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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Completed
Newsfeed > Jacob's Profile
Jacob's family
Jacob
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Raising livestock
workCampaign
Kenya Basic Income
Upcoming Stage
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Follow to be updated on Jacob'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?
My intention is to utilize my forthcoming transfers to acquire hens and reinvigorate the poultry venture following the unfortunate loss of the hens. The reestablishment of this initiative will secure a steady income stream to complement my earnings from crop farming. I am profoundly grateful for the financial assistance provided through the Give Directly transfers, which has empowered me to address my family's necessities.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
As the sole provider for my family of five, I bear the responsibility of supporting my four children, all of whom are enrolled in secondary school. While two of my children attend boarding schools, the others are enrolled in day schools, necessitating substantial school fee payments. Upon receiving the transfers, I made the decision to set aside $68 in anticipation of the upcoming school term, ensuring that I could promptly settle their fees and facilitate their uninterrupted education. Following my enrollment in the program, my initial transfer was directed towards establishing a poultry farming venture. The enterprise initially flourished until a recent outbreak of Newcastle disease resulted in the loss of 35 hens. To mitigate potential losses, I sold 20 hens at a reduced price. Prior to the outbreak, I had invested $34 in purchasing animal feed for the hens. I am profoundly grateful for the financial assistance that facilitated the commencement of this project, and the subsequent income has been instrumental in meeting my children's educational expenses.
 
18th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($24 USD)
access_time 7 months ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My primary objective is to enhance my poultry business by expanding the number of hens and establishing connections with a reliable market that can purchase the hens in large quantities. This success will then enable me to invest in a dairy cow. By selling milk within the village, I anticipate that the income generated from these sales will greatly contribute to the well-being of my family. The progress I am making towards achieving financial stability, which I have long yearned for, fills me with immense joy. I am grateful for the strides I am taking, even though they may be gradual, as they are leading me closer to my goal.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I have been diligently saving money to cover the school fees for my two sons who are currently in Form Two and Form Three of secondary school. As a means of livelihood, I engage in the sale of livestock. Fortunately, this business venture has been thriving, enabling me to completely settle the school fees for both my children. They are now free from any outstanding fees owed to the school. To fulfill this financial commitment, I sold one of my cows and obtained a substantial amount of money, which was then allocated towards their education expenses. In addition to my livestock activities, I have also established a poultry project using the funds received from GiveDirectly. Currently, I am rearing sixty-five hens. The availability of affordable animal feeds has been beneficial, as it has significantly reduced the production costs. Consequently, whenever I sell the hens, I am able to generate significant profits. The fact that I now have multiple sources of income fills me with immense happiness, as it not only supports my family's needs but also ensures their well-being.
 
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?
Seeing my children successfully go through high school and complete their studies is my top priority. I currently have two children in high school, and I believe through this program, I will be able to finance their education by paying their fees on time. This will allow them to have smooth learning and achieve their educational goal, which is key to their success in the future life. Thus my main objective is to use all the available resources to my ability to ensure that they are well-educated, even through the program.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I am grateful to GiveDirectly because, so far, two of my four children have successfully completed their high school studies because of the transfers. I currently have two who are in high school, and raising fees for them could have been a challenge, but I have been able to pay for them on time through my recent transfers. They had fee arrears amounting to Ksh. 18000, and I was able to pay Ksh. 12000. I am happy because they were allowed to continue with their studies. I spent the remaining part of the money to buy chicken feed to feed the 70 birds that I am currently rearing on my homestead. I began this project through the monthly transfers, and it has also helped me pay for my children's school fees. I recently sold 20 birds and cleared the fee arrears. This was a huge relief to me because I could now divert my transfer in the subsequent months to meet other needs, like buying foodstuffs, with ease.
 
