I have a plan for the next three months that I hope to accomplish: renovating my house by purchasing more iron sheets to fix one of the rooms that leaks heavily whenever it rains. This has been a problem for my children, as it's their room that gets soaked, and they sometimes have to move to their grandmother's rooms for shelter. My plan is to use the upcoming transfers to buy the necessary materials, as my financial situation is challenging. Once this renovation is complete, my children will finally have a safe place to stay, which has been a significant source of stress for them and a cause of disappointment for me as a parent. I have already started the process and am confident that, with the funds from the next few months, the renovation will be completed soon.

After receiving the cash transfers, I spent about $11 to buy one iron sheet, with plans to get a total of three to replace the leaking roof in one of the rooms where my children sleep. I'm worried about their living conditions, especially with the rainy season approaching. I started buying the iron sheets now to avoid being caught in the rain. Additionally, I have five school-going children, and I used $20 to settle their school fees. This payment has allowed them to stay in school without the constant worry they had before, which negatively affected their performance. I also had a debt of $20 that I borrowed from a friend. I am relieved to have cleared it, as it used to cause me sleepless nights due to constant reminders from the lender, which disrupted my peace of mind. Lastly, I used $45 to buy enough food to support us for a while. This has been a significant relief, as I previously depended on low-wage work from a friend to manage our food needs, which was always a challenge.

My priority for the upcoming year is to address the dire condition of my house. The aging iron sheets covering the roof are in poor shape, allowing rainwater to seep. To remedy this, I plan to allocate a significant portion of my transfers towards purchasing new iron sheets to replace the entire roof. This renovation is essential to prevent further deterioration of the house and ensure the safety and comfort of my family. I am grateful for the financial support provided by the transfers, which enables me to address this pressing need and better care for my family.

Before joining the Give Directly cash program, I faced significant financial challenges. My livelihood relied on caring for other people's livestock, which provided me with meager earnings, especially considering I have five children who depend on me for their education. I allocated $33 to pay their school fees, ensuring they could continue their education without interruption. Additionally, I purchased stationery items costing $4 for my children, ensuring they were well prepared for the new term. With the onset of heavy rains, I invested $20 to plow my one-acre farm, intending to plant maize and secure a bountiful harvest in the coming months. This investment will provide food security for my family of seven. Furthermore, I purchased a goat for $35, recognizing its potential to multiply and provide a valuable asset for future needs. I also settled a debt incurred from hosting a ceremony commemorating my late wife, who passed away eight years ago. The financial assistance from the transfers has been a lifeline for my family, providing stability and enabling me to meet our essential needs despite the absence of a stable income.

My goal currently is to address the deteriorating condition of my house by gradually purchasing iron sheets. The current state of my roof is dire, causing leaks during rainfall and weakening the walls. To manage this situation, my plan is to acquire at least one iron sheet every month. This will allow me to balance the financial responsibility of supporting my school-going children, who also depend on me. My objective is to accumulate a total of 20 iron sheets over time, enabling me to embark on the renovation project for my house.

The program has had a significant impact on my life so far. Following the collapse of my toilet due to heavy rains, I was devastated. However, after receiving my recent transfer, I allocated $30 to purchase building materials to rebuild the toilet. This has helped me address the immediate need for a functional toilet within a short time. It would have taken some months had I not received the transfer. In addition to this, I also purchased a goat for $34 and added it to my goatshed. This has allowed me to restart my livelihood after the loss of my livestock due to a prolonged drought. I now own two goats, which are assets that I can rely on in case of a financial need. The rebuilding of the toilet and the investment in the goat have been particularly impactful in improving my living conditions and providing a source of income for the future. I spent the remaining amount on buying foodstuffs and household items and paying school fees for my four children. I managed to pay fees on time and ensured that my children's education was not interrupted. I am currently not working and no longer engaging in manual work due to my old age. I am grateful for the assistance that has been instrumental in ensuring that my children can continue their education and that my family never lacked food.

In the coming year, my focus is on renovating my house. The roof is in terrible condition, with many holes, allowing rainwater to enter and exposing my family to cold infections. Before I can begin the renovation, I need to gather building materials and hire someone to repair the roof, specifically requiring at least ten sheets of iron. Since I lack a stable source of income, I hope that the upcoming cash transfers will enable me to complete this project. This is an opportune time to address this issue because concerns about hunger have been alleviated since we harvested enough food that I believe will sustain us until the end of the year and beyond.

I lack a stable source of income to adequately cover the needs of my family, particularly when it comes to supporting the education of my five children. It deeply troubles me when they miss school due to unpaid fees. Before the recent harvest, hunger was a pressing concern in my household, which made it challenging to cover my children's tuition. I had accumulated $10 in debt at a local shop, and I decided to clear it when I received the cash transfers. Additionally, I used $18 to settle tuition arrears for my children and purchased uniforms for one of them who had been attending school in casual clothing. The remaining funds went toward purchasing other food supplies, including sugar, and essential items like washing soap and body oil. I am immensely grateful for the assistance provided by Give Directly so far.

