My family consists of nine people, including my seven children, myself, and my spouse. We currently live in a small one-room house, and due to the limited space, some of my children are staying with their grandmother. When visitors come over, it's embarrassing because we have to sit outside, as my children sometimes need to change, and there's not enough room inside. My spouse and I have decided to build a spacious three-room house to have privacy and a comfortable environment for family gatherings. To reach this goal, I'm saving $20 from my monthly transfer in our merry-go-round group. This will help me save enough money to build our dream house.

When I received my most recent transfer, there were three main things I needed to take care of. I am responsible for seven children in my household, all of whom are attending school. Without proper planning, it becomes quite challenging to provide for all their needs. I am extremely grateful to GiveDirectly for their financial support, which has greatly eased our financial burdens. Initially, it was tough to provide for the children, especially since our main source of income is farming, and we didn't harvest anything last season due to prolonged drought. As a result, we struggled to have three meals a day. Thanks to GiveDirectly, we have been relieved from a lot of financial stress. Upon receiving the recent transfer, I spent $22 to buy food for the family as we had run out, $20 to pay off a fee balance so that my children wouldn't be sent home from school, and I also set aside $60 to save in our merry-go-round with the intention of eventually purchasing building materials.

My children are growing, and soon they will become adults. Since our house is small, it won't be easy to keep them in such a cramped space. Therefore, in the coming year and beyond, I want to invest in building a spacious house that will comfortably accommodate my four children. For this reason, I joined a merry-go-round to save and gather enough money to build my house. I appreciate the opportunity given by GiveDirectly to enhance my family's living conditions.

Currently, I live in a very small house because I did not have the money to build a more spacious one. Additionally, the walls are not strong enough, and the house might collapse. Due to this, I want to build a better home. Therefore, I spent $60 to save in our merry-go-round so that I can accumulate enough money to start the building process. I also spent $30 to pay fees for my four school-going children because I want them to have access to education, which will help them in their adult lives. Finally, I spent $12 to buy food for my family because we had none in the house.

Looking ahead, my goal for the year is to begin the construction of a larger house for my family. Our current home is inadequate, prompting the need for a more suitable living space. I plan to save my upcoming transfers towards this goal, aiming to start construction by September. A bigger house will provide better accommodation for my family, bringing considerable relief. I appreciate the opportunity given by GiveDirectly to enhance my family's living conditions.

I engage in various activities such as selling sisal, removing tree stumps, and selling charcoal to support my family. With six children to educate, my income has often been insufficient to sustain us. Previously, we struggled to afford school fees and buy for my children but I am now able to comfortably cover these expenses, thanks to the support I have received. These transfers have significantly boosted my income, providing me with the freedom to meet my family's needs. With the transfers received, I bought a goat worth $27, which I will keep and sell later on at a profit.To ensure my daughter's smooth transition to junior secondary school, I spent $34 on uniforms, books, a bag, and shoes. Furthermore, I settled a $34 school fee debt for two of my children, enabling them to continue their education. The remaining amount was spent on paying for end of term examinations for my son. I am thankful to GiveDirectly for their support in educating my children.

I am grateful that the previous cash transfers allowed me to support my mother-in-law in building her house. Now that it is partially complete and she already moved into it, my goal is to work on building a new house for my family as well. The current dwelling has poor drainage and is situated in an area prone to waterlogging during rains, making the floor damp. I aspire to construct a three-room house with mud walls and iron sheets at a more raised ground level. I hope that the continued cash transfers will make this dream possible for me.

My husband is the primary provider of our family, earning a living by hawking toiletry items in town. We have four children in school, and the cash transfers have proven invaluable in supporting their education. I used $65 from the cash transfer to settle the school fees debts for my children, particularly one who was sitting for their final examinations and needed fees cleared, including meal expenses. This payment ensured that there were no pending debts, allowing him to take his exams successfully. Additionally, I allocated $30 to support my mother-in-law in building her house. She previously had no dwelling and used to stay in my house, creating space issues. This arrangement made it inconvenient for her son, my husband, to visit the village often. Now that her house is partially complete and she has already moved in, I am glad to have supported her in achieving a more comfortable living situation.

heading towards the end of the year and beyond, my primary objective is to revitalize my house. Currently, my grass-thatched roof is in a dire state, with the grass decaying and leaks occurring whenever it rains. This unfortunate situation not only damages my belongings but also robs me of peace of mind. To rectify this, I have devised a plan to completely replace the existing roof with sturdy iron sheets. By undertaking this roof replacement, I will ensure the safety of my possessions and alleviate the need to stay awake all night, constantly rearranging items in my house to protect them from rainfall.