9th Payment
Transfer Amount
3470 KES ($28 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?
I happen to have two children who are in secondary school at the moment and their fees are often quite costly. Therefore, my top most priority is to ensure with each transfer I try and pay off the debt so that they can keep on pursuing their education. At the moment I also happen to own eight hens which I acquired using the money I get from the organization. Hence I plan on using a part of the money that I will keep receiving to buy chicken feed for the hens I own and the eggs that are soon hatching. I am also hopeful that in the future I will be able to buy livestock so that they could help me in farming and also with milk.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
To make a living, I primarily raise both animals and poultry. We are from a region that is prone to drought and has virtually little economic activity. Since I occasionally cultivate for subsistence, I had not even plowed my land when I recently received my transfer. So that I could get my farm ready for planting, I paid $34 on the cost of plowing. $30 of my money went into buying poultry feed, while the remaining $30 went toward feeding my family. I owe GiveDirectly a debt of gratitude for their assistance because the money has been a huge help.
 
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?
I started a poultry project that is doing well since I started receiving my transfer. Although I have not yet withdrawn the recent transfer, I intend to use it to purchase chicken feed. I have 45 domestic fowls that I have raised since March of this year. From this poultry project, I hope to raise more fowls to sell and use the proceeds to diversify the livestock I raise. I have three cows, but I look forward to purchasing a fourth soon. It will assist me in producing more milk for my family.
 
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?
Life had been hard and on many days we could not be able to easily get food. I am grateful to GiveDirectly which does well in giving direct cash transfers without any condition. As a result, we have been able to use our transfer to meet our immediate needs. For instance, many have been able to buy food and their lives are better as opposed to how they would have been without the transfer. All are appreciating GiveDirectly for its orderly ways of operations.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
At the moment, I have not yet spent any coins from my recent transfer. I am planning to spend it on re-starting a poultry farming project. I am a mixed farmer and previously, I domesticated about 30 chickens. Unfortunately, most of them died due while a few who survived, I sold and generated for me KES 7,500. Poultry farming is a very lucrative business. From this project, I will be able to earn an additional income when I sell some to raise school fees for my four children who are currently in school.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
3050 KES ($26 USD)
access_time almost 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
Normally, I take my livestock to graze on land 10 km away from where I live. On this day, as I was going about my duties (feeding the livestock) I got a message confirming that I received funds from give directly. I was filled with so much happiness. This is because I was very broke, and I did not know what to give my children. I continued with what I was doing and the following day, I went out to buy some maize flour. 
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Before I got the transfers, I was stuck financially. The only option I was left with was to sell the 10 chickens I had. This is so I could get funds to buy some nourishments for my children. On a daily basis, I would seek a buyer with the best offer. But I stopped when I got the money from give directly which I used it to buy some food. I made sure I saved KES 400 with the aim of purchasing more poultry to boost my farming business.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
My wife died in 2008. She left me with seven children to take care of. Then I used to work as a driver. My salary was around KES 25,000. This reduced to KES 1500 after the Coronavirus pandemic pushing me to my resignation. I decided to take up farming, which has helped in the provision of my family's needs. With the droughts in my area, the business has been very hard. I have not been able to yield like before thus making it hard to provide food for my family. In a day, we would only have one meal. So, I used the funds I got from give directly to buy food. I saved up the remaining KES 400. I want to gather at least KES 8000 to add more poultry to my farm. 
 
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I am planning to save 1,500 KES every month for 18 months so that I can buy a resistant dairy cow. Receiving this money means I'll buy this resistant dairy cow. The milk will be produced I will use some for family consumption and sell the rest which will help me in the smooth running of the daily family expenses.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The coming of some of my relatives during the new year celebrations. We merrily celebrated with them and shared a lot of memories with them and this made me have joy and happiness.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I have four children in various secondary schools, they all need school fees and pocket money. Providing them with all these needs is my biggest challenge as the prolonged drought starved 14 animals and as we speak I have remained with only three. At times I could sell these animals to pay the school fees but now it is hard.