Having six children in our current two-room house feels cramped and uncomfortable. Thus, my spouse and I have prioritized building a more spacious home for our family. To make this dream a reality, I've started purchasing iron materials gradually with each monthly transfer from GiveDirectly. Our goal is to construct a spacious house for our children soon. I'm incredibly grateful to GiveDirectly because, without their support, this project would have taken centuries to accomplish. My husband alone couldn't shoulder the burden, but with GiveDirectly's assistance, we can make our dream home a reality much sooner.

I'm truly grateful to GiveDirectly for empowering me financially. Previously, I relied solely on my spouse for all our family's needs. However, since receiving support from GiveDirectly, I've gained independence and can now handle household responsibilities like purchasing food and paying fees. With my most recent transfer, I decided to invest in a goat for $32. This serves as a valuable asset for future financial security, as goats multiply quickly and add to my financial stability. Additionally, I allocated $54 to replace my old mattress, providing better sleep quality. Lastly, I purchased sugar for $2 and covered my children's fees, amounting to $14.

My objective is to construct a two-room house to accommodate my five children. The current dwelling we inhabit is cramped and insufficient for our family of eight. Erecting a new residence will not only provide adequate space for my children but also afford me the privacy I desire. I am profoundly grateful for the financial assistance provided by these transfers, significantly improving our quality of life.

With the impending school reopening in January, I allocated $8 towards procuring essential stationery supplies for my children, crucial for facilitating their learning. Additionally, I invested $12 in purchasing new school uniforms to replace their worn-out ones. Furthermore, I settled the $14 school fees for the new term. During the festive month of December, I dedicated $24 to purchasing fresh attire for my children, adding to the joy of our holiday celebrations. Moreover, I allocated $10 towards procuring food, enhancing our familial bonding experiences with delectable meals. In November of the previous year, I utilized my entire transfer to hire assistance for weeding my three-acre maize farm, ensuring a bountiful harvest that will sustain my family for the next three months. The financial transfers have been instrumental in meeting my family's needs, significantly alleviating the burden on my husband in providing for our household.

I lost my kitchen that also acts like an animal shade to the rain. Over years the wood that built it had been exposed to termites that weakened it and when the rains started the house was brought down by the rain. I need to replace it since my goats have no place to stay and the rain is still ongoing. I have bought the building poles thanks to Givedirectly and I have already also started making payments for the grass for thatching now. I am now aiming to raise $75 for the labour which I believe will complete the building of this house.

I am so privileged to have been a recipient of the Givedirectly transfers. I have been able to make decisions and take care of needs in my home that I couldn't think I would do. I bought my children a mattress at $45 since they have had one that was completely worn out. I also got to buy a goat in June at $32. I also was able to buy some building poles at $1 each and got 35 which was $35. I added $1 and bought all the required poles.

Within the span of a year, my objectives include constructing a new house for my children, as well as extending and repairing my existing house due to its age and vulnerability to strong winds. These plans entirely depend on the success of our farming endeavors. I'm hopeful that the harvest would ensure an abundance of food and enable us to save on our current food expenses. With these savings, we aspire to acquire additional cows for resale, thereby enhancing our financial stability and facilitating the comfortable payment of school fees. Furthermore, we aim to expand our goat population, as they reproduce at a faster rate. Our plan is to sell them in order to accumulate funds for purchasing more cows. This approach will create opportunities for our children to pursue higher education, unlocking brighter prospects for their future.

Upon receiving the transfer in March, I utilized a portion to purchase food. I bought food worth $14 for my household. Getting Food has been a struggle and this would sustain us for a while. I then allocated $20 for my four children's school fees. I didn't want a situation where they would be sent back home due to lack of fees payment. In April, I decided to clear the first term's fees arrears with a payment of $20. This brought so much joy to my husband allowing him to focus on farming during the onset of the rainy season. We engaged in planting maize on our three-acre plot, along with cultivating vegetables and green grams. With the remaining $14, I chose to purchase seven packets of maize flour, leaving my husband responsible for the remaining food and other basic requirements. Finally last month, I allocated $10 from the transfers for the start of the second term's school fees. I then put an extra $24 on farming to support weeding and completion of the farming process. I actively participate in farming and also tend to livestock. I have 18 goats and 9 cows. My daily routine involves preparing my children for school and joining my husband on the farm. Once I 'm done with the farm I take the livestock for grazing. I would later return at midday and prepare lunch for my household before heading back out for grazing.

To provide for our three children and me, my husband takes on casual jobs like sweeping to earn a living. Every month, he sends home up to $20 to cover our basic needs like food, school fees, and sanitary essentials. Given the tough economy and high cost of living, this amount can hardly last my family for more than two weeks. My wish is to someday have the capacity to reliably support the needs of my family and reduce the overreliance on my husband. Gladly, the recent three cash transfers from Give Directly made a way for me to contribute to the household’s needs and help my spouse. I spent a total of $16 on food to boost the little that was left and ensured that my children never starved. Next, I acquired a goat worth $32 to rear. Since I lack a reliable source of income, am certain that when the goat reproduces in the future, I can sell them to generate quick funds for my children’s school fees. Also, I used $20 to clear a school fee debt for my children as they had been constantly sent back home to collect the amount. Lastly, since one of the transfers came in during the Christmas season, I bought my children new clothes worth $30 so that they would enjoy the festivities.  

In my opinion, GiveDirectly has not done anything that is not good for our village. Ever since they visited us, our lives have changed positively because we can now at least afford a meal, own assets and able to send our children to school unlike before whereby a bigger percentage had dropped out due to the huge arrears.

I spent $6 of my recent transfer on buying two chickens. This has been my dream to have at least own one but I could not afford any at my own cost. I am now thankful and ambitious that in a few months to come I will have many of them which will enable me to achieve a lot. Additionally, I was able to save $15 for the merry-go-round chama. I believe that in six months to come I will have enough in my savings account and I will finally be granted a loan whereby I can purchase more assets that I have been longing to own. With the remaining $9, I bought foodstuffs for my family and other household needs.

I was preparing to rest a couple of moments past 9 pm. I heard my telephone ring, and I got it to look at it. I was hypnotized to figure out that I had received my first transfer. My heart was overflowing with bliss, and for some time I couldn't resist the opportunity to grin as I gazed at the telephone. I called my significant other and shared the uplifting news, and we both turned out to be extremely blissful.

My kids remaining at home was my most dreaded fear. They felt exceptionally awful while watching their friends go to class while they remained at home. I'm glad that the unconditional transfer had an immense effect on their lives by assisting me with paying for their school charge overdue debts.

My two children, who are in elementary school, were sent home due to school fee charges. Three weeks passed without them returning to school, causing them to lose a great deal in their schooling. My significant other, an easygoing worker, procures very little (350 every day) from his job. This sum isn't sufficient to take special care of the relative multitude of the family's necessities. When I received my most memorable first transfer, I paid KES 850 to get part free from the school charges for overdue debts that my kids owed the school. This empowered them to report back to school and continue with their education. Other than paying the unfulfilled obligations, I purchased food for the family since we had nothing left to eat. The circumstance was more terrible as we could never again purchase food on credit since we owed the retailers as well.