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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.
Stages:
 
Enrollment
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Transfers
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Completed
Newsfeed > Lilian's Profile
Lilian's family
Lilian
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Small business
faceAge:
33
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($441 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
The support from GiveDirectly was of great help in our lives. So far, I am happy and contented with the great milestone that I have achieved. At the moment, I do not have any new goals due to financial constraints. I am grateful for the opportunity that impacted our lives tremendously.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion, GiveDirectly funds have empowered our people significantly. I was able to achieve the goals that I had since the organisation kept their promise. After all, we received our transfers on time. I have not witnessed anything that was not done well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Upon the receipt of my initial transfer, I thought of building a decent house for my family. This is because I was forced to relocate from my home due to family disputes and the land too was small. Therefore, I used KES 20,000 on the construction. Additionally, I bought a dairy cow worth KES 20,000 to reduce the cost of buying milk. Lastly, I used the remaining amount on school fees. The funds from GiveDirectly boosted my living standard highly hence I would not have managed to accomplish all this due to financial constraints since I depend on making clay pots in earning a livelihood which is barely enough to pay school fees for my five children. I am so grateful for the support that has lifted living standards amazingly.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($481 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
On receiving the first transfer, I was very happy since It was a renewal of my hope to complete the payment of school fees for my five children. I received the message on my way back home from the hospital after taking my brother who was not feeling well for a checkup. I was with my husband at that moment and he had to confirm after I had told him that I had received a confirmation message. It was an exciting moment that we had been praying for since our enrollment, and receiving it answered our prayer and gave us new hope of working on the plans that we had set.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is the clearance of the pending bills that have been burdening me a lot. Both the school fees and the upkeep money for my son, who is undergoing circumcision were pressing me so hard, and had to first clear them up before planning to spend the money on other things. I am now relieved and focus on other projects that I am hopeful will bear the expected fruits.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I had defaulted the payment of school fees for my child that accumulated to KES 10000 within the past 3 months. The receipt of this transfer facilitated the clearance that relieved me of the hard toil I had been undergoing in the scorching sun to ensure that I raise my savings through casual labor. I also had to settle the upkeep fees for my son who is currently undergoing circumcision within the neighborhood. A complete process needed a total of KES 8000 that I paid at once to allow me to start budgeting for other things. I also purchased clothing worth KES 6000 for my household members, a sack of maize worth KES 6000 that we are using for foodstuff, gave KES 5000 to my husband who needed to replace some parts of his motorbike, and saved the remaining amount in preparation to buy a dairy cow when the current skyrocketing prices come down.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money eases the pressure of getting money for paying school fees for my five children. My first born is in secondary school while the others are in primary level. I usually pay a total of KES 40000 per year as school fees for the five of them. I am a potter and the maximum I receive from the sales is KES 200 per day. Amassing the total school fees amount from this daily income is an effort in futility and as a result, I intend to honor the annual school fees with part of this transfer. For the balance, I plan to add one more dairy cattle and buy other basic needs for my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My husband is a long distance truck driver and most of his time is spent on the road. This means he does not have time to spend with the family. Luckily, he has been on leave since last December and he has been able to share his time with us. His presence has brought a lot of joy in our family and may this happiness be prolonged.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I am a potter and this kind of job is labour intensive and is accompanied by little pay. On a productive day, I usually manage to make six pots and sell them at a wholesale price of KES 300. Blessed with a family of 8 members, this amount is insufficient to comfortably sort out our needs more so on food. As a result, I am unhappy to say we have to forego some meals.