This year, my plan is to continue purchasing building materials and cover labor costs for myself a new house. Right now, I am very old and sleeping in a kitchen where we cook with firewood, which creates a smoky environment that is not conducive to sleep—especially for someone my age. I long for a space with clean air, free from smoke, and I truly hope that this dream will come true, as it would bring me great happiness. Once the housing project is complete, I intend to use my future transfers to buy goats and chickens. My hope is that they will multiply and increase in number and value, providing me with financial security once this program comes to an end and therefore have something reliable to depend on in the future. I am very optimistic that soon I will be sleeping in a good space.

I live and sleep in a kitchen where we cook with firewood, which fills the space with smoke and makes it quite congested. For a long time, I’ve dreamt of having a small, separate house where I can enjoy clean air, free from smoke. To make this dream a reality, I’ve been gradually purchasing building materials using the transfers that I have been receiving from GiveDirectly, as buying everything at once would be too expensive. I was therefore able to spend $96 of my recent transfers on iron sheets, which is a significant step towards building my new home. With the remaining $6, I bought some food to supplement what we already had, ensuring that we would have something to eat. I’m truly excited about my new house and hopeful that soon I will be able to sleep in a smoke-free space.

My primary objective with my upcoming transfers is to invest in additional livestock. Currently, my three grandchildren are enrolled in primary school, and I recognize that there is a long journey ahead in terms of their education. By acquiring more goats, I aim to establish a reliable income stream that will support their educational endeavors, potentially even funding their university education in the future. The financial support I am receiving brings me immense satisfaction, as it enables me to lay a strong foundation for the future well-being of my family.

After enduring a relentless six-year drought, I faced the heartbreaking decision to sell nearly 30 goats and 10 cows to mitigate the impact of hunger on my family. Though the proceeds were modest, they provided essential funds to purchase food for my household of five. Enrolled in a program aimed at rebuilding lost assets, I was determined to restore the wealth I had prior to the drought. From my previous transfers, I managed to save $150, which I invested in purchasing a bull. This investment has proven invaluable in several ways. Firstly, the bull assists me in fetching water from the nearby water pan, a task I struggle with due to my advancing age. Additionally, it aids in plowing my 2-acre farm during the rainy season, allowing me to cultivate crops and generate income by offering plowing services to others. The earnings from these endeavors have been instrumental in supporting the education of my three grandchildren, whom I care for. Recognizing the importance of future investments, I recently acquired a goat for $30. I view this as a long-term asset, particularly beneficial for my grandchildren's future. As the financial support continues over the five-year duration, I anticipate having a reliable source of income to finance their education and other needs. With the remaining $4, I purchased new clothes to replace worn-out garments, enhancing our quality of life.I am profoundly grateful for the financial assistance provided.

My primary goal is to expand my livestock holdings, focusing on goats and chickens, allowing them to multiply. In my elderly years, as I can no longer engage in productive work due to declining health, managing livestock remains my sole viable asset. Presently, I possess two goats and a number of chickens, with plans to acquire more through the cash transfers. These assets serve as my dependable financial resource, essential in my current situation of being homebound with no income source.

I have faced ongoing food shortages in my home. To address this, my son and I, who also benefit from the transfers, pooled our funds and were able to purchase a pair of oxen, with my contribution being $70. Owning these oxen not only ensures the timely cultivation and preparation of my four-acre farm but also promises a better harvest. In the past, I couldn't utilize my entire acreage due to the high cost of renting oxen and my use of subpar farm tools, resulting in poor harvests that didn't sustain us for even a month. I'm relieved that, as an elderly individual lacking the physical strength for farming, having a pair of oxen will expedite and simplify my farming processes. Achieving a good harvest will guarantee a stable food supply for my household. Additionally, I spent $30 on my three grandsons' school fees, preventing any interruption in their education due to accumulating fee arrears. I'm pleased that their return to school was possible due to this financial support. I also allocated $10 for new clothing and purchased various foodstuffs and household items that were previously lacking.

I've held a long-standing aspiration to raise livestock, but unfortunately, financial limitations have consistently stood in my way of independently acquiring them. The modest support I received from my children primarily covered our basic needs and essential household expenses. However, I am glad that my efforts in agriculture have yielded positive results. By diligently cultivating my fertile land, I achieved a significant harvest that holds the promise of alleviating the ongoing challenge of food scarcity in my household. This favorable outcome has provided me with the opportunity to reallocate my resources toward new pursuits, with a particular emphasis on acquiring livestock. At this moment, my goal centres on directing my financial assistance towards obtaining livestock, particularly focusing on goats due to their manageable maintenance requirements. As these animals reproduce, I hold a strong belief in my capacity to eventually sell them, effectively addressing my financial needs.

