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 > Lona's Profile
Lona's family
Lona
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Small business
faceAge:
24
workCampaign
UBI
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
25500 KES ($245 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
After buying what we needed the most which were seats, I also bought a new mattress and two blankets. We have no beds around here as well as mattresses which some still consider as luxuries, so we slept on a mat on the floor. The mattress is one of my best purchases because I can't just explain how uncomfortable it was sleeping on the mat. Nights have become my best part of the day because I get to sleep on something soft and my ribs don't have to hurt when I wake in the morning.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
With the little money I have left, I have plans of buying a tailoring machine which I will use once I am done with the tailoring course I am currently taking so that I can set up a business of my own. These transfers could not have come at a better time when I was worried about where I will be employed and how long it would take for me to save enough to buy my own sawing machine and set up my business.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
My parents and I once again teamed up to raise enough money by combining some of our transfers which we then used to buy sofa sets for our brand new house. We used the first transfers to renovate our house which was previously made of mud and had a rusty roof by plastering it entirely and even replacing the old sheets with new ones. With the house looking brand new, we saw it fit to furnish it for a total facelift. Our house now looks completely different, both on the inside and outside with new walls, floor, roof and even new seats. It is worth mentioning that we only had a few wooden chairs with very old cushions on them before, which is why having sofa sets is such a big deal to me.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
With the help of these transfers, I have managed to do a lot of things but most importantly, I have cleared the payments on the tailoring course that I am currently taking. This gives me hope of completing the course which was previously an uncertainty because my parents were struggling to raise the money. With this training, I hope to start a tailoring shop as soon as I am done with the course so that I can have a stable source of income and support my family.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
25500 KES ($253 USD)
access_time 6 years ago
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Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
I have a new plan of opening my own maize grain business and leave my mother's which was not very profitable.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is currently different than it would have been without the transfer since today I am able to feed well not as before when food was a very scarce resource in the house.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I expect my life to change greatly. I expect my dressing code to change since I will be able to purchase my own clothes from the profits I will be generating from business.
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 have acquired peace of mind and a lot of happiness for I have been able to acquire those thing I was unable to get such as bags of cement, iron sheets and many more.
 
Enrolled
access_time 6 years ago
 
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
"The biggest hardship i have faced is life of single motherhood when it comes to provision of family needs. I am a small scale businesswoman as indicated before, sometimes business is low and i fail to get enough money to pay bill for my family needs."
What is the happiest part of your day?
"My happiest part of the day is evening. As a business person i engage my self a lot and evening is when i am back to join my children and have a restful moment and that is my happiness."
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
"I am planning to use transfer on payment of school fees for my two children who are in primary and kindergarten respectively. The remaining amount, i will save for their secondary education. I myself did not make it far in education because of lack of enough resources, therefore i don't want my children to pass through what i passed."
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
"The achievement i am proud of is that, i am a single mother of three children and out of my small business, i manage to provide my children's basic needs without depending on my parents' resources."