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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 > Stevin's Profile
Stevin's family
Stevin
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Casual labour
faceAge:
33
workCampaign
Standard Kenya
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($512 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is different from how it was in that I have already bought building materials and now I am hopeful of having a home. I have always wanted to own a home but due to financial constraints, I was forced to postpone this process until when GiveDirectly came into my life. To me, this is the biggest difference in my life.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, what GiveDirectly does well is helping the poor household to uplift their living standards. We feel proud and do not envy someone's property anymore. We had the means to buy the assets that we really wished to buy. I feel empowered and favored. I now have hope of accomplishing most of my dream goals.
What did you spend your second transfer on?
I invested a large portion of my transfer on animal rearing. I bought two pigs and two dairy cows. I know that this is a good investment because I can sell milk in the future and sell the cows when circumstances force me. Apart from that, I also bought 10 pieces of iron sheets in readiness for starting the construction process. I still stay at my father's place but as per our tradition, I have to move out to give my siblings the chance to move out too. In addition to that, I paid school fees for my two children and bought enough food
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($547 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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Describe the biggest difference in your daily life.
The difference in my daily life is that, unlike in the past that I used to be idle due to lack of economic engagement, I am now busy taking care of my pigs and cows. I also used to spend a lot of money in ploughing our farm, right now I am able to spend such like resources in other family needs.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
When I received my money, it was like a dream and I could not believe. I have my relatives in Siaya where GiveDirectly has worked before, and I have admired the kind of project they had done with transfer. This made me to have development plan of livestock keeping. As a result, receiving transfer transformed my dream into reality, and now I have started livestock keeping, mostly cattle and pig keeping.
What did you spend your first transfer on?
I spent my first transfer on buying two bulls and two pigs. My dreams has been doing livestock keeping for ploughing and for sale. Pork has got high demand in this area, but pig farming is not well practiced in our area that makes supply to be low compared to market demand, so I took that opportunity to supply pigs for the market demand, and I hope that after one year I will start selling my stock. We also practice crop farming, and buying bull will assist me in timely land preparation for early planting in every season.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 5 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means I shall be able to buy bulls. People around our area who do not have much money to hire tractors till their farms using ox-plough and since my father's bulls died during dry season, our plough is not being used. Once I buy the bulls I will be able to use the ox-plough both to plough our farms and do commercial ploughing to generate income that I can use to improve my house and save to buy cows that produce milk. I will also use part of the transfer to buy solar panel to ensure I have reliable source of energy to light the house and charge my phones. I will also charge for my neighbors their phones at a cost.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My happiest part of the day is usually in the morning. Since I separated with my wife, nights are longer and lonely because I had gotten used to living with my partner. Now it's in the morning that I wake up to meet my friends that we work together with in the farms. During the time we work in the farms we usually listen to our vernacular radio station that motivate us while working and this is the source of our joy coupled by the pay that we receive at the end of the day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced is lack of money to meet my family medical and food needs. The casual jobs that I do either cane cutting or weeding earn one hundred and fifty shillings only person day, this kind of cash cannot carter for the entire family budget, sometimes causing arguments in the family with the other gender complaining that I am not providing enough, this was the cause of my separation with my wife because she never appreciated my efforts. I hope finally the cash transfer that I am going to receive will fix my investment and peace shall be restored in my family.