By the end of this year, probably in November, I have a goal to finish building my house, which will make me glad and thankful once I achieve it. The house is now halfway complete, and with the incoming transfers, I am sure I will soon complete it once I acquire the remaining materials. For now, I have been seeking shelter at my son's or at one of my mother-in-law's houses, which I feel is not right for me, according to our customs. Therefore, I trust that once I complete this house and move in, it will earn me some pride, respect, and self-esteem. I never thought that this could be accomplished, as I had lost hope in life since I have no one I can depend on for now.

For the past three months, I have used $30 to buy three pieces of iron sheets for the project I started to construct a new house for myself. For now, I feel like a refugee, as I sometimes sleep at my son's house or other times at my mother-in-law's house. According to our beliefs, this is not the right thing to do, but since I have no other option, I have had to endure the embarrassment and humiliation. Currently, my new house is halfway complete, and I am confident that by the end of this year, it will be finished, and I will finally move into my own home. There, I believe I will regain the respect and pride I have yearned for so long. Also, since I have no job and we have been experiencing a severe drought, I used about $72 to buy enough food to sustain me for quite some time. I am so happy that it is now rare for me to go to bed with an empty stomach, as I did before, and for that, I will be forever thankful.

In the upcoming year and beyond, my primary goal is to fully pay off the solar panel, a significant milestone that ensures consistent lighting and phone charging capabilities in my home, all made possible by the financial support from the transfers. Additionally, I plan to prioritize purchasing food for my family, especially considering the uncertainty surrounding our farming prospects due to the lack of rains. As we await favorable weather conditions to cultivate maize and secure our food source, I'll allocate funds towards food purchases to ensure my family's well-being. I am profoundly thankful for the financial assistance provided by the transfers, which has significantly improved our quality of life and lifted us out of poverty.

Struggling with inadequate lighting in my house, I relied on a kerosene lantern, which not only provided poor illumination but also incurred high costs for kerosene refills. Recently, I opted to acquire a solar panel system with lighting and charging capabilities through a hire purchase arrangement. With an initial deposit of $4 and subsequent monthly installments of $14, I am now delighted to own this solar panel, which not only illuminates my home but also charges my phone. This switch has eliminated the need for kerosene purchases, resulting in significant cost savings. With the remaining $85, I prioritized purchasing food, as my livelihood depends entirely on farming. Living with my daughter-in-law and three grandchildren, we have encountered challenges with farming due to unpredictable weather patterns, leading to reduced harvests and reliance on expensive shop-bought food. Nevertheless, the financial support from the transfers has substantially alleviated our economic struggles, enabling me to provide for my family's needs more effectively.

In the upcoming year, my primary focus will be on acquiring the essential building materials to begin constructing a new home for myself. This will also provide my son with his own residence to return to from Mombasa during the holidays. Not only will this offer me privacy, but it will also ensure the security of my property. I am deeply grateful for the financial assistance I have received from the organization, as it has been a tremendous help during a period of financial hardship.

With my most recent transfer, I bought a variety of food items, including three packets of maize flour, wheat flour, cooking oil, tealeaves, and three kilograms of rice. These ingredients allowed us to prepare delicious meals that we savored over the festive period. I also slaughtered a goat that I had purchased with previous transfers. It brought me joy to see my family come together, enjoy themselves, and strengthen our bond during this time. Additionally, I allocated $60 to acquire 6 pieces of iron sheets as part of my plan to construct my own house. Currently, I reside in my son's house, and owning a home has long been a cherished aspiration. Financial constraints have hindered me from realizing this dream, but I am determined to save diligently in the days ahead, enabling me to procure all the necessary building materials and embark on constructing my new home.

Now that the recent harvest has provided my family with enough food that should last us until April next year, I can shift my focus to other pressing needs that I had to forego previously, as the transfers were primarily dedicated to purchasing food. My immediate goal is to build a new house. After my previous house collapsed, I moved in with my son's family. However, I don't feel entirely comfortable living with them, and I believe I am depriving them of space. Therefore, I aim to start purchasing building materials like iron sheets and tree poles to begin the construction process. I hope that the continued cash transfers will help me achieve this goal.

At the time I received the money, I was experiencing severe pain in my waist due to complications from the strenuous farming activities I had engaged in during the recent planting season. Since I didn't have the financial means to seek medical treatment, and my husband, who I rely on, couldn't afford it either, the cash transfers came as a lifeline for me to access healthcare. I used $14 from the transfer to cover my medical expenses, and I'm grateful that I have started to recover and can now manage some light household chores. After addressing my immediate health concerns, I allocated $15 to purchase three hens. I plan to let these hens breed and increase the flock over time. I believe that in the future, selling these animals will provide me with funds to meet my family's needs in times of emergencies. The remaining amount was used to buy essential food supplies such as sugar and vegetables. I'm immensely thankful to GiveDirectly for the support.

