I aim to expand my livestock to include cattle as well. Currently, I have seven goats obtained from the cash transfers. The goal of expanding the herd is to start a business selling them at the marketplace to acquire funds for my three children's needs, particularly school fees. This would also allow me to take a break from the strenuous practice of making and selling charcoal. The cattle would on the other hand help with farming activities like plowing and producing milk for domestic consumption.

My daughter recently completed high school, but there was a debt at the school that prevented her from receiving her certificates. I contributed $30 towards covering the debt, ensuring she obtained her credentials and is now ready to embark on the next academic journey. Also, I paid $24 in school fees for another child in Form Two to reduce the outstanding fees, as secondary school tuition is considerably more expensive than primary school. I rely on making and selling charcoal to provide for my family's needs. Sometimes, it can be challenging to raise enough funds to cover all these expenses, which is where the transfers come in to supplement. Since I started receiving transfers, I have seen a significant improvement in the hardships I was facing. I couldn't be more grateful. I also bought a goat for $34, bringing my total to seven goats from the transfers, some of whom have already given birth. My goal is to continue rearing them and eventually exchange them for cows in the future, which can assist with plowing activities and provide milk for domestic consumption.

Looking ahead to the next year, I anticipate sending my recently completed high school son to college. He aspires to pursue a course in either medicine or law, following the release of his examination results. While I am uncertain about the financial feasibility of these courses, I am committed to supporting him to the best of my ability. I firmly believe that his college education will open opportunities for stable and well-paying employment, ultimately uplifting both him and the family from poverty.

Prioritizing my children's education, I directed a significant portion of the recent cash transfers toward settling tuition-related expenses. One of my children was undertaking their final secondary education, and there was a pressing need to clear a tuition debt to ensure the acquisition of their leaving certificate. Consequently, I allocated $30 to settle this balance. Additionally, before the school closure, I used $68 to cover the school fees of my other three children. The cash transfers have played a crucial role in supporting my children's education, particularly as one of them recently completed their high school final examinations. As the main provider for my family, engaged in making and selling charcoal, the cash transfers have proven essential in supplementing my income and maintaining my children's education.

In the upcoming years, my most significant achievement will be acquiring livestock, particularly goats. Goats are relatively affordable, and I can easily purchase them using my monthly stipend. My ultimate aspiration is to possess bulls, which will assist me in tilling my land during the rainy season and even generate income by tilling other people's land. I am confident that this endeavor will be prosperous, especially now that we have an abundance of food after the harvest. I intend to dedicate my monthly stipends to acquiring and investing in livestock, ensuring the success of this project.

My wife and I rely on selling charcoal as our main source of income. In a good month, we can earn over $100 from these sales. However, this amount only covers our basic household needs such as food, clothing, and medical bills. Unfortunately, after taking care of these essential expenses, there is no money left to pay for our four children's school fees. Our two eldest daughters attend Mitangani secondary school, and the younger two are in Bengoni primary school. Currently, my two daughters owe more than $230 in unpaid school fees. Thanks to the financial support I received from Give Directly, I allocated $20 from my July transfers to partially pay the school fee debt for our second-born daughter, who is in first grade. This support has been immensely helpful, as it would have been extremely challenging for me to cover the fees otherwise. With the remaining $14, I decided to invest in three hens. I see this as a long-term investment since they will multiply over time. Once they mature and are ready to be sold at the market, I plan to use the money from their sales to clear the outstanding school fees debt for my children. This way, we can ensure their education continues uninterrupted and build a better future for them.

My biggest accomplishment and goal for the year is to facilitate and create a positive environment for my children to pursue their education and reach their objectives. I'm sure that spending money on my children' education will give them a bright future. It will bring me great satisfaction to know that they will live good, better lives than I do, and having a bright future for them.

Last year, my daughter, who is my second child, finished primary school. I'm delighted and a proud father that she did so well on her exams. I've been working very hard since the start of the year to save up enough money to put my daughter through secondary school. The fact that my wife and I both work as casual laborers selling charcoal in Mariakani town has made this for me a very difficult situation. Since a bag of charcoal costs $3, our income is extremely meager. We only make about $2 per day because the charcoal bags have high transportation costs. There are too many needs for my family for this little money to cover. When I received my March transfers, I spent the entire $34 and my other earnings on new school uniforms, books, pencils, and pens, as well as partially covering my daughter's form one enrollment fees. The fact that my child is now enrolled in school and pursuing his education makes me happy and excited.

It has been an uphill task for me in dealing with the school payments. I have two children in high school yet I depend on the charcoal vending business with an income that barely meets my needs. My goal is to be able to invest in my children's education. This is because I believe they are the ones who'll take care of us in our old age and this is through securing their education which will have them excel in life. For that, I plan to ensure that the entire amount I get monthly will be used on school fees.

In Mariakani town, I sell charcoal to make a living. My weekly earnings of only $6 are sufficient to provide food for the family. Due to my meager income, I am unable to meet some basic needs, including paying for medical care, purchasing clothing for the children, and paying for school expenses. I have four school-age children in total. One recently completed her final primary school exams and is waiting to start secondary school in the early part of next year while the other two are in primary school. My oldest child is a third-year student at Lutsangani Secondary School. My love for education is enough to drive me to put in long hours and earn money for my children' tuition at their respective schools. As a result, when I got my transfer, I spent a significant sum of money ($30) to pay off my daughter's secondary school's outstanding school fee balance so that she could take her end-of-term exams. Being able to focus on putting food on the table for my family while also knowing that my children have no outstanding school fees makes me very happy.

GiveDirectly as NGO is progressive in ensuring that its targeted recipients are well attended to and well informed on its program. Therefore, it does well in enhancing that the recipients are well informed and they take in the program based on the knowledge they have. Moreover, it sets up protective mechanisms that help safeguard us from exploitation by seeking tokens of appreciation from its staff. Collectively, these practices are good and they play a key role in enhancing their effectiveness. Lastly, GiveDirectly does well in being considerate to the less fortunate by working on how to better the lives of the less fortunate in our society.

Due to the hard economic times that people have been experiencing, it had been pretty hard for me even to support my school-going children. I rely on charcoal making which does not fetch much. As a result, I was forced to take a soft loan to pay off the school fees. Upon receipt of the recent transfer, I prioritized paying off debt which I took to pay school fees for my children. The balance of KES 1,000 helped the outstanding fee arrears for my two children in primary school. Courtesy of the transfer, my children can go to school comfortably.

I was in the field raising my three goats when I received a message notification on my phone. After quickly checking it out, I found out that I had received my first transfer. I was surprised and happy at the same time. I looked up at the sky and thanked the Lord for the miracle he had done for me.

Paying school fees for my son is the biggest difference the transfer has made in my life. I was worried that my son would soon come back home because of the school fees arrears. Receiving the money assured me he would continue with his education with no further interruptions, unlike in the past when he would spend over a month without going to school.

I am a casual laborer who earns a living through the making and selling of charcoal. I currently have four children who full depend on me to pay their school fees. The eldest is in secondary school while the other three are in primary school. The major challenge I face is a lack of enough money to pay for their school fees caused by the unstable source of income that I have. I struggle a lot to make sales because of the low demand for charcoal from the clients. Per year I have to pay KES 50000 as a school fee for my four children. On average, I earn make KES 3000 per month. This has become a burden for me and as a result, they often send my children home and spend most of the time studying at home and not in school. Therefore, when I received my first transfer, I spent it all on paying school fees arrears for my eldest son, who is in secondary school, to avoid him being sent home.