For the coming year and beyond, my goal is to continue investing in livestock, particularly goats, using a portion of the transfers I will be receiving. Goats serve as a safety net for me, especially during financial challenges on my homestead. I have learned that goats thrive in my environment and provide significant support in various ways. Their ability to adapt to different conditions and their resilience give me confidence that they will be beneficial in the long run. I believe that these goats will multiply, increasing both in number and value. This way, when the program eventually comes to an end, I will have a reliable source of support to help care for my family and ensure my children can continue their education as they transition to higher levels in school.

As a parent of two school-aged children, one in primary school and the other in secondary school, I am determined to support their education and ensure they can continue attending school without the worry of being sent home due to unpaid fees. Recently, I used $20 from my recent transfers to pay their school fees, which brings me great joy as I strive to push them through their studies, especially as a widow. In addition to this, I have also been looking for something that I can rely on in the future that I may use to bring in some money, especially when in need. I therefore invested $60 of my transfers to purchase two goats, hoping they will multiply and provide a source of income in the future to help support my family. Lastly, I spent the remaining $22 on food for my family, ensuring that we have enough to eat and won’t go hungry. I am truly grateful for the support that GiveDirectly provides us, and I look forward to building a better future for my children through their education.

In the coming months, my main aim is to keep investing in livestock, particularly goats. They're like a safety net for me, especially when faced with any financial challenges on my homestead. I've learned that goats thrive in my compound, and they offer significant support in various ways. With their ability to adapt to different environments and their resilience, I trust they'll serve me well in the long run. By continuing to expand my goat herd, I'm not just securing a source of income but also ensuring a level of stability for myself and my family. With each goat I acquire, I'm one step closer to achieving a sense of financial security and peace of mind for the future.

My husband passed away four years ago, leaving me with the burden of three children to take care of. Life has been a constant struggle, and one of the greatest challenges has been paying their school fees. Education is vital for their future, but financial constraints often meant they were sent home due to arrears. Thanks to the unconditional cash transfer, I was able to pay around $45 to cover the overdue fees. Seeing my children back in school, their faces lit up with hope and excitement, filled my heart with joy. The burden of guilt and worry that had plagued me for so long was lifted, replaced by a sense of accomplishment and relief. Knowing that they could continue their education without interruption gave me a renewed sense of purpose and hope for a better future. In addition, I made a wise decision to buy a goat. This goat is more than just livestock; it is a symbol of security and a safety net for our family. In case of any financial crisis or unexpected expenses, I can rely on the goat, providing us with a sense of stability. The remaining funds were spent on food, transforming our daily lives significantly. Previously, providing nutritious meals was another constant challenge, and my children often went to bed hungry. Now, they are healthy and happy, their laughter echoing through our home. These changes have transformed our lives, and I feel a profound sense of gratitude for the support that has made this possible.

I am earnestly contemplating a substantial investment in acquiring livestock, aiming to establish an additional revenue stream to complement my existing income generated from the sale of local palm wine. As the solitary provider for my two children, diversifying my income sources is pivotal in attaining financial stability and effectively providing for my family. The invaluable financial support I have received thus far has been pivotal in enhancing the overall quality of my life, a fact that fills me with immense gratitude.

Procuring new sets of school uniforms for my two children, one in secondary school and the other in primary school, incurred a total cost of $20. To safeguard their continuous education, I allocated $25 towards settling their school fees. As the sole parent, I bear the paramount responsibility of ensuring their consistent attendance in school, a feat made achievable through the indispensable financial assistance from the transfers. Additionally, I made a forward-looking investment by acquiring a goat for $32, offering a safety net for potential emergencies, where its sale could address immediate needs. Furthermore, I allocated $25 towards the acquisition of food supplies, securing an ample food stock at our residence. The unwavering financial support has significantly bolstered my capacity to tend to my family's essential needs, for which I am profoundly thankful.

I have been using most of the monthly transfers to pay my children's school fees in portions as am not able to raise the whole amount at once due to my low income. This being the final term of the year, I would like to clear their respective balances to avoid carrying forward any debts into next year. Once this has been achieved, I can then focus on completing a project I have been working on for a while. I have been planning to construct a separate house so that my children who are now grown enough can have a separate room to sleep for more privacy. We are all currently sharing the small house I own and it gets more uncomfortable each day especially as my male child gets older. I have been purchasing the required materials in bits, but after clearing my children's fees for the term, I will have more flexibility with the transfers to buy the rest of the materials and finally complete this project. This will offer us all more privacy and comfort as a family.