Courtesy of previous cash transfers, I obtained two goats that I have managed to keep to date. In the coming few years, I wish to have grown this herd so that it will be easy for me to sell some to support the needs of my family. Currently, I rely on casual tasks such as making charcoal and working on people’s farms for a living. The money I get from these activities barely puts daily bread on the table. I am confident that if I own livestock, hunger will no longer be an issue as I could sell the animals to buy food.

By the time I received the transfer, I had been suffering from Malaria for three days without funds to obtain medication. Also, the household had run out of food during those days and I could not work to raise money for more food due to the ailment. I usually rely on making charcoal to generate cash for my household needs. So, I spent $15 to get proper treatment from the hospital and the remaining $19 to obtain food. Am glad that my health was eventually restored and that my household has never run out of food to date. Thank you Give Directly!

After my house collapsed last year, I was forced to move into my son's house, which already accommodated his wife and child. I feel like am depriving them of privacy and my priority right now is to get a decent one-room house for myself. I know for sure that my hustle of burning and selling charcoal will not be sufficient to support this operation. Since it will be made of mud walls and an iron sheet roof, I approximate the construction cost at $300. To get there, I purpose to save at least $10 from each future cash transfer.

Due to my advanced age, I burn charcoal for sale, although I do not make much money from it. The process of removing wood logs for charcoal production takes a week. The most I can earn from it at the end of the month is $10, but that is insufficient to support us. God bless GiveDirectly for saving me. Since we began getting the transfers, life has been manageable, and at least we have been able to afford a full day's worth of food. I spent $30 of the last three months' transfers on a goat for breeding, and I used the remaining $64 to buy food for my family. Due to the ideal climatic conditions in our area, goats make wonderful investments and thrive there. If all goes according to plan, I should be able to sell some of them in the future to help pay for our upkeep.

My husband and I rely on charcoal burning to provide for our household of three people (plus my mother-in-law). In a good week, the hustle can generate around KES 500. Given the rising food prices, this amount can only provide food for three days, which leaves us starving or borrowing food from neighbors for the rest of the week. In fact, my household had run out of food a week before the transfer and we consecutively slept hungry. I remember calling Give Directly during that week to check when the next transfer would be sent because things were getting tough. This is why I prioritized food for KES 2750 when I received the money. I spent the remaining amount to buy a chicken and start rearing again following the loss of my previous flock of four hens from a chicken disease.

GiveDirectly has really come through for me. I too can fend for my needs now rather than always pestering my children. I am glad and I have gained some form of independence which I am grateful for.

Climate change has really affected us back in the village because it hardly ever rains anymore. I am quite old but i knew that I could work on a portion of my farm and the harvest would help me not worry when my next meal would be like I am now. That is why after I received the funds I went km to purchase a bag of maize that contained a dozen packets worth KES 1,600. Then I bought two hens for KES 1,000 because I wanted to begin practicing poultry farming with the aims of commercial benefit so that I could provide for myself. Lastly I used the what I was left with which was KES 400 to purchase sardines and sugar.

I was up early in the fields grazing the 2 remaining goats after I lost most of them to the effects of the drought. While in the field, I received a notification message on my phone. Unable to read, I waited until midday when I was back home, and gave my grandchild, who read the content of the message. He informed me of the good news that I received my first transfer. I felt very happy. Tears of joy flowed down my cheeks as I knelt down and prayed to God. I went ahead, withdrew the money, and bought food.

Buying the food is the biggest difference for me since I received the transfer. I have spent many days sleeping hungry because I have nothing to eat. This has made me very weak and unhappy too. I am happy that I have plenty of food to eat in my house and I am no longer worried about lacking food.  

My major challenge is to buy food to feed myself. I am a widow and have only one son whom I depend on to provide for my needs (food, clothes, and medication). My old age has prevented me from working, as I feel weak and can no longer work. He works as a casual laborer in town building houses. Because of his work, he does not work daily (maximum of 3 days a week) making him earn very little (500 per day). He struggles so much to send me money for my use because of the challenges he encounters. When he cannot send me money, I always sleep hungry and when it becomes unbearable, I buy food on credit. When I received my transfer, I spent it all on buying food. I had very little food left in my house and buying more food gave me assurance that I will not sleep hungry.