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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 > Michael's Profile
Michael's family
Michael
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Motorcycle or bicycle taxi
faceAge:
30
workCampaign
UBI
Upcoming Stage
Next Payment
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Follow to be updated on Michael's next check-in.
 
25th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time 4 years ago
attach_money
 
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
In the next four months, I plan to sell three of the mature goats to realize some amount enough to purchase a calf. I intend to expand my livestock rearing. I want to be a one-stop home for all livestock.
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 transfers is that I have been able to jump-start my livestock keeping. In the past four months, I have been purchasing goats and rearing them for future uncertainties and wealth creation. This has been my dream ever since but I did not have adequate resources to make it happen. I tried before but it did not materialize as I expected.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I expect to have bought a few calves to increased to the number of livestock that I have. My wife saw this idea working and she also joined in with her resources. With combined efforts, I think in six months we will have expanded the business and in terms of the number of livestock. Which if transformed into cash we will have increased our revenue.
 
21st Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
attach_money
 
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My new or additional goal in my life in the next four months is to buy a dairy cow. I am very optimistic that I am going to buy a dairy cow for rearing because in the near future our transfers are coming to an end thus I have to look for a way of having a daily income I am a driver though I get very little income, that can't enable me to invest in other developmental activities and at the same time support my family financially with ease. Having started dairy farming will enable me to have milk to sell, and it will create also employment for my wife because she is the one who will be taking care of them when I am away.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
I am proud to own a herd of goats in my homestead courtesy of GiveDirectlyt since I had none of them before I started receiving money from Give Directly. I had struggled to bring in assets that I can take pride in or lean on in case of financial needs but this couldn't happen due to limited resources. I majorly depend on subsistence farming which has not been doing well enough to cater to both household daily needs and investments. I am currently keeping goats with an aim that once they reproduce, I can even exchange them for a cow. I have seen this working for my brother and I got motivated. These are also living assets to me which I can always depend on in case of any financial crisis. I will be able to sell the offspring whenever I have a financial crisis.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I am a goal-orientated person and I have a belief I will achieve my dream of having dairy farming in my home. I expect to have a better life than the one I have now by having an additional source of income. I have a lot of difficulty in both paying school fees for my school-going children and providing other basic needs. It is very hectic simple because I have to provide everything alone though my daily income is too little to sustain their needs. At times I am forced to borrow in which some people after helping you they start talking bad about you. In the next six months, I expect to have a better life, whereby I can financially support my family without straining too much.
 
18th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time over 4 years ago
attach_money
 
How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
I bought goats for rearing with the previous transfers and I consider them as an investment. I have the plans of selling them in the future in order to raise money for purchasing a dairy cow. I feel proud of myself having achieved the dream of owning goats. In addition to that, I have been using part of the transfers to meet the family's needs without a lot of challenges.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
Currently, I budget for milk on a daily basis but I find it expensive and at times we are forced to go without milk tea. I'm planning to the save both my transfers and my spouse transfers then add to the money that I'll get from the sales of some goats that I bought with the previous transfers and buy a dairy cow for rearing. This will save me the cost of milk and at the same time I'll be selling the surplus thus I'll be assured of additional income.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
For a very long time, I have dreamt of rearing goats as a way of investment because they give birth faster and they are also easy to manage. Since I had a lot of responsibilities to take care of, I wasn't able to save enough money from my income to purchase the goats. I'm glad through the GD transfers I was able to achieve my dream of rearing goats.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I'm planning to raise money so that I can purchase a dairy cow in the next four months so that I won't budget for milk in the future. After achieving the goal of purchasing the cow I'll later save the coming transfer and buy more goats so that after they have given birth I can sell them to raise money for purchasing more cows for rearing. With the dairy cows, I'll be assured of additional income from the sales of surplus milk. At the same time, my family will have enough milk for consumption.
 
14th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
attach_money
 
How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
I have been using most of my monthly transfers to buy livestock(Goats). I never had any livestock before GD came to our village because and I know I would not have bought any if I had not been receiving these transfers due to low income. I am glad that I have invested the money on something that I will have even in the later years.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
We were planning to save our transfers for the next four months so that we can be able to buy a cow. So far we have been able to buy 10 goats as a family and we have decided to raise the bar by owning something bigger with these transfers to prove those who are complaining that the transfers are not meaningful wrong.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
My and I both receive these transfers which has made it much easier for us to take care of our daily needs. We are able to plan whenever we receive the money as a family on who buys what, which I must admit had greatly reduced the burden that was previously fully on my shoulders.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
The number of my goats has really increased and my plan is to sell some of them in future so that I can raise money to buy a dairy cow. Having a dairy cow will be the biggest achievement as I will be able to produce enough milk to sell within my community and for my own personal consumption.
 
11th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
attach_money
 
How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
Apart from the goats which I have been buying with the major part of my transfers, I have a lot of peace in my house with my family. Without money, we have always been having a lot of household conflicts every now and again because things have not been working out. Ever since I started receiving these transfers, we have been peaceful with my wife and a lot of things have been running smoothly in my house. It is really good to have money.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I have been saving the transfers I get from GD and used them to buy goats which I use as investments for my family. I would want to sell the goats and add some little money so that I can finally have my own cows which I have been planning to have. This has not been possible due to low income from casual work.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
The biggest difference in my life since I started receiving this transfer in that I always have money every month. This has really eased on my financial needs. At times when I do not have the money yet and I have an emergency, I can borrow from friends or table banking group confidently because I know I will get the money to pay back. This has earned me a lot of respect from my peers in the community because I keep my word as I say it.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I would still want to buy more goats. I have always believed this is the best form of investment in my area. This is because every now and again, their value increases hence I would want to buy more. I believe with this, my life will finally change for the better and I would be independent at the time when the transfer will be stopped.
 
7th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 USD)
access_time over 5 years ago
attach_money
 
How is your life currently different from how it was four months ago?
Apart from acquiring some respect in my village, I have also been able to meet most of my family needs easily. I can say they are leading a better life as compared to before in terms of food, and my children are able to attend better schoools too.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My new goal is to buy building materials and construct them( my goats) a kraal.
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 a proud owner of goats too in the village. I have acquired some status in my village as people see me as rich like the other people.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months,I expect my goats to have reproduced more. This means more or even more cows once I sell some.
 
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time 6 years ago
attach_money
 
Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
I do not have any new goals I didn't have before receiving the money but I'm determined to achieve my goal of owning goats.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is currently different from the way it would be if I did not receive the money in that I have always wanted to own goats but my dream was to have around seven of them but now I'm encouraged to own more number of goats.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months I expect to graduate from rearing goats to an animal husbandry.
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 have hopes of achieving my dreams. Being that I have already saved some money I now believe my dream of having goats will come true.
 
Enrolled
access_time 6 years ago
 
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The biggest hardship I face is lack of enough money to cater for all my family needs
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my day is in the evening when I am from work and I know I have made enough money to take care of my family needs. It makes me happy
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
I am planning to spend spend my transfers on starting a new business buying maize from Usenge and selling them to get an income
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
The achievement I am most proud of is my taxi business. It at least gives me a steady income to provide for my family