My objective is to build a sustainable business that will provide a stable income even after the program ends. I plan to launch a livestock venture, with a primary focus on goat farming. I'm pleased to announce that I have already acquired three goats, and I am eager to expand my herd with the upcoming transfers. Establishing a reliable source of income will ensure that my children have the financial means to pursue their education. This project has brought about positive changes in my life, and I am genuinely grateful for it.

I used to dig out tree stumps to support my family of nine, but the labor was too intense and exhausting, and I had to stop. Providing for my family was a challenge, especially since my husband's income as a casual laborer was insufficient to meet our needs. We often faced scarcity of food and struggled to afford school fees for our seven children. However, I am immensely grateful for the assistance provided by this project. It has allowed me to purchase chickens, buy food and clothing, and ensure that my children attend school regularly. With the transfers received, I prioritized our basic needs. I allocated $20 towards purchasing a mattress, addressing our need for proper sleeping arrangements. Additionally, $18 was spent on purchasing food and shoes for my children, who had none. I then invested $12 in purchasing two chickens to add to our existing brood, to be sold later on at a profit. Furthermore, I used $16 to settle my children's school fees, clearing a debt they had accrued. Finally, I dedicated $34 to buying clothes for myself. I am deeply thankful for all the assistance provided, which has significantly improved our family's well-being.

I aspire to keep livestock such as goats and poultry. Currently, I have bought two goats from the cash transfers, and my goal is to obtain at least seven more by the time the transfers end. Now that we have harvested food and hunger is not a concern anymore, I want to leverage the funds to buy goats. Since I have no source of income apart from GiveDirectly cash transfers, I am confident that rearing livestock will be a valuable source of income in the future. After the cash transfers have ended, I believe that the goats will have reproduced and increased, and I can sell some of them to support the education of my seven children.

Before the cash transfers, my husband and I heavily relied on making and selling charcoal to provide for our seven children. It was a tough and physically demanding activity, and the earnings barely covered all our needs, including food and school fees for the children. I am grateful because ever since the cash transfers started, we haven't gone back to this strenuous activity. As both of us are recipients, the funds alleviate the most basic needs of the family. Recently, I used the funds to buy a goat for $25 and three hens for $18. With no other source of income apart from the cash transfers, I believe that the livestock I acquire and grow will prove to be a valuable asset to support my family after the transfers end. Additionally, four of my children and I had no decent clothing and footwear, and our old ones were tattered from repetitive use. So, I spent $45 to buy new sandals, a pair of khanga, and a pair of bedsheets to groom ourselves well and the house as well. The remaining amount went towards small household needs like sugar and soap as they had run out.

In addition to engaging in casual labor to support myself, I am deeply involved in both crop farming and animal husbandry. My ultimate goal for the near future is to establish a livestock enterprise. With livestock at my disposal, I intend to explore animal sales, creating an additional source of income. As I look ahead to the end of this financial aid in the forthcoming years, I am confident that I will reflect upon its impact with pride. It has lifted me from the clutches of poverty, enabling me to take significant steps towards a more stable and prosperous life.

Since March of this year, my family has faced significant financial hardships. My husband lost his job, and due to the prevailing economic challenges, finding new employment has been tough for him. To support our family, I work as a casual laborer, primarily selling charcoal. However, the income from selling two bags of charcoal, each priced at $3.5, falls short of meeting the numerous expenses we have. Thankfully, the monthly transfers I receive have been a tremendous help to my family. In July, I allocated $14.6 to pay the school fees for my four children, who are attending primary school. This has brought me great relief, knowing that they can now continue their education without the fear of being sent home due to unpaid fees for the entire term. With $12 of the transfers, I purchased two "leso" to replace my torn and worn-out clothes. I was unable to afford new clothes before due to our financial situation, but now I feel elated, looking smart and vibrant in my new attire. The remaining $7.4 was wisely used to purchase food, ensuring that our family never goes hungry, and we always have enough to eat. I am deeply grateful for this assistance, as it has made a significant difference in our daily lives.

My wish is to establish something that will ensure a steady stream of funds even after the cash aid program ceases in the coming few years. The only thing that comes to mind is owning livestock and letting them breed into a large herd. Although the current financial constraints, like food and school fees, greatly bar me from saving enough to start buying livestock, I hope to have that capacity in the days to come. As a starter, I plan on purchasing one goat at a time. I trust that the cash transfers will allow me to do so. 

I am grateful for the monthly cash transfers. By allowing me to provide for the basic needs of my seven children, the financial aid had given me a pleasant breather from the physical strains of charcoal making. It has ensured that my five children stay in school and that my family is regularly fed. This explains why I have mostly been spending the transfers on food and school fees. Recently, I used $17 to settle the tuition fee for four of my children, which gladly assures me that they will stay in class for the entire term. After that, I used $5 to buy high-nutrition food like milk and fruits for my seven-month-old infant, who recently started weaning. Sadly, the night before the cash transfer, my family had slept hungry, which prompted me to spend $6 for food. At least this served my family for a few days until my husband was able to buy us more food. Lastly, I bought two chickens with the remaining $6 for rearing purposes. Although my family still experiences hunger, I am glad that the chances of that happening are slimming courtesy of the cash transfers. If you compared our current nutrition to before, you would be amazed at the physical strength we have gained from eating more. 

My husband, who does odd jobs like gardening and delivering water, is our only source of support. The job is inconsistent, and occasionally he waits a week before receiving one. He has found it difficult to satisfy our demands as a result, particularly since that food prices have increased as a result of the protracted drought. I paid a $20 examination fee for my four children with the last three transfers, and fortunately, they were permitted to take their end-of-year primary exams. $74 I used to buy food so that my family could eat for a while. I appreciate the help because it has made our lives better.

The finances I have been receiving from the organization have really been quite life changing since before making ends meet was a serious tribulation. I could barely feed my family and neither could I keep my children in school. But ever since I started receiving the transfers, our life has made a complete U-turn which has been for the best and I commend the organization for coming to our aid.

I was elated when I found out that the organization had finally sent our the payments especially since I really needed the money at the time. As soon as I got the chance to withdraw the funds, I used KES 2,000 and decided to purchase school uniform for my children since some of then had enrolled to school for over a year now and had been attending school on home clothes, while the others needed new uniform since their old ones were worn out and torn. Afterwards I decided to use the balance of KES 1,000 which I had remained with and bought about four packets of maize flour since there hardly any food left in the house.

When I received my transfer, I could not help but smile. I was at a crossroad because I had exhausted all options for funding my children's education. I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the transfer would help alleviate that burden and that the kids would be able to return to school without being sent out again. 

Prior to the transfer, my children were constantly sent out of school to collect pending fee balances.  Now that I used the money to pay off all of the outstanding debts, they resumed their studies.  I cannot thank Give Directly enough for assisting me in supporting the education of my children. 

When I received the transfer, my four children had a pending school fee balance of KES 1,200. Clearing the unpaid amount had proven futile because the money I make from charcoal burning, at most KES 350 per week, barely feeds my family of eight. They had missed two days of school because of the unsettled balance. As a result, I made resolving the balance a top priority, paid KES 1,200, and they have attended classes uninterrupted since then.