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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Transfers
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Completed
Newsfeed > Benard's Profile
Benard's family
Benard
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Other
faceAge:
36
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($468 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My new goal is to expand my business of selling motorcycle spare parts. I am a motorcycle mechanic and I usually repair motorcycles. When I got the second transfer, I decided to find a way of increasing the income that I get, and hence I decided to open a shop for selling the spare parts. I however only managed to buy a few items since the spare parts are very expensive. I would wish to expand it by buying more items but currently, I do not have the money to do so. I, however, plan to save up a little out of the money that I get from the business so that I can use it in buying more spare parts. I want to do so because expanding the business means more income which will help me in providing comfortably all the basic needs for my family, that is food, clothing, and paying school fees for my children.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly did well in that they were not biased in enrolling people into the program. They enrolled everyone including those who had been left out during the first census enrollment. I, however, wish that they could find a way of giving more help to the disabled people in the community. This is because most of these people are not able to work and hence they do not have any means of getting income.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent the entire second transfer on buying items for the business that I started. I decided to open a shop selling motorcycle spare parts since I am a motorcycle mechanic. I wanted to open the shop so that I could increase the income that I am getting from repairing the motorcycles. I wasn't to do this before because I didn't have the large sum of money needed. The little money that I usually get as a mechanic is what I usually use in providing for my family of four. Most of the money usually goes to the purchase of food and paying school fees for my two children. The business has not grown so much since I only managed to buy a few items. I, however, anticipate that in the days to come, it will grow, and hence I will be able to earn more. Thank you so much GiveDirectly for the support, may God bless you.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($495 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
was on my way going to the place of my work when I received a message notification on phone. Upon reading the message, my heart was filled with happiness and I called my spouse to inform her. This money gave me hope that I would finally be able to achieve my dreams that had seemed impossible before and I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial support.
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 been able to save the money that I would be using in buying milk. I am planning to later use this money to pay school fees for my children. In addition, my children now get enough milk for consumption which is good for their growth as they're still young. This would not have been possible had I not received the transfer that enabled me to acquire a dairy cow and I thank God for leading GiveDirectly to our village.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Buying milk has been my routine and it is expensive as I had to spend KES 100 daily on them aside from buying other things like maize flour, sugar, and other basic needs. As a mechanic in our nearby shopping centers, I usually make up to KES 400 a day and this is usually not enough to buy all our basic needs and still save some that I can later use in paying school fees for my children. Upon receiving the transfer, I spent KES 33000 to purchase a dairy cow so that I will be able to save the money I would otherwise use in buying milk when it calves. Using the remaining KES 22000, I bought a compressor so that I can be using it for business to fill pressure on tires since the one I used to have had malfunctioned, and getting its spares is very hard.
 
Enrolled
access_time 3 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
We have been buying milk for domestic use which I feel is not enough for my family to consume yet it is costly. We spend Ksh 50 to buy milk daily yet I am a motorcycle mechanic in a nearby town earning approximately Ksh 300 a day. I have aspired to raise a healthy family and lead a happy life thereafter. I intend to buy a dairy cow of approximately Ksh 40,000 using the transfer from Give Directly. We will solely use the milk domestically and improve the life of my family members. Therefore, receiving this money means a healthy life for my family.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I work as a motorcycle mechanic in the nearby town. Therefore, I spend the entire day repairing motorcycles until late in the evening. The job itself is tiresome and thus having time to rest with my family in the evening is the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Prolonged drought has been the biggest hardship we have faced in life. We experience minimal rainfall throughout the year something that has greatly reduced our crop production. The land under cultivation is only 0.25 an acre in which we have grown maize for domestic use. What we harvest in this land is barely one sack and thus sustaining a family of 4 as a mechanic has been extremely hard. Give Directly's entry into our village has brought a sigh of relief.