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.
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Enrollment
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Completed
Newsfeed > Kahindi's Profile
Kahindi's family
Kahindi
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Small business
workCampaign
Kenya Basic Income
Upcoming Stage
Next Payment
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Follow to be updated on Kahindi's next check-in.
 
18th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($25 USD)
access_time 17 days ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My goal for this year is to build a larger and safer house for my family. Our current house is old and in poor condition. Using the transfers, I plan to purchase building materials and cover labor costs for construction. Having a better living space will ensure the safety and security of my family, providing me with peace of mind. This opportunity to improve our living conditions fills me with gratitude, and I am determined to make the most of it for the well-being of my family.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
For many years, I have struggled with casual jobs, but now I run a business selling traditional toothbrushes in Mariakani town and I am happy to report that it is doing well. Previously, life was challenging because I did not have a stable source of income, but since receiving these transfers, our situation has significantly improved. I can now afford to pay for my child's school fees comfortably without worry. My other son suffered from epilepsy when he was younger and developed complications that hindered his ability to walk. I allocated $62 towards his treatment, including medication and physiotherapy sessions, as well as covering transport costs to and from the hospital in Kilifi. Additionally, I used $16 to pay school fees for my first child and $24 for food and clothing for our Christmas celebrations. These transfers have renewed my hope, and I am immensely grateful for the assistance provided.
 
14th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($23 USD)
access_time 4 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My primary challenge now is the medication for my son’s, Safari, epileptic condition. This is where most of my cash transfers go. My long-term plan has always been to build a new house because the current condition is very poor. The mud on the walls is disintegrating from the ongoing rains, leaving the house with holes, and it has started caving in. It is not the best living situation. I aim to construct a completely new house with an iron sheet roof and mud walls, but in a structure that is not vulnerable to rain. After achieving this, I will start planning to develop myself, particularly in terms of rearing livestock. I sincerely hope that my son will get better in the future so that I can allocate some of the cash transfers to buying livestock.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I rely on casual labor, such as cutting and selling chewing sticks or working on people's farms, to provide for my family, which includes three children, one of whom is in school. Taking care of my six-year-old son, Safari, who suffers from epilepsy, has been consistently challenging. The situation requires constant medication, which can be expensive due to the transportation costs to and from the hospital. My top priority is refilling his medication every time I receive the cash transfers as he cannot survive without them. I usually contribute $24 towards the fare to the hospital to collect the medication. I am relieved that my child has never missed medication since I started receiving the cash transfers. The remaining $10 is allocated to buying building poles for constructing a new house, as the walls of my current house are collapsing due to the ongoing heavy rains. Honestly, the cash transfers have been most helpful in addressing my child's condition. Before the transfers, I had to sell my goats and deplete the herd to cover his medication costs.
 
10th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($25 USD)
access_time 9 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My family is still growing and the house that I currently live in is not in a good state. Whenever it rained, we are always rained on, a situation that makes my children contact certain diseases. My goal is to have a better house and I plan to save part of my monthly transfers that would help me achieve that goal. I would start by buying a few materials and I know that by the end of the year, I shall have commenced the construction.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The transfers that I have been receiving from GiveDirectly had been so helpful to my family. I have a sickling child who always requires a doctor’s checkup every month, but due to having no reliable source of income, it had always been a struggle owing to the fact that I am always required to part with some amount of money every time I take him for a visit. I have been so grateful for the financial support and with my recent transfers, I am planning to spend $19 on this month’s medication and I also managed to buy food worth $10.70 and paid school fees amounting to $5 for one of my children.
 
6th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($27 USD)
access_time 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My biggest concerns are my sickly child and my current house that is falling apart. I had bought some Iron sheets that I used to repair the room to my kitchen but the house is still unsuitable for living. I would like to construct a new house for my family suing this transfers this year after taking care of my transport to hospital for my sick son. I want to have a bigger and more livable house. I want to also repair the kitchen so its more usable and so that my family can live in better conditions.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have a sickly child who has epilepsy and hearing issues, as much as his treatment is free it takes a lot of money in fare to access it. I was able to use $12 of my December transfers in taking the child to hospital to seek treatment. Seeing that December was also a month of festivities we used the rest of the money to buy maize flour, wheat flour and sugar which we used in making food for the holidays. In January my other child was joining school and so I used $6 to purchase uniform, I paid the school fees debt I had with the school and added a bit more for that term which was $10. I also used the remaining amount on the purchased of food which is very important to us and is so highly priced. I also bought a goat for myself using my last month, February transfers at $30.
 
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($25 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
The support program has enabled my family to handle the challenge of having an epileptic child. The funds have been supportive because most of the time; I cannot afford his clinic visits and medication. I wish to GiveDirectly and would have a department to assist with more medical funds.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a hawker who sells local toothbrushes (sourced from twigs). I have three children. One of my children is eight years old. He is epileptic and has problems with his speech. My wife is a charcoal burner and this medical condition has drained all our earnings. I recently sold all my goats to cater to the countless visits to the hospital for his medication. As soon as I received my cash transfer, all the $30 was spent to cater for our transport to and from the hospital, which was $12, and the rest catered for medical tests and medication. The support program has assisted me in ensuring the well-being of my son.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($10 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
As soon as I realized that the funds had actually been sent out I was over the moon from all the excitement especially because we had a huge challenge when it came to nutrition back in my house I also because it was completely unexpected.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Nutrition has been quite a recurring challenge in my house and that is why I was really grateful as soon as I received the transaction because as subsistence farmers we abundantly relied in the harvest to feed our families but unfortunately that has declined due to the severe change in climate.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
After receiving the funds from the Organization I decided that I was going to deal with the most challenging issue in my house which at that moment had been nutrition due to the high cost of living and severe drought. Therefore I ended up using KES 1,000 and bought five packets of maize flour so that my family and I could have a meal. Later on I had a balance of KES 200 which I ended up using on purchasing laundry detergent and body oil.
 
Enrolled
access_time almost 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
It means a new structure for my family. My old structure collapsed around four months ago during a rainy season and right now I'm being hosted. My brother offered me his external kitchen to use until I'm able to rebuild the structure. I haven't been lucky for those four months to get enough money to erect a new structure. This is because my only source of income is selling traditional toothbrushes and skewers that can only earn me 1000 KES weekly. I have three children with a housewife; one is enrolled in a primary school, the second one is mental and the third is not of age yet. All that money is always spend in taking care of the family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I was very happy when my elder brother came through for me when I had a crisis. My old house collapsed during the last rainy season and I did not have any means to rebuild not forgetting that the rainy season was still continuing. He offered me his external kitchen to use while I program myself first before undertaking that building project again. This was really nice of him and I feel grateful to date.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I'm struggling with lack of a reliable source of income. I make and sell traditional toothbrushes and skewers at Mariakani. This business earns me around 1000 KES weekly which is not enough to pay school fees for my eldest child at 1500 KES per academic term and also feed my family and clothe them. The market is also flooded as so many people also offer the same products.