It is embarrassing to admit that we do not have a latrine in our homestead where we can relieve ourselves but instead go to the bush. This has been a source of discomfort, and I have decided that this year, I will build one for my family. I plan to use a portion of my transfers to buy the necessary building materials and build it. Once it is completed, I will feel a great sense of relief and happiness. I also have a big goal of building a new, larger house to better accommodate my family. The one I live in is too small and in poor condition, and not conducive to hosting relatives during special occasions. With a portion of my future transfers, I plan to gradually buy building materials to construct a spacious and comfortable home. This new house will allow us to warmly welcome guests and ensure that everyone has enough space to feel at ease. Once this house is built, I will use my transfers to buy goats, hoping that they will multiply and increase in number. This will help provide a reliable source of income, especially when this program comes to an end. Having livestock will give me something to rely on for the future. I am truly grateful for the support.

Our region has been facing a very severe and prolonged dry spell, which has dried up all our crops and left us with no food to feed our families. The transfers from GiveDirectly have been a great help during this difficult time. With my recent transfers, I spent $83 to buy food for my family, ensuring that we would not go hungry. Additionally, it is quite embarrassing to admit that we do not have a latrine, and instead, we have had to use the bush. This situation has been weighing heavily on me, and I decided to build one. I therefore spent $5 of my transfers to begin purchasing building materials for a pit latrine. I am hopeful that very soon, it will be completed. I also spent $4 to pay for my children’s school fees, so they would not be sent back home due to unpaid fees. Lastly, there were government surveyors in our region, and I paid $10 to have my land surveyed so that I can obtain a title deed. This is an important step toward securing my family's future. I am deeply grateful for the support I have received. I am filled with appreciation for the opportunities it has provided during such challenging times.

I have a big goal of building a new, larger house to better accommodate my family. The current house is too small and in poor condition, which makes it difficult and uncomfortable to host relatives during special occasions. With the upcoming transfers, I plan to buy building poles and other essential materials to construct a spacious and comfortable home. This new house will allow us to warmly welcome guests and ensure everyone has enough space. Right now, I feel uneasy whenever we have visitors because the house is too cramped for my family. This support has given me the opportunity to work towards meeting our housing needs and creating a more inviting environment for our loved ones.

I spent $68 from the recent transfers to buy two goats, which I’m now keeping at home. I've wanted to get goats for a while, but financial difficulties, including reliance on a small business selling traditional herbs, made it impossible until now. I believe these goats will provide significant relief, as I can sell some in the future to cover household expenses. I also managed to pay $15 in school fees for my seven grandchildren. Their father, who is my son, is currently caring for them after their mother left, but he doesn't have a stable job. I wanted to support their education because they’ve been in and out of school, and I dream of giving them a better future through consistent schooling. Lastly, I spent $19 on food, which has been very helpful since we didn’t have a harvest this season due to the drought.

I am determined to build a new, larger house to accommodate my family members. The current one is too small and in a state of disrepair, making it difficult and unpleasant to host relatives during holidays or special occasions. With my upcoming transfer, I intend to purchase building poles and other essential materials to construct a spacious and comfortable home where we can warmly welcome guests when needed. I am deeply grateful for the financial support provided by the transfers, as they have significantly improved the quality of life for me and my family. This assistance has empowered me to work towards fulfilling our housing needs and creating a welcoming environment for our loved ones.

For the past decade, I've earned a living by selling local toothbrushes, a job that has supported my family's needs. Currently, my wife and I are actively cultivating maize on our two-acre farm, hoping for plentiful rains and a bumper harvest. A successful harvest will not only ensure food security but also provide financial resources to enhance our quality of life. Recently, I invested in livestock by purchasing a goat for $45, supplementing the cost with earnings from my business. With this addition, I now own six goats, all acquired using funds from the transfers. These animals will serve as valuable assets for the future, offering security and potential income. In addition to supporting my immediate family, I assisted my son in paying $34 in school fees for my six grandchildren. They had been sent home due to outstanding fees, but with the financial assistance, they were able to return to school, complete the term, and sit for their exams. Furthermore, when my son's house collapsed earlier this year due to heavy winds, I contributed $34 towards purchasing building poles to help him set up a new home. I am relieved that he now has a safe and comfortable dwelling, protected from the elements. I am grateful for the financial support provided by Give Directly, as it has enabled me to fulfill my responsibilities to my family and improve our overall quality of life.

