceAge:
32
workCampaign
Standard Kenya
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($490 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is different now because of the house I was able to construct for my family. I wanted to do this for a long time to get a room for my children who are growing into their teenage. Due to a lack of money and poor income, I couldn't manage it. I can now afford to give them some privacy. I also own livestock that is high yielding when it comes to milk production.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly does very well coming all the way to my household. They then considered all the members of the village without having to make any application made by the people.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent the money on house construction. I put up a room and a kitchen to house my household and to make cooking comfortable. I needed an extra room because my children are growing fast towards adulthood and need more privacy. They will be using the new room on their own. I then spent some of it on foodstuffs because our farms are not in production as there is a long drought since the beginning of the year.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($536 USD)
access_time 4 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was still on my bed at around 6:30 am then I heard my phone vibrating. This was an alert that there was a new message. I decided to check its content. I rejoiced after realizing it was an mpesa message from GiveDirectly. I started planning on what to do next with the transfer.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Having my own dairy cow makes the biggest difference in my daily life. It has always been my desire to rear them in my homestead but I could not afford to buy them because of my financial status. I believe in the next few months I will be able to get some free milk which I will start selling the milk to the local market and then invest in the money so that I can another project like starting a business. I believe from that point I will have stabilized my income and I will be able to sort out any financial crisis that may occur. Paying school fees for my children will also be much easier.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent my first transfer on buying some beddings such as three mattresses. The previously I was using some old mattresses which we were not comfortable with. We always complaining of some back pains and made us be sick each and every time. also paid school fees for my children who are in primary. They were about to sit for an exam and I was so sure they would miss it. ... I then bought two dairy cows my assets that I can depend on in case of any emergency. I then bought some enough foodstuffs fir, my family, because it's been long since we could harvest because of the prolonged droughts.
 
Enrolled
access_time 4 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My family of 7 rely on 1 acre of land that is not even productive enough. In a good season we only get food that last us up to one month. Therefore, to curb this problem I will purchase a bigger and more productive piece of land to scale up farming.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Nights are supposed to be relaxing but to the contrary I tend to worry so much about my family. My happiness comes in the morning when I am busy and I cannot think about anything besides work.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The lack of a reliable source of income is my biggest hardship. My casual jobs which include tapping the local brew 'mnazi' earn me around 200 shillings in a good day.This situation has made our life tough in terms of getting basic needs.