We are a family of seven people and living in a two-room space is quite challenging. The available space cannot comfortably accommodate all of us, so I had to arrange for my three eldest children to stay with their grandmother since they are grown up now. Moving forward, my main goal is to expand our current living space by adding an extra room in the coming year. This will create a more comfortable living environment for my family. To achieve this goal, I am saving a portion of my $20 monthly transfer in our merry-go-round group. My spouse also saves a portion of his earnings from casual jobs to help us raise the required amount to kickstart this project. Once it's my turn to receive my savings, I plan to use the money to build my dream house. I am truly grateful for the financial support, as without GiveDirectly, I wouldn't have been able to raise such an amount to improve our living conditions. I am optimistic that we will make a significant improvement to our living space before these transfers come to an end. I know that once we achieve this goal, it will make a positive impact on our family's quality of life.

I'm a peasant farmer who also burns and sells charcoal to support my family. Additionally, my spouse does casual jobs to help support us. It's challenging to meet our family's needs due to the unreliable income we have. Thanks to GiveDirectly for providing consistent financial support that has made financial planning easier for us. When I received my most recent transfer, I allocated $40 to save in our merry-go-round group because I want to invest in buying goats. This will ensure that our combined income allows us to afford what is valuable in our daily life. I also used $10 to pay school fees for my children to prevent them from being sent home due to fee balances. On a day when we didn't have food, I spent $4 on family consumption. With the remaining amount, I bought each of my five children a pair of shoes for $10 each, as their old ones had worn out. I also bought two goats, supplementing the remaining $34 with the savings I had from my merry-go-round to reach a total of $100 to buy two goats. These goats will serve as my future financial security.

Currently, I am living in a small two-room house with my seven children. Due to limited space, I have to send my older children to sleep elsewhere while I stay with the younger ones. For this reason, I am planning to build a three-room house. Before GiveDirectly, I couldn't achieve this due to a lack of capital. To reach this goal, I joined a merry-go-round group where we contribute $20 each month. Once it's my turn to receive my savings, I will use the money to build my dream house.

My spouse and I depend on our soap business to support our children, but the little we make from our work is not enough to meet all our financial needs. I greatly appreciate the support from GiveDirectly, which helps us supplement our income from the business. When I received my most recent transfer, I allocated $34 to buy a goat and added some money from my personal savings, as it was my turn that month to receive the merry-go-round contribution. We participate in a merry-go-round where we contribute a portion of our transfers each month to invest in assets that we couldn’t acquire on our own. I also spent $40 to contribute to the merry-go-round initiative, which has been incredibly helpful for us. With the remaining $28, I paid off some school fees for my children to clear the debt I owed the school.

The recent payout from the merry-go-round has addressed one of my foremost concerns regarding our sleeping arrangements. With this financial boost, I have been able to procure a bed and proper mattresses for both my children and myself, significantly improving our comfort and quality of rest. Inspired by the success of this saving strategy, where I allocate $20 of my transfers monthly, I am now looking to expand and enhance our living space. Our current residence, with only two rooms, is inadequate for my large family of seven. Consequently, my children are forced to seek sleeping accommodations elsewhere, which is far from ideal. With the next payout from the merry-go-round, scheduled in six months, I intend to initiate improvements to our home by purchasing necessary materials. Subsequent payouts, including the year-end one, will allow for the completion of these renovations. My ultimate goal is to provide a more spacious and comfortable living environment where all my children can reside under the same roof. This will not only foster a greater sense of family unity but also enable me to closely monitor and support my teenagers as they navigate their formative years.

To advance towards larger aspirations with the transfers, I made the strategic decision to join a local savings group, committing $20 of my monthly transfers to this endeavor. This disciplined approach allows me to allocate the remaining funds towards essential expenses such as school fees, household needs, and food supplies. During this quarter, I received my share of the savings, amounting to $100. This financial boost enabled me to invest in household items, notably a new bed at a cost of $50. This wider bed accommodates my larger mattress comfortably, alleviating the discomfort of previously fitting it onto a smaller bed. Consequently, the smaller bed has been passed down to my children, affording them the opportunity to experience the comfort of a new sleeping arrangement. In addition to enhancing our living conditions, the savings also facilitated the settlement of required school fees for all my children. This alleviates concerns regarding potential interruptions to their studies due to delayed payments. With this financial burden lifted, my children can pursue their education without apprehension, ensuring their academic continuity and success.

My goal moving forward is to accumulate a minimum of $50 in my savings group. I plan to use these funds to purchase cement to construct a concrete skirting around my house. Our current house has mud walls, which are not very durable, and I believe that adding concrete skirting will strengthen the foundation and protect it from damage in the future. After acquiring the cement, my further objective is to continue saving to accumulate money for other necessary building materials.

