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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.
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Newsfeed > Joseph's Profile
Joseph's family
Joseph
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Small business
faceAge:
61
workCampaign
UBI
Upcoming Stage
Next Payment
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Follow to be updated on Joseph's next check-in.
 
26th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My new goal for the next four months is to save money from my business to build a better and spacious house for my family. My children are clearing school this year and this will give me an opportunity to build a good house for my family.
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 pay school fees for my children in college. I do small scale farming at home. I do not have a continuous source of income to support this. Sometimes I sell the surplus at the market to earn an income to pay part of the school fees. I am also a traditional herbalist. This also earn me some income when I sell traditional medicine to people in my village. The amount of money I get from these two sources is not enough to meet all the basic needs and even pay school fees for my children on time. My children used to be sent home to collect the school fees and this was affecting their performance. When I started receiving the money from GiveDirectly I was able to pay the school fees on bits and they were not sent home to collect the school fees as usual. I am so happy because I no longer struggle so much but rather devote much of my time to doing my daily chores.
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 will have saved enough money to boost my business of selling traditional medicine. This generate some income which helps me in meeting additional needs for the family.
 
24th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
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Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My additional goal in life is to ensure that my two children who are currently at home join college so that they can further their studies. This will be a golden chance for them to pursue their dreams and have a bright future because in the modern world we are living in, education is key to everything.
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 finish building some rental houses that I have been building for so long. My transfers came in handy as it enabled me to pay the workers on time. Before the work would at times standstill when I did not have money to use in paying the workers but I am now glad because the case is now different. I am hopeful that these houses will be occupied very soon I will be able to earn an income through it. I will use this money to pay school fees for my children when they join colleges.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
My life will have changed in the next six months in that, my children will have gained admission to a college. I am hopeful that I will have paid their admission and tuition fee for the all semester. I will be living a peaceful life knowing that my children are doing well in college and are getting a quality education. The knowledge imparted to them during this period will help them become self-employed or get employment in different sectors.
 
20th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life is different in that I am in a position to pay my insurance premiums and still manage to meet my family's basic needs with less difficulty. Before, I was sometimes forced to borrow or risl forfeiting the policy because I did not have enough money to meet all these needs. I am glad that GiveDirectly gavaae me the ability to balance these activities using the monthly transfers I receive.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I currently have no new goals but just to ensure that my premium payments are up to date.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I am happy that I am able to pay my life insurance premiums using the transfers from GiveDirectly. Before, I used to sometimes worry if I would manage to pay my premiums on time and with the of risk paying a penalty. I am also glad that I am able to pay the premiums while still managing to meet our daily needs.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
My expectation is to keep the discipline of paying the monthly premiums to the insurance promptly and ensure that the money that I would have otherwise sent to the insurance company for the life policy is invested well. I also expect that once I am done paying these premiums, then I can improve my business using these transfers.
 
16th 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?
Now am not worried about any illness that my family and I may contact because we have medical insurance. I know that my future is taken care of and will facilitate the payments with no worries. I will forever thank my friend who gave me this idea. Most importantly I thank Give Directly for helping me pay the monthly cost
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
Currently, I do not have a new goal in regards to the monthly transfers I get from GiveDirectly. I will continue paying for my medical cover so that in case of any illness I will be covered by this company. It is the wisest thing I have done so far. I have to know how expensive it can be to pay for medical bills out of your pocket that is why I did not give up paying my monthly contribution despite not having enough money. But now I have the means of paying I didn't even think twice whether or not to invest in this idea
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The greatest difference is that now I do not skip paying my medical insurance. Before I wouldn't pay regularly since I would get pressing issues which would drain me financially and end up not paying for it. I always believe that having an insurance cover is the safest and cheapest way to pay for medical expenses. I am glad I can now pay my insurance premium without skipping.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I have been saving for quite some time now and I am planning to now invest it by building rental houses. I am targeting students who are from a nearby technical college. Once the buildings are done I know I will have a stable and sustainable source of income. This will help me meet most of my goals. Even if I retire I will not have to get employed in order to survive.
 
12th 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 significantly different from how it was four months ago because one of my sons has joined the university to pursue his studies. Moreover, I have completed building some of my rental houses, and thus has additional income from hiring them out to tenants. I feel that the increase in income has substantially eased the weight of repaying the loan that I had acquired to finance the construction. Hence, I feel that my life is much better of compared to the past four months.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
The new goals that I have for the next four months include completion and conclusion of the construction process that has been running since last year. Subsequently, I look forward to opening the finished houses for hire in our local center. Although I financed some of the houses alone, we had a joint venture with a friend to finance others. Overall, I endeavor to have all the houses finished and ready for occupancy in the next four months. Consequently, I might obtain another loan for completing the houses. Hence, I greatly thank GD because it eases my work of repaying the loans.
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 a sense of self-actualization. This is because my dream of building rental houses has materialized. Accordingly, I feel that I am a great dreamer with financial discipline. Although I do not have a higher paying job, I feel that my idea of securing a loan from a financial institutio and pursuing my vision of owning rental houses was invaluable. Though the construction is yet to be concluded, I feel that I have already achieved my target.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect to enjoy a higher standard of living in the next six months. This is because my income will have doubled because of the huge projects that I will be running. I look forward to having a poultry farm to attract more money, a practice that I have not been doing. Besides, I am planning of owning three zero-grazing cows by that time. As a result, our family shall have adequate milk for consumption and even a surplus for sale to attain additional revenue. Still, in the next six months, I will have heavily stocked the shop that my wife runs. Subsequently, money will be flowing within our family.
 
5th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 6 years ago
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The recipient was not asked any questions as part of this follow up.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time over 6 years ago
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Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
My new goals is to start rearing chicken.This will be giving me a daily income since i will have layers that will lay eggs everyday.i also plan to continue paying for my insurance cover.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life has changed since i am now well covered in both life insurance and medical insurance.if i had never received this transfer,i may not have been able to contribute money for both policies which would have left me in danger in case of any situation needing insurance cover.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months ,i will be free from the pressing deadlines to pay insurance premiums.i will have a poultry system worth kshs 20000 that will be a good source of income.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference is that i am now free from the pressing need to pay for my insurance covers.i make payments every month to a life insurance cover with BRITAM and also a medical cover with the National Hospital Insurance Cover(NHIF). I had a deadline to beat and now i am so happy that i have paid for it and so am not bothered nor stressed any more.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 6 years ago
 
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I have faced in my life is educating my children since I had no money
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening because that is when am satisfied after I have known how my business was like
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
Am planning to spend my transfers to buy food for my children and also expand my business
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
The achievement am proud of is my business which I have opened since at the end of the day I will be having money to use for my needs