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.
Stages:
 
Enrollment
attach_money
 
Transfers
check
Completed
Newsfeed > Benard's Profile
Benard's family
Benard
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Other
faceAge:
35
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($406 USD)
access_time 11 months ago
check
 
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
From the pharmacist and bursar jobs that my wife and I engage in, we save $350 monthly toward the purchase of land. We have since saved $650 out of the $1800 needed for this 1.25 acres of land at Olbutyo. We are hopeful that we will clear these arrears before the year ends and, hence, initiate constructing rental houses and business premises that will earn income for the family of four.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
With the current amount offered to households, an immense change can be seen. Houses have been upgraded from grass-thatched to iron-roofed, dairy cows have been bought, and assets have been added at large. Lives have changed, so to say, thanks to GiveDirectly. It is only my appeal that the transfer amount be increased and prolonged to cater to other needs that have not been met.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
In the Kalenjin culture, owning a dairy cow is a measure of wealth as the family gets constant milk from it and therefore food security. When I received the transfers, I spent $315 on purchasing a dairy cow so as to alternate milk production with the one that I currently have. Besides the bursar and pharmacist jobs that my wife and I run with passion, my family of four also depends on milk sales to earn income to support food, education, and clothing. To further boost the chemist business we run at Kizito Center, I used $100 of the transfers to add more stock and an additional $60 on school fees for my child in grade 5.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($443 USD)
access_time 1 year ago
attach_money
 
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I felt so much happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. I remember very well that I was in my house and it was around 4:00 pm when I heard my phone ring. After checking my phone, I found out that GiveDirectly had made good their promise of sending us cash. I made a call to my wife who was away from home at that time. She was extremely happy and even broke into a celebration mood as we conversed on phone. We had so many things that we wanted to do once we get money and on top of the list is getting money for our business that urgently needed a boost. My wife was running a chemist shop and the demand for medicine was so high that we could not meet with our supply. There was therefore an urgent need to increase our stock to gather for this demand and give us more profits
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life ever since we started receiving these transfers is the peace of mind among my family members. This is largely attributed to the loans that I was able to clear and knowing that no one will bother us hence forth. Looking at how our chemist business has improved is also so satisfying. At least we are able to make more money from the chemist business making our living standards better as a family and we are also looking forward to even making it bigger.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
When we received our first transfer, we used $300 to buy a cupboard and another $70 to buy clothes for family and other household needs. We also channelled another $100 towards our chemist business that is run by my wife, $50 to clear debts owed to us and $30 was used to buy food for the family. We received this money after we had completed construction of our house and there was a lot of of things to buy such as furniture. It is for this reason that we decided to buy a cupboard with the first transfer. This was a much needed furniture in our new house to make it more comfortable and beautiful. We also decided to clear the $50 owed to us because it was long over die and the person that lend us the money had kept reminding us to pay the debts. I am so happy that we now have peace of mind having cleared the debts. We are so happy and grateful as well because our business has greatly improved giving us profits of up to $50 per month up from barely $20 per month before GiveDirectly transfers.
 
Enrolled
access_time over 1 year ago
 
What do you plan to do with the cash transfer?
We would like to spend the entire $1000 in purchasing a 0.5 acre piece of land. My neighbor had already indicated to me that they are ready to sell it to me. The space will be enough to grow fodder crops and alternative feeds like hay and lucerne which I have been spending about $50 monthly to purchase This is a lifetime investment because I'll have land as an asset and at the same time create more income from dairy farming.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The joy of a dairy farmer is when the cow is in its lactation phase. It means a continuous period of making an income and I am happy that both my cows are in that phase at the moment.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Land determines how successful you can be as a farmer and the more you have it, the better the income you can get. I have a 0.5 acre farm right now and I use this space to rear 2 dairy cows. I make an average of $25 monthly throughout the year. My income is little basically due to the high cost of production. I am forced to buy feed that I could have produced if I had enough land size. I therefore wish to increase the current land size by another half an acre.