I spent my recent transfers mainly on purchasing both foodstuffs and necessary medications. I hold a deep appreciation for GiveDirectly, as this support has relieved the challenges I faced in securing nourishment, particularly given my advanced age and lack of reliable caregivers. Additionally, my health woes often necessitated visits to medical facilities, and the provided transfers have been instrumental in covering these crucial medical expenses. Without this financial assistance, accessing the required healthcare would have proven arduous. Furthermore, the funds have facilitated a balanced diet, ensuring that I consistently partake in three meals a day whenever resources are available.

Now that I own two cows, thanks to previous cash transfers, I plan to buy goats as well. While the cows help with land preparation tasks, the goats will serve as an additional source of income in times of emergency. Also, owning goats will allow me to support the education of my three grandchildren and help relieve the burden on their father, who handles depends on casual jobs. Am happy that the goat I bought last year recently delivered twins, which gives me great hope for the future.

If the cash program ended without investing in it, I would be very sad and disappointed in myself. As much as hunger is a serious problem in my household, I feel that if I focused only on eradicating it, I would never achieve any growth. My inspiration for owning cows goes back to before I started receiving monetary aid. I believe that I can make an income from leasing out these cows for plowing and land preparation. I have been saving $30 from each transfer to buy the animals and an ox plow. Since I had previously secured the ox plow, am happy that the recent cash transfers concluded the acquisition of the two cows. Am excited to start training them for the task, especially with the onset of the rainy season. Also, I mostly spend the remaining $4 on additional food.

I am too frail and old to work by myself. I rely heavily on my son, a subsistence farmer, for financial assistance. Given that I am unable to work, the money I receive from GiveDirectly enables me to meet my immediate needs. I used my previous transfer to purchase a goat, who has since borne two kids. In that my initial investment has since multiplied, purchasing the goat was a wise investment. I purchased a second goat after receiving my transfer because of this reason. I have high hopes that the goats will proliferate and bring me wealth as a result. I'll sell some of the goats once they've multiplied to enormous numbers, using the proceeds to take care of my needs and lessen my son's burden.

Give Directly works well by providing financial assistance to the neediest. Words cannot express the degree of gratitude I hold toward the organization for reducing hunger in my family. Unlike before, we consume meals daily and hardly skip any. In my opinion, the Give Directly cash program is perfectly engineered and I cannot pinpoint anything wrong.

Due to old age, I cannot partake in any activity to raise cash. So, I strictly rely on my son to fend for the family. He takes on several casual jobs to earn money, which include rearing livestock, splitting logs for charcoal making, and clearing vegetation, at a fee, to prepare land for planting. The unreliability of the hustles sometimes bars him from fully providing for the needs of our family of five individuals. Hunger being the main problem, I channeled KES 2,000 from the transfers to buy food. Additionally, I saved KES 1,000 to purchase a goat later. I would like to commend Give Directly for giving us cash aid alongside educative ideas on how we may wish to invest the transfers in. My goal of keeping livestock as a source of income was inspired by the organization and I could not be happier.

I was in my room immersed in deep thoughts about where my next meal was going to come from. A few minutes later, my grandchild came in running inside the house shouting my name. He informed me I had received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. Wow! I could believe it. I jumped out of the bed and started singing and praising God for the miracle.

Imagine being helpless, going through a tough moment, but you cannot help because you are blind? That is the situation that I have endured together with my family. Lack of a stable income has forced us to sleep hungry, survive on meals a day and incur debts. When I received the transfer, buying the food made a big difference in my life and that of my family. We now have plenty to eat and we no longer sleep hungry.

I am a widow who depends fully on my son for my basic needs (food, clothing, and medical care). My life is full of misery and suffering. Problems started when my daughter-in-law committed suicide and left behind four children under my care. A few months later, my eldest son became demented and left home, never to be seen again. I am currently under the care of my son, who earns a living by raising livestock. His earnings are very little to support the whole family (4 grandchildren and me). To add salt to the injury, I am partially blind so I cannot help my son to take care of the family. As a family, we have struggled to put food on the table, forcing us to sleep hungry often (three times a week) and incur some debts by buying food on credit. Therefore, when I received my transfer, I spent it all on buying food (12 packets of maize flour, 2 kg of sugar, 2 kg of maize, 2 loaves of bread, and tea leaves) for the family after two days of having nothing to eat.