I have always dreamed of having a place I can truly call my own, where my family can have some security and live without the fear of eviction. Currently, we are living and farming on land that has been given to us, and this situation doesn’t sit well with me as I know one day we will have to move out and find a place of our own. To change this, I have been saving a portion of my transfers with the goal of purchasing the land we currently occupy so that we can live at peace without the fear of being evicted. My plan is to continue saving in our local savings group until I accumulate enough funds to buy this piece of land. Once I own it, I will finally have peace of mind. Another important goal for me is to ensure that my children can continue their education. To achieve this, I plan to use a portion of my transfers along with the earnings I make from my job as a cook at a school. This way, I can support both our dream of homeownership and my children’s studies.

My family and I currently live and farm in a borrowed place. We do not have a place to call our own home, and this has been making me uneasy. I have always dreamt of having a place to call my own, as this would give us a sense of security. To make this dream a reality, I've been diligently saving a portion of the transfers I receive from GiveDirectly, and I'm pleased with the progress I've made. Recently, I saved $51 in our local savings group to work toward this goal. Additionally, I spent $30 on school fees for my children, ensuring they can focus on their studies without the worry of being sent home for unpaid fees. I also allocated $7 to buy soap and oil so that we can all stay clean and presentable. Lastly, considering the harsh climate in our region, I used the remaining $14 to purchase food for my family, making sure we wouldn’t go hungry.

My goal is to save enough funds to purchase land, freeing my family from our reliance on my grandfather's hospitality. While he has provided us with land, I fear he may ask us to buy it or leave since we don't legally own it. Securing our own land will allow us to build a stable and secure home for my family. That's why I save part of my transfer every month for this purpose. Another important goal is to ensure my children can attend school without worrying about school fees. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity that GiveDirectly transfers have provided us.

When I received my most recent transfer, I allocated $32.40 to pay off arrears for my two children's school fees. I also purchased uniforms for them, spending $20 to ensure they have proper school attire. Additionally, I bought $30.60 worth of food for our family's consumption. With the remaining $15, I decided to save in our merry-go-round group towards buying land. Currently, we are staying with my husband's grandfather, and we may need to find our own land soon. Saving for this is important so that we can eventually have our own home.

My goal is to save diligently and accumulate enough funds to purchase land, liberating my family from the over two-year reliance on my uncle's hospitality. He had provided us land but now requests we either buy or vacate. Once we secure the land, we'll construct a home, providing stability and security for my family. My other plan is to ensure my children are in school without the burden of school fees. I'm filled with gratitude for the opportunity the GiveDirectly transfers have provided us.

December rolled around, and I knew exactly how I was going to spend the GiveDirectly transfers I was expecting that month – it all went into making sure my children had clothes and delicious food for the celebrations. Seeing them happy and all excited reminded me that amidst life's struggles, there are moments of pure happiness that money could bring. With six children and relying on charcoal sales, earning as little as $30 there was no way I could afford to treat them. As the new year dawned and the festivities faded, the reality of school fees and other school necessities loomed in. With the $34 from GiveDirectly, I managed to ensure that five of my children were in school with all the school requirements. Additionally, I contributed $34 to a savings group, facilitating not only access to loans when required but also enabling me to actively engage in a community initiative, something I couldn't have imagined without the transfers. I'm grateful for the support provided it has given us hope and a chance to build a better future for my family.

As I said I joined a savings group. We contribute $15 monthly from which we will divide at the end of the year. I hope to be able to purchase a piece of commercial land by end this year. With savings of about $200 I believe I can make a down payment for a piece of land that I have wanted for a long time and ensure that I can build structures to generate income as well as provide a place for my children to stay at.

I was able to join a savings group courtesy of being a Givedirectly beneficiary. I make monthly contribution which I believe will help me achieve my goals. I save monthly $15 and I saved in July and August from my transfers. I was also able to make payments for my school going children, $15 in July and August. In the month of September my youngest who is a year and 8 months fell ill, I used this amount to take the child for treatment and shopping for fruits which could help her improve her well being.

My husband and I look forward to completing the purchase of two acres of land. The cost of one acre is $500, so acquiring two acres would require a total of $1,000. At present, our family is living on my uncle's compound, and we appreciate the support he has given us. However, my spouse and I have always held a dream of having our piece of land where our children can grow up and thrive. Once we have secured the land, our next step is to build a house for our children.

