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 > Kennedy's Profile
Kennedy's family
Kennedy
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
33
workCampaign
UBI
Upcoming Stage
Next Payment
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Follow to be updated on Kennedy's next check-in.
 
17th 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?
I have a new goal of buying livestock for rearing as financial security for the 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 is that I have been able to buy building materials that I plan to use in building a new house. The transfers have also enabled me to have a fallback plan even when I don't earn any income for the family. We can afford to eat healthy food daily and we can never go hungry as we used to previously.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I shall have saved and bought the livestock for rearing. I have always wanted to venture into livestock rearing to help securemy family financially. We can always get milk for sale to earn income and also consume to nourish us.
 
14th 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?
My life is now different from how it initially was because I now have a cow for rearing. I have always wanted to have a cow of my own but due to lack of finances, I haven't been able to buy one. In addition to that, I have been able to buy some iron sheets in preparation to build a new and decent house. The house I am currently living in is old and leaking during a rainy day. All these were possible through the aid from Give Directly.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My current plan is to save some amount of the monthly transfers with the aim of buying some cows. I have not managed to pay a dowry for my wife and the cows I will buy with saving will go into payment of dowry.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
Before I started receiving the transfers from Give Directly, I never owned any cow. I am glad that when these transfers came, I was able to save some of these and bought a cow for rearing. I am happy that I no longer spend money on buying milk now that I use milk from my own cow.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
My expectation in the next six months is to have bought two extra cows for dowry payment. This dowry has been long overdue and hopefully, in the near future, I would have sorted this out. I am grateful for GiveDirectly for being with me through this process.
 
11th 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?
I joined a table -banking group just a month after I started receiving these transfers so that I could use it to buy something tangible. This has definitely paid off as I have been able to use my share of the saving to buy livestock such as a cow and two goats. I never had any livestock before and I am happy that because of GD, I now have an investment of my own that would only remain a dream if it were not for GD.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I am currently living in a grass-thatched house which is currently in a very bad condition. I plan to bring it down and construct a new iron-roofed one because it has been quite to renovate it due to the scarcity of grass in our area. I have been buying the necessary building materials and I wish to continue doing so with my next few transfers so that I can build a better house as soon as possible.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
I mostly depend on casual jobs which are usually very rare and mostly pay very little making it hard to care of my family needs. During those times that I am not able to make any money, these transfers have really come in very handy to take care of the family needs such as foodstuff and other basic needs. I am glad that I don't have to borrow I did before because these transfers have really covered a huge part for me financially.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I hope that in the next six months, I will have constructed the new iron-roofed house that I am planning to construct. This will definitely give me a huge relief and earn me more respect among my peers in the village because in this era, living in a grass-thatched house is considered the worst form of poverty which I hope will change soon.
 
8th 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?
GD has really brought positive changes in my life. I used to struggle to feed my family. My wife does not have any source of income and so my family depended wholly on my income from casual work of ploughing on other peoples' farms. Due to many family needs, I was not able to provide all the meals in a day. In most cases, we would have two meals so as to save for other family needs. Since I started receiving this transfers, I have been able to budget well with my income and the transfers to ensure we have all the three meals a day. Without the transfers, we would still be having two meals a day in most days.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
My new goal is to buy a cow. As I have planned with my in-laws to pay the dowry, I just want to honour the agreement. I will have finally solved my biggest worry in life. This is a debt I no longer want to have.
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 these transfers is that I have bought two cows. I got married two years ago and since then, I have never managed to pay a dowry for my wife. This is because of my little income from casual work which cannot even feed my family well. As a result of not-paying the dowry, we have not had good relations with my parents-in-law. I feel happy because I have set a date when I will go pay the dowry. This will reduce the shame I go through whenever I attend a function at my in-laws and gain respect from them.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the six months, I would want to buy building materials. After paying the dowry, I want to ensure I utilise these transfers effectively by building a house of my desire. I would not want to live in a grass-thatched house after this life-changing opportunity. I will save and buy the materials bit by bit until they are enough to build an iron-roofed house.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
2735 KES ($27 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 have a new goal of saving some money and use it to pay dowry for my wife come next year so that I can feel as a full man.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
There is no digfference in my daily life that I talk of currently buyt I believ with time there wil be.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months I expect to be a stable farmer for commercial so that I won't be working for people in their farms.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving the money is that there are times I can misss going to work and get time to work on my oiwn farm because I know the family won't go hungry.
 
Enrolled
access_time 6 years ago
 
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
My biggest hardship is getting money to buy essential family needs such as food and clothing. Farming has not yield much due to droughts and I hardly secure cassual jobs to suppliment my income.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My happiest part of the day is late evening when I get time to socialize with my family. I am always out working the rest of the day.
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
I plan to spend my transfers on constructing an iron roofed house so as to live with my family in a house that doesn't leak like the grass thatched one that we currently live in. I will also spend part on paying dowery for my marriage to be customary approved.
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
My proudest achievement was constructing the house I live in today with savings from the little wages I earned from casual jobs in Nairobi.