My last 3 transfers have basically been divided between school fees, foodstuff and other basic household items. I am a widow with 2 children who are both in school, 1 in secondary school and the other in primary school. My main aim is to provide the best for them, but it is a bit difficult due to my low income from the small business I operate. This has literally forced me to limit my transfers to school needs after which I can spend the rest on any urgent needs within the house. This is to ensure my children do not miss any lessons for being sent back home due to late remittance of their school fees or any other school requirements. With the peace of mind that that they are fully in school, I can then focus on providing the rest of the needs through my small business. Even though the children are currently on a short recess, I had to keep safe part of the most recent transfer bearing in mind that schools will reopen before next month's transfers are out and the schools require that parents pay part of the fees within the opening week. This will allow me to make the required payments on time and keep my children in school.

My hope is to witness my children successfully complete their education. As a means of generating income to cover their school fees, I have traditionally invested in cows. However, I aspire to expand my investments in cows in order to provide better financial support for my family.

As a dedicated mother and the main source of income for my family, I was grateful to receive money from GiveDirectly. I immediately put $20 towards paying my children's school fees, ensuring their education could continue without interruption. With the remaining $14, I wisely bought soap, oil for personal care, and enough food to nourish us all. These thoughtful choices helped secure a better future for my children and brought a sense of vitality to our daily lives.

I have a son, Naka who is currently in form one. He is my second last born. He demonstrates a lot of commitment to his academic pursuit, and I am optimistic that he will make it in life. Due to his dedication, I developed a goal of focusing on supporting his educational needs even though I struggle to make it through in life. Therefore, throughout the year, I will be setting aside a portion of my transfer for his fee payment. Previously, I had difficulty raising his fees because I am a widow. In addition, I aim to be buying food for the family with the transfers because we are experiencing unusual famine.

I am a widow who is responsible for my family's educational and other basic needs. However, due to the severe drought that we have been experiencing for the past two seasons, I have been stretched to the breaking point because I do not earn a living from peasant farming. With my recent transfer, I spent $12 on maize flour, which lasted five days because we are a large family of ten people. Because I have three school-age children, I spent $22 on new uniforms and books. The uniforms they had previously were old and had some unsightly patches. I am glad the transfers provided me with a sigh of relief.

Organizations, in my experience, rarely provide financial assistance to individuals. Most of them prefer to provide traditional assistance rather than cash transfers. GiveDirectly, on the other hand, leverages giving unconditional transfer. It has allowed us to prioritize our needs. People have found it easy to take their children to school, although they initially had difficulty raising their children's school fees. Furthermore, some of us have developed new goals for building houses, which we could not do before. GiveDirectly, on the other hand, excels at everything. In contrast, there is nothing that GiveDirectly does not do well.

I am a widow who has been the sole breadwinner in a family of four for the past two years. I am unemployed, so I started a coconut-selling business. Though it does not produce much, it does provide me with some funds for our daily needs. I spent $15 from my recent transfer on school fees for my three school-age children. They were $20 in arrears at the time. I am overjoyed that they have learned for a month without being sent for school fee collection. In addition, I spent $15 on food to supplement what we had. As a result, my family has been able to get through the last month.

Being the sole breadwinner, I at times have to operate my business till late hours targeting those who leave their workplaces late. When I received the confirmation message of the receipt of the first transfer, I was still out in the market running my usual errands. That was one of my happiest moments as I knew that my children would finally resume their studies. I did not share the news with anyone but immediately parked my luggage and left for home.

I must admit that life has become a bit comfortable, and I am constantly in a good mood since I started receiving the transfers. Being able to provide for my family, especially clearing my children’s school fees is the greatest achievement of them all. This would not have been possible without the support from GiveDirectly because the profits I make from my small business can barely afford a whole day’s meal.

Fending for my family of seven for the last five years after the death of my spouse has not been a walk in the park. The income from my small business can not sustain all of our needs and by the time I received the first transfer, my children were staying back at home because I could not raise the KES 1500 for the tuition that they owed the school. I am happy I was able to clear the arrears with part of the transfer. KES 1000 I spent on some of the foodstuffs to sustain us for some days before budgeting for more and used the KES 500 to purchase both detergents and some of the personal essentials that we lacked.