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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Transfers
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Completed
Newsfeed > Rehema's Profile
Rehema's family
Rehema
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Casual labor
faceAge:
20
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($479 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?
Before the transfer I really wanted to improve the living conditions for my siblings and I, by perhaps building a house of which before it seemed nearly impossible because of lack of funds. Apart from that, my siblings had school arrears that needed to be covered for a period of time, and like i stated earlier that due to financial instability, seemed quite tedious to settle before coming to contact with the projects that were involved with GiveDirecty and their money transfers.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly is doing a great job especially to people like me, who are from impoverished backgrounds. It gives us hope and stability as well, so in other words I would insist that it keeps on being the light that keeps on shining for people who need it the most.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
The initial transfer I received helped set the pace when it came to building the house I had envisioned for my siblings and I. For instance I got to purchase bricks and sand which cost me twenty thousand kenyan shillings and twelve thousand kenyan shillings respectively. Then with the recent transfers i managed to get iron sheets and also paid the labourer around twenty five thousand kenyan shillings for their task. I also managed to cater for my siblings school fees where the one who is in primary it cost me nine hundred kenyan shillings for the entire year meanwhile the one in highschool it was twelve thousand kenyan shillings. The rest of the money I saved it for a rainy day and took some to attend to nourishment for my family.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($502 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I was alone in the house doing some cleaning when I received an incoming message. I decided to read it as was curious to know who had remembered me so early in the morning and my heart was filled with joy upon realizing that it was the promised money from GiveDirectly. I immediately shared the good news with my siblings and they were equally happy. This money gave us hope that we would finally stop living in the small house as we would be able to build a more spacious one.
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 been able to build a house for our family. Due to this, my brothers now sleeps at home and they get enough time to study in the evening. Being the eldest at home, my siblings looked upto me for everything. I work at a local restaurant and I earn KES 200 daily. This money was not enough to feed a family of five and still set aside some to use in building a house. Because of this, my brothers had embraced our social standard and always knew that they would have to sleep in our neighbors house in order for us to be able to feed and building a bigger house has been a great relief to them.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When I received my transfer, I spent KES 35000 to build a house for my family. I settled on this since we had been living in a small one room house. Due to this, we did not have privacy at all, my brother had to sleep at our neighbors house and this had always lowered our self esteem. Also, I bought two bulls at KES 18000 so that I can be using them for land preparation purposes during planting season. Also, I will be leasing to people and earn some income that I can in turn spend on our basic needs.
 
Enrolled
access_time almost 3 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Being the only breadwinner in a family of 6 after my parent died has not been easy, because I have failed to fulfill the basic needs like school fees for my siblings. This is due to the little coins earnings from my casual jobs. Receiving this money means education to our family. I am planning to spend 50,000 Kenya shillings to take my brother to a vocational college where he is going to be trained on the mechanical course, believing that he is going to secure a job in the future and support us. Other than that, I will invest the remaining amount in business and clear the school fees balance for the other siblings.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Morning is my happiest part of the day. It is at this time when I wake up with a hope of securing casual job so that I can earn and provide for my family.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
lack of a good source of income is my biggest challenge. I always work as a gardener at our nearby gardens this job is tiresome and it is not guaranteed because of the high level of unemployment. In a day make 200 Kenya shillings which is not enough to cater for all our needs.