With the roof of my house repaired, I am now focused on securing my financial sustainability, especially for the future when this program comes to an end. I have been saving my previous transfers from GiveDirectly in our local savings group, and my plan is to continue saving a portion of my future transfers so that when they mature, I can use the funds to buy goats. I am hopeful that these goats will multiply and increase in number and value, allowing me to trade them for cows in the future. I believe that the cows will also multiply and provide a substantial source of income to help address any challenges my family may face. Being a livestock farmer has always been my dream, as I believe livestock can be a significant source of wealth that will support my family when we encounter needs that require a considerable amount of money.

I have always had a dream of becoming a livestock farmer, specifically goats and cows, as I believe that they can be a significant source of wealth that will help me and my family in the future when we are faced with needs that require a significant amount of money. To realize this dream, I have been saving a portion of my transfers in our local savings group with the aim of acquiring livestock. I therefore saved $60 of my recent transfers from GiveDirectly in our local savings group, which I plan to use to buy goats once the money matures. I am hopeful that these goats will multiply and increase in number and value, which will allow me to trade them for cows in future. I am hopeful that the cows will also multiply and provide a great source of income to address any future challenges that my family may face. Additionally, my child had been sent home to collect school fees when the transfers came in, so I had to pay $10 for his school fees to ensure he could return to school and continue his studies just like the other children. Finally, with the ongoing drought and hunger that have faced our community, I spent the remaining $32 to buy food for my family so that we would not go hungry.

With the roof of my house repaired, I am now focusing my financial resources on purchasing livestock. This investment will provide a sustainable source of income through sales, even after the financial assistance program concludes in the next three years. As the livestock multiply, my herd will expand, offering ample opportunities for sales and enabling me to sustain myself. I am deeply grateful for the financial support from the transfers, which has profoundly transformed my life for the better.

Three years ago, prior to receiving financial assistance from Give Directly, my family faced significant challenges in meeting our basic needs. As a peasant farmer, the impact of drought severely affected our livelihood, leading us to purchase water for daily use, highlighting the severity of our situation. Fortunately, Give Directly intervened at the opportune moment, alleviating our financial burdens. Our house, particularly the aging iron sheets, posed another challenge as they were riddled with holes, allowing rainwater to seep into the house during the rainy season. To address this issue, my husband and I collaborated each month to purchase new iron sheets. I contributed $68 towards this effort, ultimately replacing all the old sheets and resolving the problem. Additionally, I invested $34 in purchasing a goat, recognizing its potential as a valuable asset for the future. This investment is poised to multiply and provide a safety net in case of emergencies. I am profoundly grateful for the financial support provided by Give Directly, which has significantly eased the struggles we once faced.

We are currently in the process of completely renovating our house's roof as the existing iron sheets are old, rusty, and permeated with holes, causing rainwater to seep in during wet weather. Replacing the roof will alleviate the challenges of safeguarding our belongings from rain damage. Our primary aim is to ensure the successful completion of the roof repairs. Additionally, we intend to allocate funds toward covering our children's upcoming school fees, ensuring their uninterrupted and effective learning when school resumes next week. The financial support from the transfers has been instrumental in achieving most of our goals, for which we are genuinely grateful.

We established a savings group comprising 12 close relatives and neighbors, with each member contributing $20 per month. Upon reaching the targeted amount, we evenly distribute $10 to two individuals, who utilize the funds for self-selected development projects. To date, I have received $300 from this initiative, which I utilized to acquire four goats and ten hens. Additionally, I directed a portion of the funds towards covering my children's school fees, including the successful completion of secondary education by one of my sons, made possible through assistance from the transfers. The remaining $42 was allocated to food purchases and further school fee payments. I am extremely pleased with the financial support I have received, as it has significantly improved my quality of life, allowing me to enjoy a better standard of living than before.

My husband and I have recently acquired 22 pieces of iron sheets, which will play a vital role in renovating our roof. The current iron sheets that cover our house have become heavily rusted, and there is a risk that they may develop holes, leading to leaks. By replacing the roof with these new iron sheets, I can finally bid farewell to the worry of a leaking roof. The financial assistance I am receiving has brought immense happiness into my life, as it has truly transformed my circumstances for the better.

I recently made a payment of $10 towards my son's school fees at Mariakani Secondary School, where he is currently in form. This payment ensures that he can continue his education without the fear of being sent home due to outstanding fee balances. In the past, he used to spend more than two weeks at home after being sent home, but thanks to the monthly transfers I receive from Give Directly, this situation has improved significantly. Additionally, I saved $20 by participating in a savings group known as a "chama." This group consists of five members, each contributing $20. Every month, one member receives a total of $100 to use for their preferred development project. With my portion, I purchased two goats valued at $60 and cleared a $40 school fee balance from the previous term for my son. This has been a source of great relief for me, as the financial assistance has had a substantial positive impact on my life and my family's well-being. With the remaining $4, I have been able to purchase essential items such as sugar, tea leaves, and other personal effects. This money has proven to be of tremendous assistance, especially considering that neither my husband nor I have well-paying jobs. My husband primarily focuses on cattle raising, which does not generate substantial income for our family.

