My house is in very poor condition, leaning on one side and on the verge of collapsing. At this point, it is impossible to renovate, so I am now focused on building a new two-roomed house made of blocks, which will be much more durable than the one I currently live in. I have been using my previous transfers to gradually buy building materials, and for the coming year and beyond, I plan to continue using a portion of my transfers to purchase more materials until I can finally build the house I have always dreamed of. Once it is complete, I know I will be extremely happy. I understand it is not an easy journey, but I am determined to achieve it, and I am deeply grateful to GiveDirectly for giving me hope and support through these transfers.

Our region has been facing a prolonged dry season, leading to drought and hunger. Because of this, we have been forced to buy food from stores, so I used $72 of my recent transfers to purchase food and water for my family to ensure we do not go hungry. Additionally, my house is in a very poor state and is on the verge of collapsing, as it is leaning to one side. My goal is to build a new house for my family so that we can have a safe and comfortable place to live. I spent $20 on building materials, and I am hopeful that soon I will have enough to start constructing a new two-roomed house. Lastly, I used the remaining $10 to pay school fees for my grandson, whom I live with, to make sure he stays in school and isn’t sent home due to unpaid fees. I am incredibly grateful for this support, as it gives me hope that I can achieve my dream of building a new home.

By December, I aim to begin building my new permanent house. My current home is on the brink of collapsing, and I’m concerned it might eventually damage my belongings or even put us in harm's way. I plan to use the support I receive from my monthly cash transfers to make this dream a reality. Once the new house is completed, I hope to be free from the constant need for repairs and the challenges posed by harsh weather. This achievement will not only enhance my self-esteem but also reinforce my respect as the head of my family.

Upon receiving the recent cash, I decided to set aside $34 with the goal of purchasing a goat. For a long time, I've yearned to own a goat, but my financial responsibilities and the low pay from my watchman job have made this dream difficult to achieve. Acquiring the goat feels like a fresh start and a sign of better things to come. I believe this goat will thrive and soon multiply, providing me with a source of income in the future. I hope to use this income to address my children's needs, such as paying their school fees and covering their basic necessities. Additionally, I have saved $40 in a local savings group in my village with the intention of building my dream house. The current house I live in is a temporary structure, and with the recent harsh weather, I'm increasingly worried that it might collapse and cause damage or harm to my family. With the remaining $28, I’ve been able to buy essential supplies like food, vegetables, and cereals, ensuring that my family can enjoy regular meals and avoid going to bed hungry as we did before.

My main aim for the coming months is to purchase an ox. With the ox, I'll be able to properly plan and cultivate my farm without relying on hiring a friend for help, especially since I'm unable to manage the entire nine-acre farm alone. Having an ox will significantly ease the workload and ensure that I can maximize the productivity of my land. By achieving this goal, I anticipate that my farm yields will increase substantially, providing me with the necessary sustenance and surplus to support myself and my family. It's a simple goal, but one that holds the key to my agricultural success and financial stability in the long run.

Living as the primary caregiver for my grandson has been both a privilege and a challenge, particularly with the added pressure of my son's joblessness. When the unconditional cash transfer came through, I knew exactly how I wanted to allocate it: securing my grandson's education and investing in our future. With $34, I breathed a sigh of relief as I settled his school fees, ensuring he wouldn't miss any exams. Witnessing the spark of determination in his eyes upon knowing his fees were covered filled me with immense pride and reassurance. Alongside this, I took a leap of faith and invested $45 in preparing a one-acre farm during planting season. As the maize flourishes under the sun, I feel a glimmer of hope for the months ahead, knowing that our harvest will help alleviate the looming spectre of famine. As a watchman with meagre wages, the cash transfer has been a lifeline, supporting us in ways I couldn't have imagined. With the leftover funds, I prioritized securing food for our table, ensuring that we wouldn't go hungry in the days to come. Being the sole breadwinner for my family is a weighty responsibility, but the support provided by this unexpected windfall has made the burden more manageable. It's moments like these that remind me of the resilience ingrained within us, and I am grateful for the opportunity to pave a path of stability and security for my grandson's future, despite the challenges that may come our way.

Looking ahead to this new year, my aspiration is to establish a livestock business with a primary focus on goats. Given their cost-effectiveness and adaptability to our local climate, goats emerge as a strategic choice. To realize this ambition, I intend to utilize subsequent transfers and allocate funds from my salary. Reflecting on my journey this far, I am content and happy with the progress I have made and I eagerly anticipate the positive developments the future holds.

For the past nine years, I have been employed as a watchman at a nearby school, dedicated to sustaining my family of six. The challenge of accessing food was a persistent struggle, but the support from these transfers has significantly changed our lives. The assistance provided by GiveDirectly through these transfers allowed me to address a prolonged issue with my eye, which had been causing me discomfort for many years. Moreover, I've invested in three goats, marking a positive turn in my financial circumstances. Allocating $34, I facilitated my mother's hospital visit, resulting in a notable improvement in her health. Another $34 was utilized to settle a school debt for my grandchild, enabling her to resume her education by covering a full term's worth of fees. The remaining $34 was wisely spent on procuring food for my family during the Christmas festivities. I am genuinely elated to be a part of this program, recognizing its transformative impact on my life.

Due to financial constraints, I have been unable to address the deteriorating condition of my house, which is on the verge of collapsing. However, I am determined to rectify this situation by constructing sturdy pillars around the entire house. These pillars will be constructed using a combination of stones and cement, fortifying the mud house and ensuring the safety of my family residing within it. The support I receive from the monthly transfers is immensely valued and greatly appreciated, as it provides me with the means to undertake this necessary renovation.

