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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 > Riziki's Profile
Riziki's family
Riziki
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Forestry (e.g rubber tapping)
faceAge:
21
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($465 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?
I do not have any new goals for now and I am grateful for being able to achieve the ones that I had in mind which was to own livestock. I now gave assets that I can readily lean on in case of any emergency. Initially, I did not have any of these, life has been so tough, especially when I encounter any financial crisis.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly did well by coming to our village and enrolling every needy household. Our lives have generally changed positively and this is evident from the new houses, a good number of livestock in every compound, our children have also been attending classes regularly. I am so grateful for what has been happening in my village because if it were not for them, we wouldn't have achieved this.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent part of the second transfer on buying iron sheets at KES 9000, and the labor charges of KES 3500. I had intended to construct a new house because the previous one was small in size and in poor condition. I have never enjoyed the peace of living in a decent house for a couple of years. I am glad that for now, I sleep in a better shelter and I do not have to worry about the rains. I later bought two goats at KES 5000 and a dairy cow KES 17000. It has always been my desire to own these assets for a long period but they were too expensive. I settled for the cow because of the milk production and I am planning to sell milk soon. In addition, I bought a mattress at KES 5000 to replace the old one which has worn out. With the remaining amount, I bought foodstuffs for my family and other household items.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($502 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was a normal routine day for me, I was busy in my charcoal business when I heard my phone ringing, at first, I thought maybe it was a normal service provider message, but upon checking I was able to confirm that I had received money from GiveDirectly, I was so happy and excited, I immediately called my husband to inform him of the Wonderful news that we had received, he too was happy and grateful.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I used to live in a small house together with my husband and our young child before, I was not happy with it but there was no other way out due to our financial status, Our dream was realised when we received our first transfer which came as a big relief for us, My husband and I managed to build a decent spacious house, which we were unable to construct before due to our unreliable source of income, In addition, I bought a cow that would be giving us milk for our child and also for us. We are thankful for this great impact that has changed our lives.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My biggest concern was to build a decent house for my family, the one that we were living in before was small, therefore when I got the confirmation message from the mpesa that I had received the transfer, I knew that this was the opportunity for me to change my living standard, therefore, I used 300 dollars to build a decent spacious house, I then used 150 dollars to buy a dairy cow for us to get enough milk for our child, The remaining amount I bought a mattress and foodstuffs.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means I will be able to improve my home to a better standard. Currently the walls are worn out since part of it is made of mud. This poses a danger especially from wild animals like snakes. I had started constructing the walls using stones and cement but lack of finances halted the process. A big thanks to Give Directly since I will be able to use 200 USD to complete construction of the wall and cementing of the floor too.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Most of my day's activities involve looking after goats and casual jobs at times. This means my day is usually busy beginning early morning to 6 pm in the evening. I am usually exhausted in the evening. Getting to relax with my family after a busy day comes as a relief for me. This makes it the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Casual jobs earning us less than 2 dollars a day for a family of 7 is what my parents depended on for our survival. The situation became worse when my mother became critically ill forcing us to spend the little we had on her treatment. As a result, I had to drop out of school at class four and got married to an older man who could at least provide me with food and decent shelter. I regret this decision so much because my dream was to finish my studies and get formal employment to support my family. Financial instability is therefore the biggest hardship I have faced in my life.