Enrolled in various levels of education are my eight children, with one pursuing college, four in high school, and three in primary school. Affording their school fees has proven to be a challenging task for me, often necessitating the sale of livestock to finance their education. As a subsistence farmer without a stable job or external support, I rely solely on monthly transfers to meet our financial needs. These transfers have been a crucial lifeline for my family. My second wife is also a beneficiary of these transfers, and together, our shared goal is to provide the best education for our children, ensuring that their studies are uninterrupted by financial constraints. The consistent monthly support has become a source of assurance for me, guaranteeing that my children can pursue their education goals without disruptions, even amid financial challenges.

I cannot express enough gratitude to GiveDirectly for their invaluable financial support. Shouldering the responsibility of educating my eight children would have been an incredibly daunting task without their assistance. Among my children, one is in college, four are in high school, and three are in primary school. The challenge of raising funds for their education has been monumental, given my current lack of employment and dependence on subsistence farming for household consumption and livestock maintenance. Receiving these transfers has provided significant relief, ensuring that my children can continue their education despite the financial hardships. I spent the most recent transfer towards meeting their educational needs, including fees, travel expenses to school, and purchasing stationery, amounting to $34. Additionally, I utilized $68 to settle debts that I had incurred while covering burial expenses after the loss of my wife. Clearing these debts brought me a sense of peace, and with the support of my neighbors, I was able to give my wife a proper send-off. Thanks to the transfers, I am now debt-free, a situation that would have otherwise taken a considerable amount of time to achieve.

My utmost priority is to guarantee the fulfilment of my children's educational aspirations. Among my children, two are in high school and three are in primary school, and I am dedicated to supporting them in achieving their academic goals through this program. To finance their education, I have primarily relied on the income generated from my poultry project, which involves selling eggs to hotels, yielding approximately $16. However, this income alone has proven insufficient to meet all the financial requirements associated with their education. Therefore, I heavily depend on monthly transfers to bridge the gap and ensure that my children's education remains uninterrupted. Witnessing them continue their learning journey without any disruptions due to fee-related concerns is my greatest aspiration.

I am engaged in a poultry project, managing a flock of 25 birds. This poultry project has been my primary source of income, as I typically sell eggs every three weeks, earning approximately $16 each month. This consistent income has greatly facilitated my ability to provide for my children's education and meet their needs with relative ease. However, I lacked a suitable shelter for them, which prompted me to invest $21 in purchasing essential building materials, including building poles and timber, and built the chicken house. This improvement in their living conditions has enhanced their well-being and productivity. Also, I recently experienced the loss of my first wife due to an illness, and I'm grateful that the financial assistance I received was invaluable during this challenging time. It allowed me to cover the costs associated with her burial and address other unforeseen expenses. Despite the emotional hardship, I am relieved that I did not find myself struggling financially or accumulating debt to provide a dignified farewell for my late wife. In addition to coping with this loss, I am also responsible for five children—two in high school and three in junior classes. To ensure that their education remains uninterrupted, I successfully cleared their school fees by paying $68 on time. Thanks to this timely payment, they were able to continue their studies without disruption.

Relying solely on one source of income has been expensive because, in the event of its failure, there are no alternative sources to depend on. I am eager to embark on a poultry project as a supplementary income stream. This approach will provide me with multiple sources of income, enabling me to meet the financial needs of my family. I have already constructed a shelter for the future poultry birds, and my goal is to save up sufficient funds to purchase a substantial number of them, along with animal feed, to sustain the poultry project.

As casual laborers and peasant farmers, my wife and I rely on favorable weather conditions for our livelihood. Unfortunately, the income from this work is insufficient, and at times I struggle to pay the school fees for my four children. Three of them attend Green Primary School, while one is enrolled in secondary school. With the recent funds I received, I managed to pay $23 towards the primary school fees for three of my children. However, there remains a balance of $18, which I still need to settle. Despite this financial challenge, I am relieved that my children can continue attending school instead of staying home due to the substantial school fees owed. Moreover, I sent $8 to my daughter in secondary school to support her with necessary expenses during her time there. She often uses the money to purchase essential supplies like toothpaste, for her daily needs. With the remaining $4, I bought two packets of maize flour to provide sustenance for my family. Currently, we have to buy food from the store since we are waiting for a plentiful harvest from our farm. This situation has left us with limited food resources, but we are grateful that we have never gone hungry thanks to the assistance provided by the organization.

I have relied heavily on farming for the last three years to make a living. I had to give up farming when the drought hit our region, so I started working manual labor jobs like building houses to support my family instead (wife and six children). My children are split between primary and secondary education, with three attending secondary school. When compared to how much I make each day, the school expenses I must cover for my kids are very high. As a result, I made the decision to start a poultry farm and sell chicken eggs to make a living. I was able to buy some layers with the money I had saved from previous transfers, who have since multiplied and now number 73. To ensure the security and comfort of my flock of chickens, I spent the entire $34 in transfers I received in December building a coop. In order to ensure their visibility at night and to increase production, I also purchased a solar light. Last but not least, I used $10 from the December transfers to purchase starter mash, which will help the hens grow effectively. I'm grateful that the funds have given the construction of the chicken coop a significant financial boost. With the project up and running, I am confident that I will have a secondary source of income that will enable me to cover my children's school expenses and also buy food for the family.

I want to thank the organization for providing us with transfers that are completely unconditional. I would also want to thank the employees for their helpful advice on money management. This will go a long way toward assisting us in effectively managing the transfer and utilizing it to end family poverty. To help us deal with the rapid rise in the price of necessities like maize flour, I implore the organization to increase the monthly stipend.

My wife and I are both agricultural farmers. Our farm has not been productive for the past three years as a result of the drought. We only harvest a small amount of maize (two 50kg bags), which is insufficient to feed us for a month. In the past, after having a bumper harvest, we sold the extra produce on the market and utilized the proceeds to cover my kids' school costs and other household obligations. I've battled to pay my daughter's college tuition and the secondary school tuition for my two sons since I lost my only source of income. They are frequently sent home to pick up school payments, which requires them to stay at home while their colleagues go about their studies. For this reason, I used the entire $30 I received from my transfer to partially pay off the school fee obligations my kids owed to their respective schools. I'm overjoyed that the kids were able to return to class and continue their studies. I was happy that the money from the transfer allowed me to pay my children's school expenses without having to ask a friend for a loan.

I had just woken up and finished brushing my teeth around 9 a.m. when my phone vibrated with a message notification. Immediately, I opened it to see the information it carried. I could not believe my eyes when I saw that Give Directly had sent the first transfer. It even took my partner and me thirty minutes to process, over breakfast, the good news brought to us that morning. If someone asked me if I would benefit from cash aid before, I would never have believed them. I was excited!

The greatest impact caused by the cash transfer is financing my trip to the hospital for my doctor's appointment. Had it not been for the transfer, I am not sure if I would have made it to the clinic on the scheduled day because I was running short of funds. I am glad that the money topped up the little that I had saved and made my bi-weekly check-up a success.

For the past three years, I have been suffering from tuberculosis. This condition requires me to visit the hospital after every two weeks for check-ups and follow-through by the doctor. By the time I received the transfer, my appointment date was almost approaching and I did not have enough money to visit the medical facility, which is located in Mariakani. So, I used KES 800 from the transfer to take care of the transport to and from the hospital. I supplemented the remaining funds with some savings I had to pay for the medication. I am glad my health is progressing well through the medicine and I have not faced any complications since.