By the end of this year, I hope to improve the condition of my house, which has been my sanctuary for the past five years. My plan is to buy one piece of iron sheet at a time until I have enough to conduct a complete roof makeover. I am concerned about the approaching rainy season and the potential for sleepless nights and damage due to the current state of the roof. Once my house is in good condition, I will be overjoyed.

The past year has been challenging for me and my family as we have struggled to meet our basic needs. However, when Give Directly enrolled me in their cash program, it was a huge relief. The money has enabled me to provide a good learning environment for my youngest son, who is in his final year of secondary school. Upon receiving my April transfers, I used $10 to pay his school fees, which means he has no outstanding balance and can sit for his end-of-term exam without any worry. I also saved $20 in a savings group to use in the future to improve the condition of my house, which is in a dilapidated state, with rusty iron sheets that let in rainwater during heavy downpours. With the remaining $4, I bought two packets of maize flour to feed my family. I feel happy knowing that every month, I have something to look forward to that will help me meet my family's daily needs.

By early next year, I will be happy if I would have repaired the roof of my house. It has rusted over the last ten years, and the perforations let in water whenever it rains, hence dampening my bedding. Am grateful for the last few cash transfers as they have allowed my husband and I to acquire 11 pieces of iron sheets to date. I plan to use half of every cash transfer to complete this exercise and direct the remaining half toward the education of my son in form four. I would be equally grateful if he studied through the remaining months of his high school education without being sent home for school fees.

The moment I realized the arrival of the transfers I was quite relieved especially since at the time my daughter was sitting for her last Secondary School exam and she had a debt in tuition fee. Therefore I ended up paying KES 1,000 for part of the tuition debt. I proceeded to spend another KES 1,000 on nourishment by purchasing five packets of maize flour because there was hardly any food in the house. As of now I still have a balance of KES 1,400 left on me, which I plan on saving because once the money accumulates I plan to invest in buying a couple of farm animals.

My smallest child is a senior in secondary school. I'm optimistic that he'll do well on his final exams and pursue his goal of becoming a lawyer. I have struggled mightily over the past three years to educate my son as a subsistence farmer. The ongoing drought caused me to lose my only source of income. To get money for his tuition, I sold all six of the goats at deeply discounted prices. As a result, I spent KES 1000 on his tuition when I got my transfer. In addition to paying for education, I set aside KES 1500 with the goal of purchasing livestock as a long-term investment. Once the cattle multiply, this will assist me in increasing my fortune. I'll sell some in an emergency and use the proceeds to meet my immediate demands. After using up all of the food in the house, I finally used the remaining KES 500 to purchase food.

Give Directly does an excellent job of giving funds to people suffering from hunger. We have had better access to food as a result of the transfers, and the hardships in the families have been reduced. Furthermore, the cash program has allowed us to grow as individuals by providing capital for our investment ideas. Give Directly does not have any flaws in my opinion.

Drought has persisted in my region for the past three years. The last time we harvested farm produce was in early 2020 when COVID-9 first emerged. It has been incredibly hard to find means of putting food on the table and fending for oneself since then. As a result, I have to rely on my sons ( a taxi driver and a medical practitioner) to meet my basic needs (food and shelter). To avoid being a burden to them, I have been considering keeping livestock as a source of income during times of need. As a result, I intend to use the transfer I received to purchase a goat.

I was working in the farm that day when I received the message that the I had received the money. But since I lacked the knowledge myself to read I asked my son to give me a hand in explaining it to me. That is when he confirmed that I had finally received then cash transfers from GiveDirectly, which left me quite ecstatic because the organization had delivered as promised.

My husband I are both subsistence farmers but as I had mentioned earlier drought has affected our livelihood and so with this money we have found another channel on how we could sustain ourselves in case the climate decides not to change for the better and still prolong the famine that is taking place.

After receiving this money I decided that I would make sure to use very diligently because drought has done a number on us when it comes to issues concerning with the productiveness in the farm and so starvation had become norm. Which is what lead me to ensure to make use of the money in the most appropriate so that it serves me well for a duration of time. After receiving the cash I went on and bought a kilogram of beans for KES 140, a half a kilogram of sugar worth KES 100 and lastly two packets of maize flour for KES 240. This was to cater for my nourishment needs for the time being. I was left with around KES 2,500, which I still have on me. I plan to keep on buying meals bit by bit, but apart from that I also wanted to perhaps buy a goat because I already own three and I wanted to have more so that after they produce I could sell a couple and help provide for my family from time to time.