In order to uphold our traditions and customs following my son's marriage, I was required to make a financial contribution to ensure a prosperous and enduring union with his wife. To fulfill this obligation, I utilized my entire August transfers. Currently, I am employed as a guard at Ikanga Primary School, where I face numerous challenges such as delayed payments and low wages that fail to meet my family's needs adequately. However, since receiving the funds from the transfers, my life has undergone significant improvements. I have been able to cover my grandson's school fees and provide three meals a day for my family, which was previously challenging due to financial constraints. I am exceedingly grateful for the financial assistance provided, as it has greatly assisted me in caring for my family.

My goal is to complete the construction of my house by the end of this year. Unfortunately, the building process came to a halt due to a shortage of funds. However, I have a plan to strengthen the house by building stone pillars around it to prevent the mud walls from collapsing. This will provide the necessary support and security needed for me to live peacefully inside my home.

For the past ten years, I have worked as a watchman in a nearby primary school. Unfortunately, during pay day, I don't receive any salary despite working hard for an entire month. It's disheartening to earn only $30 every month and still end up being paid only half of it. This has made me sad and bitter because I can't provide my family with essential needs due to a lack of money. However, I am grateful that the organization provides monthly stipends that have helped me take care of my family. When I received my April transfers, I spent $20 on buying food supplies for my family, including five packets of maize flour, a kg of sugar, tea leaves, and beans. This has eased my mind as I know the food will greatly help my family for the next two weeks until I receive my pay. Apart from buying food, I plan to use the remaining $14 to prepare my four-acre land for planting. Currently, we are receiving little showers, which is a sign that heavy rains are on the way. Growing crops on the farm will ensure we have plenty of food after harvesting, and I am looking forward to that.

Unfortunately, I lack the capacity to derive new goals right now given the hunger issue in my household. I stay with my two wives, mother, and mother-in-law, who solely rely on me for provision. Working as a school security guard, the $35 I earn monthly can hardly secure food for more than three weeks, which could leave us starving for the remaining part of the month. This is when the cash transfers come to the rescue and ensure that we have our meals catered for. Unless I find a better source of income, I plan to continue using my cash transfers solely on food.

I bought food for my family with the entire amount I recieved as my transfer. My two wives, mother, mother-in-law, and grandchildren all live with me as part of my extended family. They all rely on me to provide for their financial needs and see to it that I fulfill their daily requirements, which include purchasing food, purchasing medications, and paying for my grandchildren's schooling. I'm a security guard at a neighborhood primary school. I have encountered significant difficulties while working, such as three-month payment delays and enduring the bitterly cold weather for the entire month. For this large family to be supported, the $40 I make at the end of the month is very little. We are compelled to skip meals and accumulate debt as a result of purchasing food on credit with the understanding that we will pay once we have the money. I am very appreciative of the transfer's funds because they provided me with a significant financial boost and enabled me to provide for my family's needs.

I work as a watchman at a nearby primary school. While working, I have faced serious challenges, including late payments, low wages, poor working conditions, etc. Often when I am paid late, my family is forced to sleep on hungry stomachs. We no longer grow food on the farm because of the drought that started three years ago. This means we buy all the food from the shop at very high prices. Three days before receiving my transfer, I ran out of money and could not buy food for my family. We survived by drinking half a cup of porridge each day. Upon receiving the transfer, I spent it all buying food for the family. Food was essential in averting a hunger crisis in my family.

The technique Give Directly uses to enroll village members is extremely vital in reducing poverty. Registering all adult individuals in a household ensures that money evenly spreads across the family, which enables everyone to contribute to the well-being of the house. Everything the organization does is great.

Being the breadwinner in a polygamous family, I constantly face pressure to provide for my two wives, mother, and mother-in-law. I work as a school guard and the pay hardly meets other household needs beyond food. In fact, sometimes the family runs out of meals and starves for days. For instance, there were two days last month when we went to bed hungry due to a lack of money for food. However, the situation gradually improved after the first transfer; we never skipped a meal since. Solving that part of the struggle opened a door to pursue other ventures. Whereas I have not spent my most recent transfer (KES 3,000), I intend to save it to acquire a goat on the coming market day. Livestock keeping is equivalent to banking, only that the former involves rearing farm animals and selling them later to raise funds. I wish to uphold that end of personal investment to increase my income streams and sustain a better living.

I was sitting with my two wives under the shade of a tree. While conversing, my elder wife received a message on her phone showing that she had received her first transfer. A few seconds later, my second wife received a message too via her phone. I became very anxious and confused at the same time as I helplessly stared at my phone, waiting to receive a message, too. While waiting, I felt my phone vibrate in my hands and I skimmed through the message and confirmed that I, too, had received my transfer. I jumped up and down in ecstasy as I joined my two wives, who were dancing and ululating in celebration.

I have suffered and experienced a lot of challenges in my line of work because of the low and late payments. We were forced to sleep hungry when I was not paid on time. I have also incurred debts so that I can feed my family. Receiving the money and buying food is the biggest difference I have had since started receiving the transfer. I have plenty of food in my house and my family has never slept hungry again.

The lack of a better option and sufficient funds to start a business has forced me to stick to my job as a watchman despite the many challenges I am facing. Since the closing of schools last month, I have received no payment from the school where I work. My biggest fear of quitting my job is the lack of an alternative source. The drought that we are experiencing in our area means I cannot depend on farming anymore. My two wives who are jobless depend on me to cater to their needs (food, shelter, and medication). Because of these challenges, I spent KES 2000 to buy food for the family after going through a rough month surviving on a 1 meal per day. Besides buying food for the family, I saved the remaining KES so that I can buy a goat when I receive my third transfer. The goat will be a future investment for me once it multiplies. I can sell some and take care of my needs during times of need.