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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 > Richard's Profile
Richard's family
Richard
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Small business
faceAge:
64
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($491 USD)
access_time over 2 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 than how it would have been if I never received the transfers in that I have bought goats. I had always wished to own this project but I had no capital to start. I depend on casual jobs in the village and sometimes to get this jobs is so small and cannot meet all the basic needs of the family. Goats reproduce twice per year and it really helps whenever there is an emergency. It's easy to convert to money. What I am currently planning is to sell them when the reproduce to buy a dairy cow. This will enable me to cut the daily cost of buying milk. I will also be in a position to pay school fees for my children in various schools and save some in merry go round group. I am so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has changed our living standard.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly does well by giving money to the poor in the community to build better houses and to buy dairy cows. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of the money I received from GiveDirectly on purchasing goats. This is the best investment that I had always wished to start. I also saved some money in merry go round group that we have started in our village and the rest of the money I bought clothes and food for the family.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($500 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 11 am after I had finished doing my Masonry work in my neighborhood and had left my phone in my house charging. Upon switching on my phone , I received a call from my son enquiring if I had received the transfers but I wasn't sure. It was after going over the new SMSes that I saw that GiveDirectly Mpesa confirmation. I was overwhelmed with joy and immediately went to my son's MOMO shop to withdraw.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is increased happiness in my family because the transfers enabled to provide food and school fees for my family. My biggest struggle was school uniforms, school fees and food.I am also happy because I now have a young bull which can later be sold for a dairy cow which will act as a long term investment for my family. Nowadays, I am stress free because I don't struggle to do casual labor anymore and now concentrate on my work. I am also happy because the goat house I built has made my goats grow heathier than before.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 10, 000 on building a goat house to prevent them from straying and improve their health. I also spent KES 15000 on a young bull because it grows fast and can later be sold for a dairy cow. I also spent KES 5000 on school uniforms, beddings and latest clothing fashion because we could only afford second hand clothes before. I also spent KES 2500 on a sack of maize because I usually depend on casual labor to feed my family. I also spent KES1000 on a cooking pot because the previous one was worn-out and leaking because of it's poor quality. I also spent KES 2600 on a construction posts for building a new kitchen because the initial one is old and had leaking roofs and was built over 10 years ago. I have also saved the rest for completion of my new kitchen.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I have two sons who are teenagers yet we still sleep under one roof. According to our culture, teenage boys are not supposed to sleep in the same house with their parents but circumstances have forced us to.Receiving this money will therefore enable me to build a two roomed iron roofed house for them. This will cost me approximately $300. I will also use $200 to buy a heifer cow that will be my store of wealth to be sold next year once it multiplies to pay school fees for my son who will be joining high school next year.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Being a casual labourer, waking up every morning with deep thoughts on where to secure a job to do so as to earn some income at the end of the day is the most stressing part of my day. However, coming back home in the evening carrying food for my family after managing to secure work to do makes evening the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
For the past 10 years, food insecurity has been the biggest hardship we face in my family. The 1.3 acre piece of land I own yields only 1.5 bags of maize seasonally and this take us through three months only. In this case therefore, I constantly toil hard engaging in casual jobs in people's farms for the rest of the year so as to provide food for my family. These jobs drains off my energy hence my health keeps on deteriorating daily.