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 > Alice's Profile
Alice's family
Alice
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
51
workCampaign
Standard Kenya
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($530 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
Right now, only God knows how I could have been had I not received the transfers. I now have enough water for both domestic and animal use which with the current drought, I would have had to probably sell some of my livestock at a throwaway price ore I would have used so much resources in buying water for use at home. The water that I now use is clean and well treated and I am confident that I won't get sick unlike before when we had so many cases of sickness. I also have an additional cow and two sheep to my herd and now I can feel like I am like the rest of the villagers since I can now look fter my children well.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
Giving us the aid in cash form was the most important thing that Givedirectly did since different people have different needs to take care of. This also allows us to get whatever we want since having cash is flexible and can be used depending on one's needs.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
When I got the first transfer from Givedirectly, I bought a water tank that would help me reserve water for use during dry seasons. I had planned that when I get the second round of the transfer, I would ensure that I drew water from the main pipe for a water project in our location to my homestead. We joined hands with a close neighbor and jointly bought the materials needed for the project. Therefore, I used part of the second transfer to buy pipes and other plumbing materials and also paid for labor for construction of the line. We have for a long time had a water problem in our locality and being a livestock farmer, I am required to always have enough water for my livestock. Now that I have piped water at home, I can comfortably buy another cow that I had saved some amount of the transfer in order to buy the cow. I used the rest of the amount to buy two sheep for rearing. All these livestock will help me in the near future to pay school fees by selling milk produced and even selling some sheep. I also bought some food with the transfer, I am so happy that Givedirectly gave us a means to a good livelihood.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($548 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
My daily life is now different from how it was since I now own a cow. I believe that in the coming months, I will not be overworking myself as I will be having an alternative source of income since I will be selling some milk from this cow. This will make it easy for me to pay my childrens school fees on time.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 7 am after I had just woken up when I received a Mpesa message. After opening it to know who had sent me some money, I was overjoyed upon seeing the amount I had received. I immediately knew that it was from GiveDirectly. I rushed back inside the house and informed my family about the good news that had just received. We then prayed together as a family to thank God for His blessings.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
When I received my first transfers, I spent part of it in buying a cow. I opted on this since apart from giving me milk for our daily consumption, I will be able to sell some of them and get some money to use in supporting my children's education. Due to inadequate rainfall in our region, so many seasonal rivers have dried up. This has led to people traveling for long distance on a daily basis looking for water. My family was not an exception to this and it has always made my children spend their evening hours looking for water instead of doing their revision. This prompted me to spare part of my transfers to buy a water tank. With this, I will be leasing a donkey once a week in order to use it to carry more water several times and store them in my tank. People in our region usually buy new clothes during festive seasons. I am glad that my family was never left out since I was able to buy them some new clothes and shoes using some amount from my transfer. Buying maize flour has been my daily routine and it is quite expensive when bought in small quantities. I used the remaining amount to buy three sacks of maize and 30 kg of beans so that it would sustain us until next harvest.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My greatest desire has always been to own dairy cattle which will in turn produce milk for my family consumption as well as selling the rest to act as my source of income. This will help me pay school fees for my children with less difficulty. I will use this money to achieve all these.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My usual day begins in the morning at 6.00 am. This is the time i engage myself with household chores and at around 8.00am, i go to the river to fetch water for my household use as well as gather grass and drinking water for my cattle. I always feel energised in the morning and this is the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I have been diabetic for the last ten years and this has been a great challenge to me. Despite the fact that there are specific local vegetables as well as wheat products that i have to eat to ensure that i remain healthy, i can't afford them hence this has caused my health to deteriorate.