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 > Benard's Profile
Benard's family
Benard
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
36
workCampaign
UBI
Upcoming Stage
Next Payment
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Follow to be updated on Benard'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 four months ago, in that Ia m paying school fees for my school-going children with a lot of ease compared to before when I had not started receiving money from Give Directly. This is as a result of investing in farming and harvesting a bumper harvest that has enabled me to sell some to get money.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I started a poultry farming for business purpose,I am motivated towards this because it is easy to manage and also for financial benefit. Thus this is my new additional goal, I am investing in for financial benefit.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
I have been investing my transfer in farming, in the last four months preceding the current transfer, I bought fertilizer, hybrid seeds and leased land for cultivation. I hired a few people to help me with the cultivation and planting process. I got a bumper harvest this season compared to other seasons. Life, in general, has become better and my living standards have also improved. My family is eating well and I am able to pay fees for my children without any difficulty. I thank Give Directly for their support towards this village. I don't think anyone of us would have reached this far without their support.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect my life to change in the next six months in that I would be in a position to support my family financially with a lot of ease compared to before. I am working extra hard to invest in poultry business so that I have an additional source of income, which will help me get an additional source of daily income.
 
16th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
In the last four months, the difference in my life is that I have been able to pay the loan which was really worrying me a lot. I did not know where I would get the money to settle the loan. The organization where I took the loan had started sending me reminders on the same and I had opted in getting another loan to settle the loan. GD transfers saved me because I had resorted into selling my harvest to clear the loan once. I am happy because my harvest is to help my family and not to pay loans anymore.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
In the next four months, I wish to continue paying school fees for my family. After I having an assurance that I will have a house by buying iron sheets, I want to ensure my children are always in school studying and not being sent home for school fees arrears. I can only achieve this by paying their fees on time.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving these transfers is that I was able to buy building materials such as iron sheets which I will use in building a new house. I have been living in a grass thatched house which is small and the grass on the roof had started coming off. I have been feeling as if soon I will not have a house anymore. With GD transfers, I was able to buy iron sheets which I will use to put up a new house in my own compound. This really makes me feel happy.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I want to buy a cow as an investment for my family. This will help me during emergency needs by selling the cow to raise money to handle my needs. When they reproduce, I will have the number increase which is a source of wealth for me. I know I will never go back to where I was before the transfers.
 
11th 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?
I have been blessed to be able to pay school fees for my children and keep them in school for as long as I could. Not along ago, my kids could be sent back home for not having paid school fees and for the duration that they were home, they used to miss their classes, a fact that would negatively affect their academic performance.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My only problem for now is the small size of the house that i live in currently that barely accommodates everyone inn my family. It is embarrassing for me to be squeezing myself with the kids in this small house but I know that God willing I should be able to increase the size of this house and ;live comfortably with my family without seeming to be so congested. Apart from that I also want to build a new kitchen because right now I use a temporary grass-thatched structure that leak heavily every time it rains.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The monthly transfers from GD have been of so much help to me because I have been able to buy a few birds that I now rear in my compound with the main aim being to increase their population overtime and eventually sell them out and earn some cash in exchange. The demand for chicken within the locality is always very high considering the fact that people normally have huge functions almost every other weekend. Apart from that, learning institutions also need these birds to form part of their weekly diet so for me I know that I will be able to make some cash using this project. addition to
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I have been in the business of brick making for the last couple of years and I am now thinking of boosting this business so that I can earn more profits than I do currently. I need to buy more firewood within the locality so that I can make more and more bricks. If I can increase the production capacity then definitely i will make more money and that is my target within the coming six months.
 
8th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
One of the basic needs in life is food. I have always done my best to be there for my family by working very hard in my casual work to ensure my family have enough food. It has been very hard to make ends meet because the pay I get is neither much nor consistent hence we have not been eating well and in most cases, we end up without food on the table. Ever since I started receiving this transfers, I have been able to ensure my family eat a balanced diet and we have never gone without food like before. Secondly, due to my low income from casual work, I have not been able to provide adequate medical services for my family since I cannot afford to take them to good hospitals where they can receive proper treatment. This is not a usual occurrence in my family but since GD came to my life, I have been able to take my family to good hospitals whenever one is sick. Right now, cases of my family falling sick regularly is no more because they get proper treatment which cures the diseases they are suffering from. Thanks to Give Directly.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My new goal is to start poultry farming. I have always desired to do this because I know I have the knowledge and ability to do it. Due to my low income, It has always been just a dream. Now that my income has improved because of my farm produce and continued support from GD, I want to buy chicken so that I can finally realize this area. From this, I can sell the chicken and raise money for other financial needs without having to depend on others.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
I have always believed in farming my whole life. I have attended so many conferences that educate on farming methods and I have applied those methods but still, my harvest has never been to the extent I expected. When I started receiving transfers from Give Directly, I have been able to buy fertilizer and hybrid seeds which I have been applying on my farm anytime I plant. Since I started using fertilizer and improved seeds, I have been able to harvest 8-10 sack of maize which makes me happy and is a reward for my hard work unlike before when I used to harvest 4 sacks of maize from the same piece of landt. Give Directly has given me a reason to work even harder knowing that it's not in vain.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I have been living in a grass thatched house which has a leaking roof and is too small for my family. At night, we have hard to take some of our properties outside to create sleeping space for my family which has been a big risk of losing the items. I have started purchasing building materials such as iron sheets and nails which I want to use in building a bigger, better and iron roofed house.
 
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time almost 6 years ago
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Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
I am planning to build my wife an outside kitchen where she can be comfortable while cooking.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is currently different from before given that now I can do my projects with ease due to the readily available resources.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I will have bought a chicken wire and prepared a structure where the poultry will be safe during the day as they feed and enjoy the vitamin from the sun.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference is I have been able to start my poultry project thanks to the transfer I received from GD.
 
Enrolled
access_time 6 years ago
 
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My biggest hardship is getting school fees for my son who is in secondary school form one. I have no stable income yet the fees are always of big amounts of money.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening when I rest after work, have time to evaluate all I did in the day and also plan for the following day.
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
I plan to spend my transfers on buying farm inputs and leasing farms to boost my produce in farming that will enable me secure food for the family, and have extra that can be sold for income to spend on other needs.
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
My proudest achievement is in my farming that has enabled me build a house for the family and now we have a good shelter, and buy a cow that I get manure to use in my farms from its wastes.