In the upcoming year and beyond, my sole focus is to establish a hardware business. I am presently residing in Mombasa and have extensively researched the operational aspects of such a venture. After gathering various ideas, I have made a conscious decision to set aside a portion of my income to work towards realizing my entrepreneurial goals. Once I have accrued approximately $600, I will have the necessary capital to kick-start the business. The prevalent trend of increased construction activity in our locality has inspired me, presenting a promising opportunity for this venture. The establishment of this business will not only enable me to cater to my family's basic needs but also support my personal well-being.

Hence, when I received my most recent transfer, I spent $34 to buy food because we did not have enough for family consumption. I also got sick and spent $10 on medication. I invested $23 to buy a goat and $20 to buy chicken. I chose to invest in these two projects because they will act as my future financial security. I also love goat rearing because they are resistant to diseases and can survive in our area, especially during times of extreme drought. With the remaining amount, I spent $11 to boost my mother's omena business. I want to thank GiveDirectly for the financial support.

Initially, my ambition was to pursue livestock farming, specifically focusing on raising cows. However, due to the severe weather conditions prevalent in our region, cows are vulnerable to drought and perish quickly. After careful consideration, I have decided to pivot my livestock endeavors towards goats and chickens, as they exhibit better resilience to drought. Consequently, I intend to allocate half of my forthcoming transfers towards purchasing goats and chickens, with the expectation that they will breed and provide a valuable resource during times of financial need. The remaining half I plan to save in a bank, envisioning the opportunity to establish my own butcher shop and cultivate a successful business in the future.

Facing depleted harvests and unwilling to witness my family endure hunger, I allocated $41 of my transfers to purchase food, ensuring they were adequately fed. Furthermore, nurturing my ambition of becoming a livestock farmer, I invested $40 in acquiring a goat and chicken, envisioning their multiplication into a substantial herd. The chickens, once mature, will serve as a source of immediate income to address pressing needs and fund the establishment of a grocery store. Amidst these endeavors, I fell ill and required medical attention, necessitating the use of $10 from the transfers for treatment, resulting in my steady recovery. Additionally, recognizing my sister's need for education but lacking sufficient funds, I allocated $9 as school fees, enabling her return to school. Lastly, the remaining $2 was utilized to purchase airtime for my phone.

Wealth is defined in so many ways across the world. My definition of wealth is having a big flock of cattle since when you have so many cattle you can always sell animals whenever possible to sort out your needs. I want to be a wealthy man by my definition. I want to build this transfers to build wealth. I have been investing in chicken which I plan to continue spending on which I will finally sell off to buy goats and finally sell the goats off to buy cows which for me are the ultimate measure of how much someone is worth.

The money came, I would say, at the right time. We were approaching the festive season and we needed money to be able to facilitate the celebrations. I first bought a goat that we would eat over the Christmas period, at $30 with my November transfers. I used the $4 left to buy toiletries for our home. In December I got chicken for rearing at $15 and bought some food worth $4 while I saved $10. I had a brother who was travelling to the city at the time, I gave him $3 which he added to his transport. In January my sister was going to school, I paid $20 for her school fees, I paid a debt I had at $4 and bought chicken at $10.

I am currently working at a butcher shop and I have set my sights on financial success. I have taken the first step by investing in three goats, with a goal of expanding to ten. I am looking forward to their growth through breeding, which will create a steady income source. Alongside this, I'm also focused on growing my poultry business. Raising more chicks and selling them once they're fully grown is my plan to establish multiple streams of income. This journey is shaping up to fulfill my dreams of prosperity.

I am really excited to share that I'm starting to build my own big house. I have been living in a small rental place, and the idea of having my own spacious home is just awesome. I even got a metal sheet for $34, which will be super useful for my house project. It's a bit of a journey ahead, planning things out, budgeting right, and getting all the necessary permissions, but I'm up for it. This metal sheet I got, could be perfect for the roof or other parts of the house. I am taking it step by step, and I can't wait to see my dream home take shape.

I moved to the city recently in search of work. Life was abit hard back at home due to having no earnings since I was not employed. My work was to look after the herds of animals in the bushes. I moved to Mombasa and started working in butchery as a shop attendant. I however still want to grow myself by building assets back at home. I also want to eventually become self employed by starting my own business. I now earn $60 but I know I can increase this with a grocery business. As I said earlier I am buying more goats and my aim is to get to six so they can reproduce and the proceeds from their sale can be used to start my business. My long term goal is to start a grocery business.

In the month of April I spent $30 to buy a kid goat and $4 on food. In April there was a cold that was going round and I caught it and I spent $10 seeking medical treatment. I also spent some of the money on food and paying a debt while $2 went into topping up my phone with minutes and internet bundles. I have not spent about $24 from my may transfer but $10 went into buying food. This $24 will make part of the money I am saving towards adding acouple more goats to get me to 6 goats.

To expand my poultry farming, I prioritized buying hens with my recent transfers. I have six domestic fowl at the moment. When they lay eggs, I will always sell some to raise money to supplement my daily wages. Additionally, I invested $10 on launching my omena business, from which I make sales of $5 daily. I am hoping it will flourish and create an avenue for more income for my family. The remainder has been assisting me in feeding our family. I do this because my parents sometimes face a lot of hardship. They do not, after all, have a consistent source of income. Subsistence farming, their sole source of income, is no longer viable due to crop failure brought on by drought issues. As a result, they struggle to support an eleven-member large family.

I am contented with what GiveDirectly is doing for my village mates. The monthly support has lifted our lives amazingly. Even when my business was low I was still able to feed courtesy of the funds. I don't see where the organization needs to improve because they are doing a wonderful job in supporting the neediest people in society.

The moment I received my last transfer, I thought of starting a poultry project where I used $15 to purchase three hens. This is because I believe that this would be a source of income in the future. I am a single man who depends on selling fish to earn a livelihood. The business has not been good recently, and it forced me to look after people's cows for survival. Additionally, I bought foodstuffs worth $10 for sustainability, and lastly, I saved up $5. I am happy for the continuous support from GiveDirectly that had uplifted our lives amazingly.

At around 8 p.m., I was chatting and catching up with my family while we waited for supper when I received a message alert on my phone. After checking, I found that Give Directly had sent my first transfer as promised. I could not hide my joy and danced with. If I had met somebody from Give Directly at that time, I'm sure I would have given them a big hug. I was ecstatic!

I have always relied on my father for provision. The only time I earn money is when my brother sends me a token of KES 500 per month for looking after his livestock.  However, Give Directly's cash transfer provided me with the opportunity to establish a business of selling dried sardines. This marks the greatest difference since it will help me minimize my dependence on my father.

My father, who works as a security guard at the assistant chief's office, is the breadwinner for the family. His little earnings hardly cover the household's expenses throughout the month. Our home  has been accustomed to running short of food. In fact, two months ago, I was compelled to take food on credit from a shop since my family had gone to bed hungry the night before. That's why I used KES 200 from the transfer to pay off this debt. I used the remainder to start a small business selling dried sardines (known as 'omena' in the local language). At least, the profits from this business will allow me to actively contribute to the household necessities while also relieving my father's off the responsibility burden.