From the recent cash transfer, I allocated $34 to purchase a goat to allow it to reproduce, and eventually, I plan to sell the offspring to support my family's needs. As a result, I now have a total of seven goats, all thanks to the cash transfers. Additionally, I managed to save $40 through a savings group, which will serve as a financial safety net for times when my husband faces financial challenges. Another $14 was spent on settling school fees for my three children to clear some pending tuition balances and ensure their education remains uninterrupted. I also used an additional $14 to purchase new sandals for my school-going children, as their old ones had worn out. My husband is the primary breadwinner, selling small household items like soap in Malindi. His income primarily covers our family's food expenses. I'm pleased that the cash transfers have helped bridge gaps such as school fees for the children, relieving some of his financial burden. Moreover, these transfers have enabled me to venture into livestock ownership, which was previously beyond our means.

With three pregnant goats in my care, I see a promising opportunity to expand my herd and generate income when needed. By capitalizing on their reproductive capabilities, I plan to sell their offspring and meet my financial needs. Through diligent care and planning, I aim to build a sustainable source of income and secure a brighter future for myself.

In a tale of dedication and love, I, a devoted mother of five, took an active role in securing my children's education. With a strong sense of responsibility, I personally contributed $15 towards their school fees, working hand in hand with my husband to ensure their academic journey remained uninterrupted. Recognizing the significance of their midday sustenance, I eagerly allocated $15 to provide them with nutritious and delectable school lunches. As I carefully selected each item, I couldn't help but imagine their smiling faces as they opened their lunchboxes to discover the delightful surprises within. Amidst my tireless commitment to their education, I also acknowledged the importance of self-care. With a twinkle in my eye and a spring in my step, I reserved the remaining $4 to splurge on a pair of shoes just for myself. Walking in those new shoes, I couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of confidence and joy. I am forever grateful to GiveDirectly for their love and support.

Last year I was able to give some of my transfers to a local savings group which I joined. I am saving $20 whenever I can My hope is to facilitate the purchase of a bed and a mattress for my children as well as myself. My children now sleep on a mattress that already crumbled. The mattress has a split at the middle and the children have been having a hard time sleeping on it so I am saving so I could by them a better one so they can sleep well. I also want to upgrade mine as it is also in a wanting situation its just the one for my children is worse and that's what has made give them priority on this purchase. I also want to get a bit more animals for the family.

I have birth three months ago to my current last born and before I had given birth I had been asked to take a rest by the doctor as I was in a fragile position. This meant That I could not work as a herder or charcoal maker as before and it meant I had no income. Receiving this transfers has brought a big change in my life. In December I was able to get transfers that would allow give a befitting new year to my family I was even able to make local pastries known as "Mahamri". I bought foodstuff that we used for the celebration. I was also able to buy chicken to add to my animals at $2.5 each. I also bought a goat with my January transfers which is now adding to my animals. at $35. In February I had two of my children going to school and their uniform was not in good condition, I bought them school uniform at $15 and bought them books at $13. I was also able to get some sugar to use for that month and flour.

GiveDirectly did well to enroll me and provide me with monthly funds. I hope in the next five years they promised to give the funds, I will bring a change in my home to provide my family with basics like food and clothing and have a business that can generate income for the family.

My husband works as a hawker who sells homemade detergents and diapers while I work as a charcoal burner. We have four children. Three of our children are enrolled in school and most of our finances are used to pay for their school fees. As soon as I got enrolled in the support group, I joined a group of ladies in the same village and we formed a Merry-go round savings group which I discussed with my husband would help us finance some of our projects and goals we had. After receiving my second transfer, I saved $20 in the savings group and used the $10 to pay for my children’s school fees. I was grateful to have joined the savings group because the money collected every month by fifteen ladies was divided into two and given to two members until we all get our share of savings.

I received the confirmation message of the receipt of my first transfer at around 9 am when I was preparing to retire to bed. I was very excited, especially being my first time owning such an amount of money. I informed my spouse of the news, and he too was equally happy.

The biggest difference in my daily life is having been able to pay for my children's school fees on time. The money was a boost to our household income especially, to my spouse who is the main breadwinner. I am proud of having chipped in towards meeting our household needs.

We are six in our family, and we rely on my spouse who runs a small business. He has not been making enough profits from it of late due to the rapid rise in the prices of most commodities. In most cases, whenever he goes for restock he realizes the prices have doubled. This has led to the challenge of meeting our daily needs thus resulting in debts in school. At the time when I received the first transfer, our children owed the school arrears of KES 1000. I, therefore, paid KES 500 to reduce the balance and used the remaining KES 670 to purchase both corn flour and sugar for my family.