Yusuf Abdi Farrah poses for a photo with members of his large familyFifty-five year old Yusuf Abdi Farrah has three wives and twenty children. Under normal circumstances, he should be a depressed man, pondering over where the next meal for his family should come from. In contrast, he happily heads his family that has a multiplicity of needs. Thanks to HSNP’s cash transfer program.
Seeing the shock on my face, Yusuf tells me that his three households are not the only ones that he is fending for. He also provides for some extended family members and their households too.
“ I provide for five households. I provide for my mother, who has people she provides for and one of my son’s too,” he reveals.
Like some of his friends, he did not benefit from HSNP’s cash transfer during Phase I, but received two tranches that totalled Kshs. 62,000/= during Phase II.
“ Determined to free myself from poverty, I divided the cash into two equal halves. I used one to pay accumulated debts, while I again divided the other half into two and paid school fees and investing in stock for my shop,” he shares happily.
Yusuf Abdi Farrah within his shopHowever, he is quick to add that after receiving the cash transfer, he has has accomplished a lot with it because he does not indulge in chewing of khat (miraa), smoke nor drink.
“ I manage the shop myself, which enables me track the finances,” he divulges.
Asked how he manages such a large family, he says numbers can be an asset or a challenge depending on how a head of the house views them.
“ As head of my family, each member of my family has a role to play. I have assigned my wives independent roles, while I provide overall leadership,” he says.
However, Abdi emphasizes all this would not have succeeded if HSNP’s cash transfer program had not included Wajir.
