I lost my job during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then, I have been struggling to make ends meet. I have been taking up random jobs that are unreliable and hard to find. To overcome my financial challenges, I started keeping poultry. I currently have over 30 birds, which I have been selling to pay for my six children's fees. My goal is to invest more in this project, buy more chickens, and add to the existing ones. I rely on the monthly transfers to buy chicken feed and treat my chickens against diseases. I also plan to sell some of my chickens soon and use the money to buy some goats to add to my existing three goats. Owning livestock is a good investment and an excellent source of income because, whenever I fail to secure menial jobs, I can always depend on my livestock to help me settle my financial needs and educate my children.

I used to work for a mining company, but unfortunately, I was laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, it has been challenging to provide for my family of nine, particularly my six children, who are all currently in school. I have been struggling to find another job, so I have been doing odd jobs in construction and also engaging in subsistence farming. Unfortunately, these jobs have not been enough to support my family. To address this issue, I started a poultry project, which has become my main source of income. I currently have over 30 birds, and I normally sell them for $8 each to settle my financial needs. This has allowed me to pay for my children's school fees and to buy food and medicine for my poultry. With the recent transfers that I received, I spent on my family's needs and on my poultry project. I used $50 to buy medicine and feed for my chickens, which has helped to ensure their health and growth. I also used $10 to pay for my children's school fees, which has allowed them to continue their studies without interruption. With the remaining money, I hired a pair of oxen to plough my acreage during the planting season. This has resulted in a good harvest, which has provided food for my family. I am grateful for this financial support, and I hope to continue to grow my poultry project to be able to provide for my family with ease.

My primary objective is to pursue additional income-generating opportunities. Specifically, I aim to establish a livestock buying and selling enterprise. By engaging in this business venture, along with my existing poultry project, I anticipate earning a substantial income that will enable me to provide for my family's needs. I am incredibly appreciative of the transfer I received, as it has had a profound impact on various aspects of my family's well-being, including our health. Overall, we are in a much better situation now. This financial support has been particularly crucial for me since I lost my job in the mining sector back in 2020, during the initial outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

I support myself by engaging in the buying and selling of household commodities for profit. However, the profit margin on these items is not substantial, resulting in a relatively low income. Recently, I was able to settle a school fee debt of $8, ensuring that my children can continue their education, which brings me great joy. As part of my ongoing efforts to improve my livelihood, I decided to invest in a poultry project. After enrolling in a program, I purchased a hundred chicks to expand my poultry venture. This initiative has started yielding positive results. Additionally, I had to allocate $34 for legal and transport fees to reclaim my land, which had been partly occupied by a stranger. I am delighted to have successfully regained possession of my land and obtained all the necessary documents. Furthermore, I invested $34 in hiring labor to harvest the maize on my farm. Due to the presence of elephants that were devouring the crop, it was crucial for me to take immediate action and harvest the maize to prevent further damage. I am now grateful to have a plentiful supply of maize in my house, ensuring an abundance of food for my family, thanks to the support from Give Directly.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, my previous business ventures, which included a shop and butchery, suffered significant losses and ultimately had to be closed down. The capital I had invested in these businesses was depleted as I redirected the funds towards paying for school fees for my children. I am determined to reestablish both businesses and provide for the educational needs of my seven children, as well as support my brothers in providing for their children’s education. Previously, I had been the main source of financial support for my nieces and nephews, as my brothers faced their challenges with income generation. 

During the month of April, I faced a legal issue concerning my 18-acre piece of land. My neighbors attempted to encroach upon my farm, necessitating legal action. Consequently, I allocated the entire cash transfer of $34 to cover the costs associated with the legal proceedings and transport to and from the court. Whereas I have not spent the recent transfer yet, I plan to primarily utilize it to purchase chicken feeds. I operate a chicken-rearing project that I initiated after receiving the cash transfers, I now have approximately 35 chickens in my possession. As these animals mature, I could sell them to generate an income to support the needs of my wife and seven children. 

My long-term objective has been to increase our household income so that we can give our kids the ideal possible life. My parents passed away before I could finish my secondary education, thus there was no one to pay for my college expenses. I have so far purchased 25 hens that I am raising as a form of future investment in order to make sure that my kids have the best possible education. For the next three months, as I have not yet attained my aim, I'm going to buy more of them. In addition, I joined a savings group wherein the fifteen of us each save $2 per month and alternately distribute it to one person each month. I do buy a goat for rearing every time I get my shares, and I still intend to keep saving and buy more goats whenever I get transfers for the next three months. They multiply every year, enhancing their profitability. The addition of the goats to the hens is a wise investment, and I'm hoping that the money I'll generate from them will allow me to easily meet my children's needs, particularly their educational needs.

Because I do not have a formal job, I practice poultry farming in addition to subsistence farming. However, I do it on a small scale because I lack sufficient capital. Unfortunately, when transfers were sent, I had been arrested. My neigbour had a dispute with me over the parcel of land where I live. Because we had no savings, my wife spent $15 from the transfer to come and see me in the remand for about three days before I was released. When I got home, I spent $6 on chicken feed because they had depleted our supply. So the cash came in handy to assist me in making some payments. The remainder helped me to obtain food for my family of nine.

Before the Covid 19 pandemic, I was employed in Taita Taveta at a mining site getting a pay of $90 a month. This money would help me pay for food and pay school fees for my family. When Covid 19 was declared a pandemic, I was laid off and since then I have been at home. With the savings I had accumulated from my previous job, I started a business selling chicken in an open market every week. I buy one at $3 hen rear it for a period and sell it for 500. The profit from the business would help in settling house bills. I have seven children, three are toddlers who have not yet started school and four are in a government school. I pay $31 a term for all the children which have been a challenge before but receiving this money has enabled me to pay school fees without strain as I take care of other bills such as food and water.

GiveDirectly, in my opinion, does a good job of alleviatibg poverty through direct cash transfers. We had been unsure for years if we would be able to overcome the obstacles posed by our community's high poverty rate. We have seen a better standard of living as a result of the transfer. In comparison to other types of intervention, direct cash helps us prioritize our needs to a great extent. So far, there has not been anything GiveDirectly does not do right.

As soon as I received my transfer, I spent part of my transfer, KES 1,500 on initiating poultry farming. I bought 6 small chickens at KES 2,500 that are currently doing. From the poultry farm, I shall be able to get eggs for sale in order to supplement my household's income. Secondly, I spent KES 500 on acquiring chicken feeds while the rest of the transfer went into savings. I shall be able to use that savings to meet other family needs. I am so grateful to GiveDirectly for its kind support.

I woke up that morning, and when I was just checking my phone, I came across a Mpesa message, which made me thrilled. I prayed a short thanksgiving prayer and called my wife in order to plan appropriately for the expenditure.

The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving these transfers is that I am not stressed as I used to be before. As the breadwinner and the man of the family, having financial obligations and being unable to meet them has been quite a weight on me, which has caused me to have many dull moments. The monthly transfers have changed all that because they can currently meet my basic needs regardless of my employment situation.  

My biggest challenge is unemployment caused by Coronavirus. I was employed before and used to earn KES 9000 per month, with a family of six children and living in the rural areas, I could manage some of the financial obligations. Currently, it has been quite a struggle to get a job. Most of the time I earn KES 600 working casually on construction sites which is not consistent. My transfer of KES 1000 was spent on food, KES 900 paid for my three-month contribution to a self-help group, KES 500 was used to buy uniforms for my child who joined school recently and KES 600 was saved for any emergency that may come up.