In the coming year, I want to focus on renovating my house. The roof is badly damaged and perforated, which allows rainwater to enter the space and expose my family to cold infections. Before I can start the procedure, I want to assemble the building materials first and then hire someone to revamp the roof. Particularly, I need at least ten pieces of iron sheets. Since I do not have a stable source of income, I hope that the coming cash transfers will enable me to complete this exercise so that my family can have a safe shelter. Right now, am just banking on the rains to continue so that I can grow food crops. This will allow me to save enough funds from the transfers.

Supporting the education of my five children is my number one concern. It pains me to see them miss out on school over unpaid school fees. More so, I can barely stomach the stress of seeing them going to school on empty stomachs. My priority is to pay their school fees as well as put food on the table. However, I lack a stable source of income to raise the necessary funds to fully cover their needs. Mainly, I raise livestock, which I sometimes sell to generate money for my family's needs. Gladly, recently I have not been selling as much due to the financial support I obtain from Give Directly. The funds play a big role in my household's necessities. Recently, I deducted $19 to buy new school uniforms and school shoes for my daughter who joined junior high school two months ago. She used to wear her previous' school attire because I could not afford new ones. I spent the remaining $15 to settle a tuition debt for three of my other children so that they would be allowed to take their end-term examinations.

I've been having trouble sleeping because of my room's condition, especially the aging roof. The majority of its components are holed and leak whenever it rains. Given my current financial situation, I can only afford to replace a portion of the roof, which will require 10 pieces of iron sheets. I want to finish this before the year is over. Once I've done that, I intend to make an investment in the future by buying at least four goats to raise. I intend to sell some of them after they have given birth in the future in order to pay for my kids' education expenses. Although I rely on subsistence farming, I do not make much money from it, and my son typically provides for us. He has three children, his wife in addition to us, so we can't entirely rely on him. The goats will therefore be very useful in the future.

I was really happy to receive the transfers when I did, especially since it was the festive season and I barely had any funds on me for the celebrations to come. After I got the chance to withdraw the transfers, I immediately went ahead to spend KES 1,300 in purchasing clothes for my children for the celebrations of Christmas. Then proceeded to spend the remaining balance of KES 2,100 on purchasing matters concerned with nutrition for the holidays so I bought a bag of maize flour which contained a dozen packets.

Each time I receive the transfers I always try to reduce the debt in school for my four children. Similarly this time around I did the same thing, so I ended up paying KES 2,000 for their tuition debt because they had been out of school for over a week. Afterwards since nourishment is also a challenge I decided to use the remaining balance of KES 1,000 and purchased five packets of maize flour.

It is a blessing to receive unconditional transfers from Give Directly because the money is changing my life for the better. I have felt the pain of my young children sleeping on empty stomachs and crying all day and having no means to buy them food. Since I received the funds, my children have never slept hungry, and this gives me much joy. I plead with the organization to increase the monthly stipend so that we can be able to cope with the increase in prices of essential commodities.

After the death of my husband, my life changed for the worst. I spent the savings my husband left behind on educating my eldest son, who I currently depend on. When the drought struck 3 years ago, I lost my only source of food and income. As a result, I have struggled to put food on the table for my family (4 children) and cater to other essential needs (paying school fees and buying clothes). As a family, we have had to adopt survival mechanisms such as reducing the number of meals from three to one per day. On the worst days, we go to bed on empty stomachs. Therefore, when I received my second transfer, I spent KES 2000 buying food for my family. Buying the food in bulk ensures that my family has enough to eat and wants stuff for the next 3 weeks. Besides buying food for my family, I spend the remaining KES 1000 on clearing a debt for my four children to be admitted back once schools reopen in a week's time.

Since my eyesight is blurry, my helper assisted to confirm the transfer receipt. Words can barely explain the joy that filled my heart. Considering the frequent starvation that hit my family, I regained some hope that the money would gradually eradicate the suffering. I am grateful to Give Directly for delivering their promise accordingly and helping me provide food for the household.

Before the financial aid, my family sternly suffered from hunger to the extent of pulling through an entire week on a cup of porridge daily. I always prayed for financial stability to help put decent meals on the table and the transfer was an opportune answer. Life has significantly transformed from the cash aid. Unlike earlier, I now afford to provide solid food at least thrice a week to compensate for the three to four days the household dwells on porridge.

Due to the prolonged drought, relying on subsistence farming for food provision has been unfruitful. This has forced me to solely rely on my son who works as an eatery cook in town to provide for the family. He only affords to send me KES 1,500 per month, which goes straight to securing one bale of maize flour. Sadly, this amount of food tends to last for the first five days after which the suffering kicks in. Sometimes we survive on borrowed food from neighbors or beg to procure the same on credit from the store, if lucky. So when I received the transfers, I utilized the entire amount, KES 1170 to buy food.