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 > Mike's Profile
Mike's family
Mike
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Casual labour
faceAge:
26
workCampaign
UBI
Upcoming Stage
Next Payment
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Follow to be updated on Mike's next check-in.
 
20th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time almost 5 years ago
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Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I plan to spend my upcoming transfer to facilitate my children's education. I will buy stationery and finish any payment that will be required at school.
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 the tea farm that I leased from a neighbor. I have been channeling a large portion of my transfer for the last four months towards this project. I harvest the produce that was on the farm and sold them to some brokers. The profits have really helped me to buy food for my family. As a result, I have added to the income sources that I rely on. I, therefore, find it better than before.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect my life to have improved in the next six months. I intend to use the money from the farm and part of the transfers to start a business. I will be trading in chickens and create another source of income. I am confident that I will succeed in this business because I had done it before. I left the business many years ago because I ran out of cash to sustain it. With these transfers, I will revive it.
 
16th 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?
My life is currently different from how it was four months ago since my wife now supports me in paying school fees for my children. Before she was using her transfers to buy food and other basic needs but after I started the poultry keeping project, we have been using the income from this project to cater for these needs. This has enabled us to use our transfers jointly to pay for our children's school fees.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
Our new goal for the next four months is to start a business of buying and selling heifers. We will be saving our next transfers as a family and use them collectively to start up this business. I will be using the profits from this business to cater for my family needs and in paying my children's school fees.
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 start poultry keeping project. Due to this, I no longer depend on one source of income for everything. This has enabled me to cater for my family needs on time even when I do not get any casual work to do.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, my life will have totally changed. This is due to the fact that I will have started the business of buying and selling heifers. I will be using the income generated from this business to pay school fees for my children and to start up another income generating project for my wife to run. This will give her the opportunity to earn an income without going around the village looking for some menial jobs to do.
 
12th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time almost 6 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
I have been able to save some money from my transfers and use it to extend my house. Due to my growing family, my single house could not accommodate all of us. This was not comfortable especially the time we were dressing up we used to do it in turns. I am happy now since this house could accommodate all my family members.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My new goal is to save at least KES1000 every month from the transfers to start poultry keeping. Starting this poultry farming will enable me to pay school fees for my children who are yet to join secondary education and meet other family needs in the future.
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 used to do a lot of casual jobs to get money to feed my family. When we start receiving the transfer we combined with my spouse and bought food to sustain us for some months. This at least relieved me from doing casual jobs and start concentrating on my tea farm. Now, I am happy I no longer do a lot of manual jobs and my family have enough food.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect that in the next six months, I would have saved enough money from transfers and others from yields of my tea plants to enable me to buy more building materials for building poultry units. This poultry keeping will enable me to earn extra income to meet other basic household needs and school fees for my children.
 
6th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 6 years ago
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How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
My life is currently different because I have been able to buy food continuously for family without too much straining.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My new goal is to establish a poultry sysstem .I will buy 2 chicken on every transfer I recive fro the next four months.
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 have reduced stressed based on little income. I have increased my sources of income by leasing a tea farm for one year. This has increased my monthly income and the bonuses I expect towards the end of the year. I am so happy because even as we are speaking I am picking tea from the land I leased after receiving this transfers.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect my life to change in the next six months tbecause I will have poutry for income generaation.Thhis will help to met my daily needs and the childerens educational costs.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 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?
I have a target of starting a large scale farming that will get me money when i reap a high yield of produce.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My current life is very different from the past time because i am able to provide for my family and can meet their expectations at ease.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months i am planning to start a small business of buying and selling cows.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Before i got the transfer, i was depending on contracts but now i have my own farm that i sell the crops there that gives me more money to provide for my family.
 
Enrolled
access_time almost 7 years ago
 
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I was brought up in a very poor family where getting even the most basic things was hard.Sometimes even getting a meal in a day was hard,getting school fees was also difficult and this was always frustrating.As I grew up and had my own family,I cannot also provide them enough and i always wish my children could have a better life than i had.This is the biggest hardship i have faced
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the afternoon when i take lunch and have some rest.This makes me happy because i know i have completed the day's work.
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
Am planning to spend the transfer in cultivating my piece of land where i will plant potatoes so that i can sell
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
In 2014 when worked as a security guard,I saved the money i got and used it to buy tea leaves.The tea accumulated to 2000 kgs and when the time for annual bonus arrived,i earned a good amount of money which enabled me build the house am living in as well as buy some household items.This is the achievement am proudest of