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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Newsfeed > Kachimbi's Profile
Kachimbi's family
Kachimbi
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Small business
workCampaign
Kenya Basic Income
Upcoming Stage
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Follow to be updated on Kachimbi's next check-in.
 
22nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($22 USD)
access_time 3 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
At present, I own three goats, acquired through my previous transfers. My objective is to expand my livestock holdings by adding more goats once I have saved enough funds through the savings group. The goats represent a crucial avenue for generating income, as their offspring will contribute to a steady revenue stream. I am truly grateful for the financial assistance provided by Give Directly, and I am confident that this support will pave the way for financial stability, empowering me to sustain myself.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
As a widow, my main sources of income are casual farming and charcoal sales. Through careful saving, I managed to accumulate a significant amount of $68 from my previous transfers within a five-member savings group. I intend to use a substantial portion of this money to invest in livestock, as they offer a cost-effective means of generating income. By rearing and subsequently selling the offspring at a higher price, I can secure a good profit to sustain myself. During the festive season, I allocated $34 to purchase food essentials and partake in celebrations alongside my co-wife. I am truly grateful for the financial support that enabled us to have a meaningful festive celebration with an ample food supply.
 
17th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($24 USD)
access_time 8 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My immediate goals are to establish a business and acquire a goat. Currently, I possess two goats, and I aim to increase this number to at least four. I also aspire to launch a vegetable-selling venture. This business would not only contribute to the household income but also provide a sustainable source of revenue even after the cash transfers cease. Given my current financial constraints, I am optimistic that by consistently saving from the transfer funds, I can turn these aspirations into realities. With the savings, I hope to gather the necessary resources to achieve these goals.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
After receiving the cash transfer, I continued with my practice of saving $20 through a merry-go-round club, a habit I have maintained since March. I aim to accumulate enough funds to eventually start a vegetable-selling business. This initiative is crucial as I hope to establish a sustainable source of income once the cash transfers come to an end. I also allocated $14 towards purchasing food. At that time, the household was experiencing significant food scarcity as our crops had not yet been harvested. This resulted in three consecutive nights without food. Gladly, after the food I bought was depleted, the maize crops were ready for harvesting, and we have not faced such hunger ever since. Typically, I engage in charcoal production, especially in the days leading up to the transfers as this is mostly the time my household runs out of food.
 
14th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($25 USD)
access_time 11 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I am planning to buy more goats, which to me are an investment because when they reproduce and increase in number, I can readily sell them to raise more money and cater for my financial needs. I have been saving Ksh 1500 every month for this purpose, and I am planning to save more in order to achieve this goal.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I always appreciate the support that I have been receiving from GiveDirectly because it has totally changed my life. I was not blessed with children in my marriage, and I depended on my husband for everything. When he passed on, I had no one to help me, and I struggled to fend for myself. I could only engage in farming, but rains are unpredictable, and I had to beg for food from neighbors. When I began receiving the monthly transfers, I could now buy enough food for myself, and I even began to save Ksh. 1500 for my emergencies and buy goats too. So far, the transfers have been my only hope, and I plan to spend my savings in the near future to invest in goats and other viable projects to increase my sources of income. I am currently owning some goats that I acquired through the transfers, and I am planning to buy more goats and rear them, let them reproduce, and sell them later on to curtail my financial needs. I am also saving the monies so as to enable me to start a poultry project by the end of this year.
 
10th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($28 USD)
access_time 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
For a while now, I have had the plans to Invest in my farm especially by ensuring that I buy a couple of farm animals. I decided that I will be saving a portion of the money that I keep receiving so that I could eventually have enough to buy a couple of goats and poultry since purchasing cows is costly.Apart from that, I also intend to finish up with renovating my house because after I started receiving the transfers I began fixing it especially the roof since the iron sheets were old and worn out.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am a widow and a mother of two. To support them, I always make charcoal for sale to earn a living. I do that work because I do not have an alternative although I strain a lot to cater to the needs of my three-member family. Since I do not have someone else to depend on for support, immediately after I received my transfer, I spent $19 on food. To be assured of getting some cash for paying my children's school fees, I opted to save $15. As a result, when schools re-open, I will not struggle much to raise all the fees because I shall have some cash.
 
6th Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($25 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
For the past two months I have been using the transfers that I've been receiving to buy building material so that I could finally renovate my house because it was a mud house and was almost on the verge of collapsing. Therefore I ended up using KES 2,500 out of the transfers I had received to buy twenty five pieces of timber. I was left with a balance of KES 500 which I ended up using on nourishment by purchasing five packets of maize flour.
 
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($26 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
I love the fact that the Give Directly staff were very courteous as they visited our village during the enrollment exercise. They created a conducive environment that ensured I shared as much information as possible with them. I would recommend an increase of the monthly stipend by the organization so that we can be able to execute bigger projects such as building houses with ease.  
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Three weeks ago my house partially collapsed because of the strong winds blowing during the night. The house was a four-bedroomed house and two rooms were destroyed. As a result, I lost my valuable property. I moved to my relative's house, which was safer as I wait to repair my house. Lack of money due to lack of a job has delayed my plans of repairing the house. When I received my transfer of KES 3000, I paid the mason who was repairing my house. I am glad that he could repair one room that collapsed.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
1200 KES ($10 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
With my advanced age and no education, I am not able to operate a phone. I only receive calls but let my grandchildren read messages for me. One morning when I was at home, I received a call from one of my friends confirming if I had received any money from GiveDirectly and since I do not know how to operate a phone I could not tell whether I had money in my Mpesa account. Immediately after the call, I handed the phone to my grandson to check if I had money in my account and that was which he indeed confirmed. It came as a surprise because I did not expect it would be sent that fast.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Having been able to purchase foodstuffs for my family is the biggest difference in my daily life since I received the transfers. With the current famine, food security is the greatest challenge and whenever we can acquire some we become so proud of ourselves.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
At the time when I was enrolled in the program, I did not have a mobile phone. I was, therefore, given one which was deducted from my first transfer leaving me with KES 1200. Out of it, KES 800 catered for corn flour which is enough to push my family for some time while KES 350 I used to purchase a chicken for rearing. This is my first time owning one because I have not been able to afford some. I will be purchasing two of them whenever I receive my transfers so that I can rear them on a large scale. Since they multiply faster, I am hopeful that by the end of the year I will a good number of them. I aim to sell some in the future to raise money for my household needs since I do not have a reliable source of income. The eggs and meat from them will also be a good source of protein for my family.
 
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
My family of five lives in a pathetic and unsafe three-bedroom house for three years now. It becomes worse whenever it rains because the roof leaks. Upon receiving this money I plan to buy building materials worth 11000 KES so that I can renovate it for it to be safe for the family. I will also spend 18000 KES on buying 6 goats which I believe will be a source of income in future. The rest of the money would be spent on food as I have no reliable job which is generating money for the family's basic needs.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Being alive and in good health always gives me hopes and joy. Despite the challenges I am facing it is fulfilling when I have enough food for my family of five members.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Food insecurity is a major challenge as of now since the drought started last month. I am a peasant farmer and hardly did we get enough rains in our area which resulted to no harvests at all. My family can at times run out of food for 2 days in a week and this has greatly affected our health as a family.