In the future, I aim to build a larger house to host visiting relatives and friends, particularly during holidays and family events. My current two-roomed house is too small to accommodate my relatives. This expansion will greatly contribute to fostering lasting relationships with my relatives, as they will feel welcome to visit without concern for space. I am delighted with the financial support from GiveDirectly and am confident that I can realize my next dream with the assistance of these transfers.

I made a significant investment from my transfer by purchasing two goats for $70. I have a particular fondness for goats due to their rapid multiplication, providing a fallback option for emergencies where I can sell some to help myself. Additionally, I have a plan to rear the goats and eventually exchange them for a cow, as my long-term goal has always been to own a dairy cow, which will serve as a good source of income through selling milk. Recently, I exchanged five goats for a calf, and I am thrilled to have achieved one of my long-term goals of owning a cow, thanks to the financial support from GiveDirectly. I also spent $12 on food purchases, as my income from selling local toothbrushes in Mombasa town is limited. I am very pleased that the financial transfers have helped me achieve my goals and meet my family's basic needs.

I am in the process of constructing a new, larger house due to the poor condition and lack of space in my current home. I aim to have a spacious home that can comfortably accommodate my family of four and any visitors coming our way. At the moment, I have been purchasing building poles, and my current objective is to save enough money to acquire iron sheets and timber. My aspiration for the upcoming year and beyond is to achieve the goal of having a spacious house.

Thanks to GiveDirectly, my household no longer struggles with the issue of food. Previously, we relied on subsistence farming, which ensured food security for several years. Furthermore, I used to earn about $12 every two weeks by burning and selling charcoal, which helped cover some of my household expenses. Unfortunately, the onset of drought made life unbearable, making farming and charcoal sales impossible. Providing food for my family became a daunting task without a reliable source of income. However, since receiving the transfers, I have been able to buy a sufficient supply of food for my family each month, including maize flour and other cereals. I am happy that despite financial challenges, the transfers have allowed us to have three meals daily. Furthermore, I am currently building a new house because my current one is quite small. I have set aside some of the funds to buy additional building materials for the new house.

My goal is to be a farmer venturing in livestock rearing, and I would achieve this by spending most of my transfers on buying goats and have a large farm and. This would reduce the chances of my family going hungry or lacking some necessities in the future because I would have something to trade and get money.

For the love of animals, I would want to rear as many animals as I could, but with the financial challenges reaching that level had not been easy. Therefore with the transfers that I received I spent the whole amount of KES. 3470 and added some amount of money that I had to purchase a goat. I believe that the animals multiply in numbers enable me sell them whenever I would be in need of finaces.

Considering the drought that has persisted for years in my region, Give Directly is doing great sending us money that helps put food on the table. Besides that, the money allows some of us to buy and rear livestock as an investment for the future. Particularly, I am very happy that the transfers enabled me to buy a goat. Everyone in my village recognizes the great charity of the organization and we are all contented. I could not think of anything that the organization does wrong. 

I always wished to own a goat but financial constraints and the high cost of living barred me from buying one. It has been hard to save the little earnings I make from selling chewing sticks because it all goes towards the basics like food for my wife and five grandchildren. I was so excited about the cash transfers that I spent the whole amount on a goat. Thank you Give Directly for turning my desire into reality. Owning livestock is like having a personal bank, where I can simply exchange them for money to meet my household needs. I am grateful that I got to start with a goat. I cannot wait to also own sheep and cattle as time goes by. 

I had just returned from a long day in the field where I had spent my time harvesting toothbrushes from tree twigs. I was getting ready to go to bed when my wife came over and informed me that I had received my first transfer. After hearing the good news, I couldn't stop grinning. Given that I hadn't anticipated getting that much money on that specific day, I couldn't believe it.

The ability to feed my family has made the biggest difference for me since receiving the transfer. I struggled a lot before getting the transfer because my business's customer base was declining. I don't earn nearly enough money to support my entire family's needs. Thanks to the abundance of food in the house, my family no longer misses meals, for which I am grateful.

My wife is a farmer, and I make a living by selling local toothbrushes in the town. We have recently encountered significant obstacles in our various jobs that affect our ability to support ourselves. In light of the effects of the protracted drought, my wife hardly ever works on the farm. On the other hand, because fewer people are purchasing the tooth brushes, my business is struggling. My family frequently has to miss meals because I am unable to buy food. I was overjoyed to receive my transfer because I used the entire $12 to buy food for the family so they wouldn't go hungry. I bought four packets of maize flour, one kilogram each of sugar, beans, and cooking oil, in addition to four packets of maize flour. I'm relieved that this was enough to see us through a full week while I looked into potential sources of income.