My house developed serious cracks at the beginning of June this year and is on the verge of collapsing. My accomplishment in the coming year and beyond is to swiftly build a new two-roomed house that will accommodate all nine members of my family. This month, I spent a portion of the transfer to purchase building poles. I will continue to purchase all the necessary building materials and then immediately commence construction. I am very appreciative of the financial transfers so far, as they are helping me live a better life with my family.

Last month, my house developed serious cracks and tilted dangerously, almost collapsing. I spent $17 to purchase building poles to kick-start the process of constructing a new two-roomed house before the current one collapses and leaves me homeless. Additionally, I spent $17 to pay a school fee debt for my youngest daughter, which allowed her to return to school. I also bought her a new pair of school uniforms to replace the old and worn-out ones. I invested $20 in purchasing four hens with the goal of rearing them so that once they multiply, I can sell them for a profit. I also spent $14 to fix a door on my son's house to ensure his safety and the security of his belongings. Last month, I welcomed a new bundle of joy and spent $17 on transportation to and from the hospital. I am glad the baby is well and doing fine. Lastly, I purchased food for the family worth $11, ensuring that we had enough to eat and never lacked food. I am very appreciative of the financial transfers, especially because both my husband and I earn very little from our respective jobs. My husband, a fisherman, is struggling to make ends meet due to the dried rivers caused by harsh climatic conditions. As a subsistence farmer, I have never harvested anything from the farm because of the bad weather. Thanks to the money from the transfers, we are able to live a better life and meet our basic needs.

My priority is to purchase a mattress for my three children, who have been sleeping on a plan leave woven mat that needs frequent replacement. I believe we can provide them with a more durable sleeping solution that will last for several years with the mattress. Following this, I plan to continue investing in livestock such as chickens and goats. As these animals reproduce, I can sell them to generate additional funds to support my children's education, thereby alleviating the financial burden on my husband, who works tirelessly as a fisherman.

My family relies on my husband's income as a fisherman, who works tirelessly along the river to provide for our ten children, seven of whom are currently enrolled in school. Despite his hard work, he earns at most $10 for four days of work each week, with the majority of his earnings dedicated to supporting our children's education. Recently, one of our sons advanced to junior high school, but we lacked the necessary funds to purchase essential materials such as uniforms, school bags, and books. Therefore, I allocated $34 to acquire these materials, ensuring that he could settle into his new academic environment without any obstacles. Additionally, I used $24 to settle tuition debts for my three children in kindergarten. Furthermore, I invested $35 in purchasing a goat and a cock, intending to rear these animals to generate income for covering future school fees for my children. The remaining funds were utilized to purchase household items such as food to support our family.

My foremost goal is to bring security and stability back to my family by renovating our home. The recent collapse of one room has left me deeply concerned about the safety of my loved ones. I feel a profound responsibility to provide them with a secure and comfortable living space. To achieve this, I am determined to raise the necessary funds for the renovation. Every effort, every penny saved, is a step toward rebuilding not just the physical structure but the sense of security that a home should provide. With anticipation and a strong sense of purpose, I look forward to the day when my family can once again find solace and safety within the walls of our renewed home.

Using part of my recent cash transfer, I decided to invest in the productivity of my one-acre farm. I hired a close neighbor to assist with the early preparation of the land, spending nearly $20 on this project. The physical strain of working the entire farm alone had limited my yield in the past, and I am hopeful that with this additional help, my harvest will significantly increase. The ongoing rains have further boosted my optimism, as they bode well for a successful farming season, alleviating the specter of famine that has often loomed over my family. With the remaining $14.7, I prioritized securing food for my eleven family members. As a casual laborer, I earn around $25 a week, and with my spouse working as a fisherman, our combined income is modest. This allocation is aimed at ensuring our immediate sustenance, especially during times when jobs might be scarce or the fishing haul is less abundant. The unconditional cash transfer has been a welcome relief, not just addressing our current needs but also providing an opportunity to break the cycle of limited harvests and financial insecurity that has persistently plagued us.

Prior to the cash transfers, I faced challenges in providing for my family and supporting my children's education. However, since receiving the cash transfers, I have been able to invest in goats, which has given me hope for the future. With the cash transfers, I have managed to grow my herd of goats to seven, and my goal is to reach twenty goats. As I continue to grow my herd and work towards my goal of twenty goats, I am optimistic that selling some of them in the future will allow me to invest in cattle. This progression will not only secure my family's financial future but also ensure that my children's education remains a top priority.

