"I hope to have a decent house before this year ends"

"For this year, my primary goals are supporting my children's education and acquiring food for the family. These have been my main areas of struggle. From my small business, hardly do I raise money that I can save towards school fees for my children. In addition, due to the periodical crop failure in our areas, we have been experiencing an intense famine. Were it not for the monthly transfers we receive from GiveDirectly, life would be unbearable. As a result, I have prioritized spending part of my transfers to buy some food supplements for the family. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the monthly cash transfers."

"Since I have not completed paying for the parcel of land I currently stay at, my primary goal for this year is to pay off the remaining balance. I had made some payments, but I still have a debt of $500. I shall prioritize clearing this year to give me room to start developing the parcel. Once I complete the payment, I shall initiate a project of building a spacious house. As a result, I shall be more at peace to always have the opportunity to reside in my home. I had desired it ever since I got married. I am so grateful to GiveDirecrly for the financial aid that has helped me to pursue my goals."

"My main concern has been how I can raise school fees for my children. Though I was not fortunate to attain formal education, I have an inner urge to support my children to advance their educational goals. Therefore for this year, I aim to spend a portion of my transfers on paying their school fees in time, to avoid them being sent home since that can make them miss some critical classes. Secondly, I am planning to expand my livestock-keeping venture by always buying a goat after every two months. From the livestock venture, my struggle to raise fees after the program will reduce since I shall be in a position to sell them to raise some money."

"For this year, my main goal is to invest in buying and raising goats and sheep. Through this venture, I shall be able to diversify my livestock-keeping venture. As a result, I shall be able to acquire a cow as my flock increases. These are long-term assets that will be beneficial to my family. In the event of an emergency, we will be in a position to raise some money. Secondly, I aim to expand my business of selling cooked food. The re-investment plan will enhance its performance. As a result, it will be easier for me to raise some money from it to support the family."

"Before the transfer, my business was not stable. Due to a lack of enough capital, I could not keep most of the things my customers needed. This made them lose trust in my shop and some were even moved to other shops. Currently, I am very happy because, through the transfer, I was able to equip my shop so that customers came back and they are happy to get almost everything they require from my shop. This trust has enabled me to get more profit because the customers are coming in large numbers. I am grateful to GiveDirectly because it empowered me to provide for my family without straining."

"While lying on my bed relaxing at around 3 pm, I heard a message ringtone from my phone. Since I am illiterate, I had to wait for my helper who had gone to look after livestock in the field. No sooner did he arrive than I gave him the phone to check what the message was all about. Upon checking, he informed me that I had received the first transfer of $550 from GiveDirectly. My heart was filled with happiness for receiving a massive amount of money at once. My happiness grew when I figured out how I was going to change my life for the better."

"Food insecurity has been a challenge for us for some time now. The situation has been so biting that we are forced to purchase at the nearby Kapkwen market. We are peasant farmers and people of little means and therefore affording to buy the commodity is a big deal, at times we are forced to ration the food by surviving on just one meal per day. The situation was further aggravated by the recent high cost of living which has made the cost of 1 Kg of maize to rise to $1.8 up from $0.8, every day is hard for us. We live each day as it comes and we worry about what to eat the next day. We hope and against hope and only depend on God."

"We have a small land to cultivate in order to get food at home, we always cultivate in others farm and we share equally the haverst, My child Ange has dropped out in 2019 when she was 17 years old."

"There are many challenges that I go through in my life. One of the most pressing challenges is the lack of food and water. Our sub-county is very dry and we have to walk for 4km to get water. Sometimes we have to go without food, especially when I don't get work in the irrigation farms. Life is very hard for me here."