During the previous term, my children attended school without proper uniforms as their previous set had become worn out and torn. However, upon receiving my June transfers, I allocated $15 to purchase new uniforms for three of them. Witnessing the joy on their faces when they received these uniforms was incredibly gratifying. It allowed them to feel a sense of belonging, just like the other students who wore uniforms to school. Moreover, I utilized the funds to settle their outstanding school fees, enabling them to return to school and resume their studies after an extended period of absence. Sadly, they had been unable to sit for their mid-term exams as they were sent home due to accumulated school fee arrears amounting to $30 for all four of my children. Unfortunately, my income from selling charcoal is meager, and my husband has been struggling to find work in Mombasa town, leaving us unable to meet our family's needs adequately. With the remaining $4, I purchased a packet of 2 kg of maize flour and washing detergent. This packet of maize sustained us while we awaited funds from my husband to purchase food, ensuring we did not go to bed on empty stomachs.

It has been eight years since I built the current shelter. Over the period, the grass-thatched roof has worn out, causing water to leak when it rains. As a result, I wish to build a new two-room house, made of mud walls and a tin roof. Approximately, the entire project will cost me $700, which I cannot raise at once. Alternatively, I plan to buy two iron sheets every month until I assemble enough for the construction. Then I will secure more materials like building poles and nails, and later hire someone to take on the exercise. Installing a decent shelter for my family would make them so happy. 

The financial aid allows me to occasionally contribute towards my family’s basic needs like food and school fees for my children. By doing so, I have relieved my husband of the weight he bears to take care of us. Recently, I was able to buy new school uniforms for my two children, using $10, whose clothes had worn out and torn due to long repetitive use. I also bought their school bags, using $6, as the paper bags they previously used would tear from the weight of the books. Am content that they are more motivated to attend school. Additionally, I was not happy that three of them would constantly miss classes from a tuition debt that amounted to $12; so I cleared it and they have never been disturbed to date. I used the remaining amount to restock food that had been depleted the previous night. Even though there are my household runs out of food, like twice a month, am grateful that these occurrences are less frequent than before the cash aid. 

We have been living one day at a time, not knowing what the future holds because we come from a poor community. As a result, we struggle to raise money for basic needs. It is good that GiveDirectly came to our community to enroll us in its cash transfer program. It does well at providing unconditional cash transfers, which have benefited everyone to a large extent. We were able to buy food and pay school fees for our children courtesy of the cash transfers. On the other hand, I have never seen what GiveDirectly does not do well.

Because neither my husband nor I have jobs, we must rely on part-time work to support our six children. Our total income is insufficient to meet the educational needs of our children. To overcome the difficulty, I began raising livestock. I had five goats before my most recent transfer. I used $25 from the transfer to purchase another goat, bringing the total to six. I resolved to keep goats because I can sell some to raise fees and money for an emergency. I spent the remainder of the transfer on food to supplement what we had. I am thankful to GiveDirectly for the support.

Around 9.42 p.m., I was packing charcoal into sacks to sell them the following morning at the market center when my phone vibrated with a message alert. I immediately asked my children to help check its contents and they found that Give Directly had sent the first transfer. I jumped with delight and almost slid at the door!

Before the transfer, my household used to run out of food, which made us sleep hungry constantly. However, after the transfer, I used the money to procure food for my family. I am glad that we have not skipped a meal since. I also believe the transfer was a blessing because my charcoal burning business has been fruitful ever since.

Being the breadwinner of the family, my husband works as a hawker in Mombasa for a living. He sends me at most KES 400 every week for upkeep, which barely meets all household necessities, such as food. This makes hunger one of the major concerns in the household. Four days before the transfer, we ran out of food. We survived on borrowing at least a cup of maize flour from relatives and friends to help prepare porridge for the five children in the house so they would not sleep hungry. As such, when I received the transfer, procuring food was the priority. I spent KES 870 on maize flour. I used KES 300 to buy a chicken to increase my flock to four hens. When these multiply in the future, I can easily generate money from their sale.