I usually prioritize spending the cash transfers on goats and school fees for my three children; one in secondary school and two in primary school. Recently, I used $20 to buy a goat, which I believe will contribute to growing myl wealth and eventually support my children's education. I also allocated $5 towards settling school fees, ensuring that there are no outstanding debts and that my children can continue their education without interruptions. Another $9 was used to purchase food. With the support of the cash transfers, I have managed to accumulate a total of 7 goats, which gives me hope for my children's future. We rely on various sources of income to make ends meet. I engage in charcoal burning and making donuts, while my husband fishes at the river to provide for the family. The cash transfers have been a lifeline for our family, empowering us to invest in our children's education and create a better future for them.

While growing up, I desired to pursue academic excellence. However, my dream was cut short due to poverty, my parents were too poor to afford my education expenses. When I got enrolled in GiveDirectly's program, I resolved to support my children's education with the transfer. At the beginning of this year, I revisited the same goal and did not see a need to develop a new goal. Therefore, my sole goal that I work to accomplish by the end of this year is to see my children go to school courtesy of the transfers. Both my husband's and my wages are too low to cater to their academic needs.

I have three children; Hamisi, Jackson, and Jumaa. All of them are enrolled in school now. When I received my recent transfer, they were home due to my inability to pay their school fees in time. Their total outstanding school fees were $60. I spent the whole of my recent transfer, $34 on school fees payment. As a result, the arrears went down, and teachers were at last happy hence they were allowed in school despite the accrued balance. I am glad that they are progressing well with their studies. The other transfers for the last three months helped me to acquire three goats that I added to my flock, and now I have five goats. I am optimistic that these will be beneficial to my family. My work is to make charcoal, and my husband's.

My husband and I both work as casual workers and rely on the sale of charcoal for our income. Our daily income is less than $3, so we barely make ends meet. We struggle to cover our children's primary school tuition with such a meager sum. My main objective for the entire year is to use a significant portion of the funds from the transfers to pay for my children's tuition. By preventing them from quitting school, this will allow my kids to fully focus on their education. I'm also interested in raising livestock. Four goats that I currently own were purchased with funds from the transfers. The reason I want to buy more this year is so that I can sell the extra goats in case of an emergency and use the proceeds to help myself.

After the arrival of the donations, I felt like huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders especially since my children were literally on the verge of being kicked out of school. Therefore, the minute I got the chance to withdraw the money I went ahead to pay KES 1,500 to be split among the three of them equally. I also decided to buy a duck which also cost me the same amount. Lastly I spent the remaining KES 400 by purchasing two packets of maize flour so that we would have a meal.

Part of the roof to my house was blown away by the strong winds two weeks ago. Since then, I am having sleepless nights because of the rains and chilly weather. I covered the house using sacks because I have no money to repair the house. My husband who is a fisherman is struggling to repair the house because there are no fish in the rivers. Therefore, when I received my transfer, I bought two pieces of iron sheets at KES 2000 and repaired my house. I am happy that I sleep peacefully and soundly. Besides buying the iron sheets, I bought food worth KES 500 and paid school fee arrears for my four children who are in lower primary classes.

What GiveDirectly does well is supporting us through the unconditional cash transfers, I know in five years time, the transfers would have changed lives of thousands in various way. This was a great intiative that you took and we are so grateful for the support.

I burn and sell charcoal to earn living while my husband is a fisherman. All our efforts combined, we have been raising our five children and giving them the best that we could afford. For the last one year, my charcoal business hasn't been doing well because it's been a struggle to find trees to burn due to deforestation. I wanted to give up on the business and focus on something else such as rearing livestock but I lost almost all my livestock to severe drought last year. When I was enrolled in the program, my goal was to buy livestock, at least one goat per month because goats can thrive so we'll under harsh climatic condition compered to cows. I spend my recent transfer to buy a goat. I now have four goats and I want to focus on rearing them as I look forward to buy more.

I can't express how happy I was when I received the funds. At the time, I was busy in the kitchen cooking for my children. So, when the message came in, I finished what I was doing, served the kids some food, and then I rushed out to withdraw the funds.

The funds are very helpful, especially with my children's school fees. I managed to reduce their arrears by KES500. Even so, I still cannot tell the big difference these funds have brought into my life but I believe with more transfers, I will be able to tell.

I am a mother of four children. Providing for all of them, my husband, who works as a fisherman, and I, working as a charcoal manufacturer, both work collaboratively to ensure that their needs are well taken care of. When I received my transfer, the children had school fee arrears of KES2000. so I used KES500 to reduce the arrears of the one who is in class five. As for the one who is in class 8, he lacked proper school uniforms, so, I used KES500 to purchase new ones and the remaining KES200 I used to buy some soap.