In the coming year and beyond, I want to diversify my investment by expanding my livestock. Right now, I have over 50 chickens, and my goal is to sell them as they grow in numbers to buy more livestock. I already have seven goats and two cows, but I aim to add even more to ensure my family's future is secure. Investing in livestock will give me a stable source of income and provide a safety net for my family. This plan will help us thrive in the long term, giving me peace of mind about our future.

I am a mother of nine children, and I work hard to provide for my family by running a small sisal-selling business. With my three most recent transfers totaling $102, I decided to invest in our future by expanding my poultry farm. I used $40 to buy seven more chickens, bringing my total to over 50. Raising chickens has been a steady source of income for me since I sell them every Friday, which is our market day. The money I earn from selling these chickens helps me buy goats, allowing me to diversify my investments and secure a better future for my family. In addition to growing my poultry business, I used $44 to pay school fees for my children. Education is the key to their success, and I want to ensure they have every opportunity to thrive. The remaining $18 went toward buying food for our household, making sure we had enough to eat. These transfers have made a big difference, allowing me to balance my family's immediate needs while also building a strong financial foundation through poultry farming and goat rearing.

My primary goal in the coming year and beyond is to acquire dairy cows, which I consider more profitable and valuable compared to goats. To achieve this, I intend to use my upcoming transfers to purchase additional goats. Currently, I already have five goats, all acquired with the support of these transfers. As they multiply, my plan is to sell some and accumulate enough funds to buy a dairy cow. Alternatively, I may explore barter options, exchanging some goats directly for a cow. I am deeply grateful for the financial support that is instrumental in realizing my long-term goal of owning dairy cows.

Before joining the cash program, my primary job involved uprooting tree stumps and making charcoal, which provided me with very little income. It was a constant struggle to meet my family's basic needs. Thanks to the cash transfers, I ventured into a new business of buying and selling hens. Currently, I manage a flock of 37 hens, which I rear and sell for profit once they mature. This transition has brought significant changes to my life, allowing me to support my family economically with much less difficulty than before. Recently, I allocated $59 from my latest transfers to pay school fees for my three children, the eldest being in Form Two. I am pleased that my children attend school regularly without interruptions. I also invested $32 in purchasing a goat during their school break, seeing it as a future asset. In the coming months, I expect the goat to multiply, increasing my initial investment. Additionally, I spent $11 on food purchases to ensure my family always had enough to eat. I am deeply grateful for the financial assistance, which has profoundly transformed my life.

Since I lack a source of income, I plan to start to expand my poultry farming business by buying more chickens when I get a chance. I believe they generate quick cash as it is easy to sell chickens and generate funds for my children's needs. I used to own a flock of chickens, but it was affected by a coccidiosis outbreak late last year, resulting in the death of some of them. However, I am pleased that the survivors have bred and increased the flock to 26 chickens. The profits from this business will enable me to provide school fees for my three children even after the cash transfers have ended.

I paid $20 in school fees for my child in junior high school. I have three children in school, and I usually aim to cover their school fees at the beginning of every term. Since I do not have a source of income, their father has been their sole provider. However, he relies on casual jobs, so the cash transfers have been instrumental in covering my children's school fees. Over the past three months, I have spent a total of $54. This enables them to have ample time in school and stay on track with their studies. As a result, I have noticed an improvement in their academics. Also, I bought a goat for $34 and two chickens for $14. Whenever I get the chance, I usually invest in buying chickens or goats. The ultimate goal is to later exchange these animals for cattle to assist with plowing activities. I am grateful that so far, I have acquired 26 chickens and 6 goats, all purchased with the funds.

Reflecting on the progress made, I'm pleased that the previous cash transfers have enabled me to acquire six goats, with two of them already giving birth to offspring. Looking ahead, my goal remains centered on building a sustainable source of wealth. As the cash transfers will one day end, I aspire to further diversify my livestock holdings by owning cattle, recognizing their potential for generating more income compared to goats.