With the recent cash transfer, I allocated $10 to cover the school fees of my two children who are currently in primary school. Fortunately, my husband had already taken care of the fees for our other two children. Education is a priority when it comes to my children and I want to ensure that they have access to quality education without frequent interruptions to collect school fees. I also managed to save $12 from the cash transfer. This savings is specifically dedicated to buying a plot of land. Currently, our family is residing on my uncle's compound, and while we are grateful for his support, my spouse and I have always dreamed of having our compound where our children can grow up. Both of us have been saving towards this goal, and am grateful that the cash transfer has provided us with an opportunity to accelerate our progress. The remaining $12 from the cash transfer was used to purchase food for our household. We had run out of food, and this allocation helped us meet our immediate needs and ensure that my children had enough to eat.

My intention is to buy some land this year. Because we don't have a place to build our house, we are now living in my husband's uncle's home. We need to own land since we have kids who will soon be adults and need a place to live. To do this, I have already started setting up $20 per month in my savings account, which I will then use to buy a piece. Since an acre costs $1,000, before the end of the year, I will pay the deposit and hunt for additional funding to finish the payments.

My entire life, I have primarily burned charcoal for sale. My ability to make money from excavating wood logs for burning charcoal decreased as I got older. I'm happy because I spent $34 two months ago to start a charcoal business. I currently buy the charcoal from the locals and sell it in the nearby markets. Compared to burning charcoal, it is less stressful and more beneficial. In addition, I paid $34 for my two children's tuition so they could start attending school when the schools recently reopened. Additionally, I spent $34 on new outfits for my kids so they would look well on Christmas. We give thanks for the organization because without the funding, we could not have accomplished anything we have.

I burn timber and sell charcoal for a living. I do not get a lot of customers because everyone else in my village is doing the same business. I get $3 for a sack and I sell at most three bags a month. My husband is also doing the same business where I am involved in the process of making the charcoal, packing them in sacks and he sells them in the nearby open market. My husband gets $6 a day which helps in paying school fees for my four children who are in school and food for the family. Earlier on I had three goats that produced milk for my family but died due to the drought that is currently with us. Receiving this money has helped me pay school fees for my children without strain as I also help my husband pay the house bills.

Poverty has been the biggest challenge for most if us back in the village and GiveDirectly is extending an olive branch by helping is through their transfers so that we could finally be rid of it and that is amazing. The transfers give us ample opportunity to cater for our most principal opportunities, especially education for our children so as they can have a better future. This most definitely means the world to us.

Two of my children just got enrolled to kindergarten this year but since I was low of funds I could not buy them all the necessary material they needed to attend school and specifically uniform, so they has even attending class with their normal home clothes. That is why when received the money I proceeded to purchase school uniform for them because I did not want them to keep feeling left out and not compatible with the other students. So I used KES 1,000 for both their uniforms and went ahead to also pay KES 800 for each of them because they had a debt in tuition fee. I was left with a debt in tuition fee for my two older children, so I ended up using the balance I was left with which was KES 400 and split in between the two of them equally. The debt was not clear but atleast it would keep the teachers at bay and keep them in school for the mean time.

The funds came in when I was sound asleep and I did not hear any message alert. When I woke up, I went through my phone and saw that I had received funds from give directly. This brightened my mood and I felt alleviated. I immediately shared the news with my husband and we both rejoiced. Before I went out to buy some food, I went to the farm to cut down some trees for our charcoal manufacturing business. After I was done, I went to the market to buy my family some sustenance as we had run out of it.

My husband and I have been struggling to put food on the table and even being timely in paying our children's school fees. They currently have arrears of KES 800. My last born is also supposed to start school in May and I need KES 1,000 to facilitate this. Although I have not gotten the means to do so. Now that I am receiving this money, I feel there's a great difference in my life. I have used it to purchase food at a time when we had none. With my next transfer, I plan on investing KES 4000 in my charcoal manufacturing business. In that, I will buy charcoal from other manufacturers so I may have more to sell, thereby earning me more profits. through this, I will be able to Comfortably provide for my family

I work collaboratively with my husband in the charcoal manufacturing business. Once the charcoal is ready, my husband goes out to sell it in the market. In 2 weeks, we will make around KES 600. From this, we try our best to provide for our five children's needs. My last born also is to start school in May but I still haven't been able to raise KES 1000 for her admission. I may be forced to postpone. Other than this, getting food has also been a challenge. The transfers came in when I had run out of it so, I opted to use it to buy more nourishments for my family.