As a parent, my heart is heavy knowing that my four children have not yet been able to attend school. The visible disappointment on their faces as they watch their peers going to school speaks volumes about their unhappiness. My main objective is to rectify this situation by diligently saving money from my transfers, which I plan to utilize for enrolling my children in school. I firmly believe that education is an essential foundation for success, and witnessing my children acquire the necessary skills in school will bring me immense joy.

My husband and I are both peasant farmers, and during the rainy season, we work diligently on the farm to ensure an ample food supply. Besides farming, we also sell charcoal to make a living, but unfortunately, it doesn't bring in much money. These financial challenges have plunged our family into deep poverty. Recently, I managed to partially pay my eldest son's $10 school fees, as he is currently attending secondary school. Although there is still a remaining debt of $30, I am grateful that he hasn't been sent home and is still able to continue his education. However, I feel great sadness knowing that my four other children have not yet been able to enroll in school because we cannot afford their school fees. To sustain our family, I spent $14 on purchasing food, which should last us for a few days until we figure out a way to acquire more. Additionally, I allocated $10 to buy new clothes for myself since my wardrobe only had two torn pairs left. I am now content because these new clothes make me look presentable, a significant improvement from before.

Owing to the current situation in our area, obtaining food has been extremely hard. Despite the attempt by the entire community to do farming, our crops have been failing for the last four consecutive seasons. It leaves us with no option but to dig tree roots for charcoal burning. However, with the assurance of the monthly transfers, I have a goal to always focus on obtaining food for my family of ten members. I shall, therefore, be spending a large proportion of my transfers to acquire food every month probably for the rest of this year. It will play a key role in reducing my stress.

We live in extreme poverty, and every day we desire to work harder to break the cycle of poverty. As it has been our trend since we first received the initial transfer, I saved $ 10 in a merry-go-round. We are few, just a group of 10 members, and we can always borrow some money when financially constrained to meet core family needs; educational and nutritional needs. We could not be able to build our savings before GiveDirectly's program. Although I had other needs; clothing, food, and school fees, I prioritized spending $14 on maize flour and other foodstuff. I also spent $10 on paying school fees for my children, and I am relieved they are advancing well with their studies.

Giving people affected by poverty, such as myself, unconditional money is one of the greatest things Give Directly does. I am grateful for the transfers I have received so far, as they have pulled me from hardships I never imagined were possible to relieve. Give Directly has done nothing wrong in my opinion.

Life has put my husband and me through the wringer, especially with the ongoing drought and having ten children to support. It has not been an easy journey. We rely heavily on charcoal burning to meet our family's necessities, particularly food and school expenses. However, the earnings are not sufficient. The physical rigors of the practice hinder us from producing much charcoal. Also, imagine digging tree stumps on an empty stomach while pregnant; you won't go very far. The best we can make in two weeks is $10, which barely fits to feed all of us. Right now, we are unable to enroll nine of the children in school because we cannot pay the costs. When I started receiving transfers, I began buying and rearing chickens. At least, as they multiply and grow, I will be able to sell them to help fund my children's education. So I spent $6 on four more hens. $13 went toward food, and $5 went toward my fifth-grade daughter's school fees. I saved the remaining $10 through a self-help group to help me with my needs whenever am stuck. 

It was late in the evening, and I was just at home. The day had been tiresome since I was out in the forest digging tree roots for charcoal burning. When I received my transfer, I felt just good. At first, I did not believe it, and I had to confirm that was a Mpesa message. In my life, I had never received a transfer like that, and that excited me even more. Without delay, I hurriedly went to withdraw the cash and spent part of it on maize flour because what we had was insufficient. I am grateful to GiveDirectly.

I have experienced a positive change in my way of life ever since I received my most recent transfer. I have restarted poultry farming after losing a flock of hens. With a new beginning, I have high hopes for having more hens in the next year. Additionally, I invested in various outfits that help me look smart. Despite being second-hand, these are much better than the originals I had. I am quite appreciative of GiveDirectly for the financial support.

For some months, I had been longing to begin fraising domestic fowl. Previously I had a flock that died due to the outbreak of domestic fowl-related diseases. From then, I had no money even to buy a hen. Therefore when I received my latest transfer, I spent $5 on two chicks. I am hopeful that they will grow into a large flock that can help us raise some additional income for the family. Since I had insufficient foodstuff, I used $5 on maize flour, and I was glad that for two days, my family members ate to their satisfaction. Lastly, I used $1.7 on some second-hand clothes. The set of clothes I previously had was old and unpresentable.