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 > James's Profile
James's family
James
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
61
workCampaign
UBI
Upcoming Stage
Next Payment
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Follow to be updated on James's next check-in.
 
18th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life is currently different from how it was because my living standards have greatly improved. Today, I am able to take care of my daily needs easily and having an investment is the greatest things that I am proud of. I was able to buy a dairy cow. I will soon be getting milk which I can sell and consume the rest with my family.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My new goal is to plaster my house. Currently, it is in bad condition. Smearing it has always been hectic. The worst part of it is the worms that get inside the house to destroy the walls and floor. Renovating it will relieve me from the hard work and the cost which I normally incur during repairs.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
Getting little income had limited me from achieving most of my goals. Paying school fees was the major challenge and most of the time my children could be sent home due to fee arrears. Inside me, I was burning when I could see my children missing lessons. The feeling that I had was failing in my role as a parent. When I got the transfer and manager to pay school fees for them. It was the best feeling ever which is the biggest difference in my daily life
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
My expectation in the next six months is to give a helping hand to others. I want to invest in farming. I am certain that I will be able to employ the youths in the community and when I get more produce, I can even share with the elderly. Farming will also help me sustain my family well and reduce the cost of buying food.
 
15th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
Currently, my life is different from how it was four months ago in that, I can have all my three meals with much ease and comfort. This was not the case before, I had to do casual work to earn an income which was never promised on a daily basis.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
In the next four months, I am planning to purchase an ox to help me with farming and even hiring out for income.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer is that I have been able to afford food with much more ease unlike I used to before. I used to hustle to make ends meet which was not a guarantee at the end of the day.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months hopefully, I will have bought an ox and I will no longer have to hire one for my use in the farm but instead, I will own mine that will not only help me in my farm works but also generate income from hiring.
 
12th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
Currently, my life is different in that I have been able to pay school fees for my three children. Through this, it's a relief as I am no longer worried of them being sent home for school fees like before when they could stay at home a month or more due to lack of money and now their performances have improved with their interest for studying as well.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My new goal for the next six months is to save money and use it to buy building materials which I will use to fence my compound. This will enhance the security of properties as there will be avoidance of trespassers on my homestead.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
My biggest difference is that I am able to get daily meals without much struggle. I do farming and the produce from my farm is not enough to feed my family members and this has been so challenging for me. when I started receiving the transfer from GiveDirectly, I have been able to buy additional food staff to supplement the ones I produce on my farm. With this, my family members a balanced diet and this has improved our health and standard of living.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect in the next six months to shall have saved money and buy a dairy cow, I believe I will earn an extra income through the sale of milk to cater to my family's needs.
 
8th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life is different because paying fees is now not a problem like it was before.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I have a new goal of making savings so that I get enough money to hire a new piece of land that I will cultivate and get more farm products at the end of the season.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
I have been able to cultivate my farm accordingly and getting a bumper harvest is never a problem due to the high quality fertilizer that I have been using. Part of the money has also been helping me in paying school fees for my son, a burden that has been weighing me down for sometime.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I will have enough food that can keep the family afloat for a long period, the excess can be sold out in exchange of cash.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time 6 years ago
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Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
My new goal is to improve the appearance of the family house by plastering it.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is currently different in that I feel more motivated.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months I expect my life to change in that I will harvest more grain, get enough to feed on and enjoy improved health.
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 was able to pay for services and ploughed a bigger piece of land, unlike before when I could not afford the service and only ploughed a small piece of land.
 
Enrolled
access_time 6 years ago
 
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced is hunger,moreso when I returned home in 2007 from Nakuru.I had not adjusted to embrace farming fully and providing food for my family became so difficult that we could go without meals.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the morning.Every morning before I start my daily chores,I go to church and the spiritual nourishment makes me happy and motivated to face a new day.
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
My plan is to spend my transfer from GiveDirectly on improving farming.I will use ox driven-plough to increase the proportion of cultivated land as oppossed to the normal hand Jembe and buy quality seeds to improve the yields.
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
The greatest achievement that am proudest of is having resorted to full time farming.This has always ensured that we have enough food as a family and given me easy time to pay school fees better than my days as a casual laborer in Nakuru.