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 > Johnstone's Profile
Johnstone's family
Johnstone
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
51
workCampaign
UBI
Upcoming Stage
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Follow to be updated on Johnstone's next check-in.
 
23rd Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($23 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?
In the next four months, I have a new goal to start a small poultry farming. I have always been seeing a great opportunity in poultry farming since their products have always been on demand due to their ready market. I am hoping to start this soon with the aim of having the project outcome to meet the household demands.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
Upon receiving my transfers, I have registered lots of differences in my life. Some major while others minor. Focusing on the last four months, the biggest difference in my daily life is the timely and complete payment of school fees for my two sons who are currently in secondary schools. It has never been any harder for me since I received the first transfers since accumulating over four months makes up for the total required school fees for one child. I am really grateful that I am part of the program since life has been made easy for us.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
In the next six months, I expect to have expanded the poultry farming since I am currently planning to start small. Then, I will be able to earn a tangible income which will help me a great deal in handling other household requirements and meeting other school bills which will, in turn, help me in sorting other bills which includes school fees payment
 
20th Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time 5 years ago
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Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
After a successful season of farming on my farm, I am really motivated to keep going with the same projects. In the next four months, I have a new goal to lease another piece of land which I will specifically be planting beans in the coming planting season. In preparation for this goal, we have already saved a good amount of money with other members of the household enough to lease that piece of land a purchasing of farm inputs.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
Receiving that cash transfer from GiveDirectly has really brought a lot of differences in my daily life. After receiving the transfers for the first four months, I decided to venture into farming as it is the easiest way of generating income in our area. This has seen me take wider strides in development since it has solved a lot of financial problems which had as a family. The biggest difference in the last four months is my ability to clear school fees for all my three children in school - two in secondary school and one in a private primary school. This to us has given us peace of mind at least rejuvenate our energy so that we might work hard in developing other projects.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
Having all plans in order at the moment, my expectations in the next six months is that I will have harvested the beans which I am soon planting and also the other farm produce which are already planted will have earned us some income which will facilitate the progress of other ongoing projects.
 
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?
Compared to the last four months, there are really many changes in my life. Right from my farming which is now flourishing to the household daily chores moving on well. as the rainy seasons are still on, I still expect other major changes in the farming sector as the field produce is doing really well. I thank GiveDirectly for enabling me to meet the cost of farm inputs which among them are the seeds, fertilizers and even management inputs like pesticides which I have been using on my beans farm. At the moment I can say that things have really changed a great deal since I am stable and can afford what I never afforded before.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
As the transfers are still on we are hoping to accomplish a lot of things in our household using GiveDIrectly money. currently, we are working hard on the subsistence farming but we have seen a need to venture into livestock farming. I now have a new goal to purchase a sheep. This is one way of building up my savings so that I can buy a heifer in the future. This will be possible since my children who are in school are in their final years now.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer.
Many things have changed since I received the transfers from GiveDirectly. The biggest difference in my daily life in the last four months is that I have improved my farming a great deal. Initially, I was having a small piece of land under cultivation but at the moment I have increased the acreage. I am currently operating on a piece of land with beans plantation after which is just a week after I completed weeding a half an acre of maize. I thank GiveDirectly for the great energy that they brought into our village.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I have a great expectation in the next six months. according to the plans laid down at the money, it's clear that by then I would have purchased a sheep. I am currently saving towards it so that I would add that savings with one of the month's transfer and use on purchasing.
 
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 currently different from how it was four months ago since my son who is at the university has more ample time to study. I have afforded to pay school fees for him on time. Besides, we have adequate food for consumption by my family. Still, I have managed to hire a tractor and plant quality maize on a timely basis because I had sufficient funds. Moreover, I have relaxed a bit with regards to handling the tedious casual work that I used to do.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
There is no additional goal for my life for the next four months. This is because I still endeavor to educate my three children. Thus, I will be using the money from GiveDirectly to pay their 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 is that I feel happier as a responsible parent who has afforded to raise relatively sufficient funds for educating one of my sons who is at the university. Following his (my son) hard-work, I am always striving to support him as he pursues his course. However, I have been facing lots of financial challenges because I am jobless and currently educating three of my children - two at the secondary school and the one at the university. Thus, I have been always late on paying college fees for my son. Unlike before, I have managed to pay his college fees on time. Subsequently, he has ample time to study and probably attain good marks. Thanks a lot to GiveDirectly for giving me a helping hand.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I do not expect my life to change significantly in the next six months since I will still be educating my three children. However, I look forward to a bright future because GiveDirectly came to support us in educating my children. Eventually, my family shall be filled with joy when all of my children complete their studies and probably secure well-paying jobs. Still, I will gain more respect and care from my children since I will have provided and cared for them abundantly.
 
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 it has boosted school fees payment and farming.
Do you have any new or additional goals for your life for the next four months?
I am planning to buy maize seeds and fertilizer and school fees payment.
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 these transfers have boosted school fees payment for my kids .
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect to have increased farming by hiring an extra piece of land and pay school fees on time.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
2280 KES ($22 USD)
access_time almost 7 years ago
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Do you have any new goals that you didn't have before receiving the transfer?
I am really thinking of buying a sheep. I hope that with time this sheep will multiply and I will be able to sell it whenever I am faced with difficulties in life.
How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is currently different because unlike before, I am now stress free. I am happy because at least I assured that I will be able to keep my children at school as I continue working here at home.
How do you expect your life to change in the next six months?
I expect that I will be able to have a number of sheep in my homestead. I also expect that with time, my sheep will have multiplied and I will be able to sell and at least buy a cow. This way,I will have improved and my life will have changed. I will be able to make sure all my children have finished school without being interrupted with school fees issues.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference is seeing my son continuing with his higher education without being interrupted by lack of school fees. I am really happy and confident because I know I will be receiving these cash every month and therefore will channel it to the university.
 
Enrolled
access_time almost 7 years ago
 
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Paying school fees for my children was the biggest hardship I have ever faced since I was just but a driver and the whole family was looking up on me for everything and it reached a time when I had to sell three cows which I had so that I could pay my childrens school fees.
What is the happiest part of your day?
The happiest part of my life is in the evening because that is the time am with my children
What are you planning to spend your transfer on?
Am planning to spend my transfers on buying cows and I will start with one first and paying school fees for my children
What is the achievement you are proudest of?
The achievement which am proud of are my children whom I have been able to educate them untill they finished form four, joined university and two of them are still in high school