Since I began receiving cash transfers, my primary goal has been to invest in goats as a means of creating a source of wealth for the future. Recognizing that the transfers will eventually cease, I believe that developing a sustainable source of income, particularly through livestock, is crucial to avoiding future financial challenges. In this regard, I have successfully purchased six goats, utilizing $25 from the recent transfers for this purpose. Additionally, I allocated $50 to clear the school fees for my two children, ensuring they start the next academic year without any outstanding balances. Another $10 was spent on buying school uniforms for one of my children, addressing the wear and tear issues of his old uniforms over the past two years. The remaining funds were directed towards essential household expenses, particularly food. This has been instrumental in supplementing my income from selling clothes door to door and has significantly contributed to meeting the needs of my children, alleviating some of the financial hardships.

In the coming year and beyond, I plan to invest my transfers in purchasing goats, which I consider to be assets I can comfortably keep. So far, I have purchased five goats that I am currently raising. I do not have a reliable source of income, so owning goats will provide me with a source of income. By selling the goats, I will be able to easily raise funds for my children's school fees.

I spent my most recent transfers on purchasing a goat, food, and paying fees for my three children. I now have five goats, which I purchased after saving a portion of my monthly transfer. I plan to raise them, let them multiply, and then sell and exchange them for cows in the future. Furthermore, because I do not have a source of income, I can sell goats to generate funds to meet my financial obligations, such as school fees for my children. In addition to the goat, I paid fees, and my children were not sent home due to a lack of funds. I currently have three children in school, and they were able to continue their education because I paid their fees on time. This provided me with ample time to plan for future term payments. Finally, I spent some of the money on food for my children, ensuring that we had enough food to last several weeks in my household.

It had always been my wish to get from the level I am to a greater level in life. I want to have a cattle-rearing project and to achieve this, I would start by buying goats and chicken, keep them for some time and later sell and buy cattle. I believe that the project would be of help in terms of milk production and farming.

Three of my children had school fees arrears and I did not know how I was going to settle the fees owing to the fact that I had no source of income. With the transfers that I received, I managed to clear their balance of KES. 1700 and spent the remaining amount of KES. 1770 on food because this had also been a major challenge for me.

I spent part of my recent transfer on paying fees of $10 for my daughter who is in her third year of secondary school. She was about to be sent home because of the arrears and I was so worried considering I did not have even a single coin in my account. I am happy she is now in school studying without any distractions. To add to that, I bought a chicken which serves as an asset that I can readily depend on. With the remaining amount of money, I have been buying food for my six family members.

In my opinion, Give Directly thought well to give us cash and let us decide on how to spend it. I have witnessed people improving their lives in different ways. Most of the people who did not have a reliable source of income have opened up businesses while some of constructed houses. We appreciate the support. On the other hand, we would appreciate if our monthly transfers can be increased to 10000 KES. This will be a good amount of money that can result to great output when invested.

At the time when I received the recent transfer my daughter who is in secondary school had stayed home for 3 days because I did not have any money to give her for her fees. I sell small fish but the 150 KES profit that I make from it can barely afford a whole day's meal considering the current rise in food prices. We never expected the money at that time and I also had no idea where I could get money for her school fees. It was a lifesaver and the moment I received it I transferred it to the school's account immediately. I am glad she was able to sit for her end-term examinations.

I received a text message after putting on my phone very early in the morning. A few minutes later, I received a text message which showed that I had received my first transfer. My heart instantly filled with joy as I ululated at the top of my house. As a result, I woke up my children who were asleep, and shared with them the good news.

For the past year, jobs have been scarce to find, leading to low income. Currently, I received two calls on average each month to attend to sick animals. I earn very little, which makes me struggle to provide for my family. Receiving my transfer and paying school fees for my son is the biggest difference that the transfer has made in my life. This would not have been possible and my son would not have gone back to school.

I spent my first transfer on buying 3 chickens at KES 500 and spent KES 650 on paying school fees for my son who was sent home because of school fee arrears. I am a veterinary doctor by profession. The emergence of the drought three years ago affected my job. Many people lost their livestock, leading to the loss of my source of income. I am now stuck at home raising my livestock and cannot provide for my family. Therefore, when I received my transfer, I bought the chicken to start a poultry project. The project will be an alternative source of income for me now that I am jobless. I paid school fees for my son so could go back to school and continue with his education.