In the coming year and beyond, I aim to expand my livestock investment by acquiring more goats. Currently, I have two goats, which symbolize a future of stability and growth for my family. My immediate goal is to clear my existing debt; once that is done, I plan to focus on saving to purchase additional goats. This strategy will not only provide a steady source of income but also help establish a sustainable foundation for my family’s future. Each goat I add brings me closer to financial independence and enables me to provide better opportunities for my children.

Life as a widow has not been easy, especially since I share responsibilities with my co-wife, and we depend on charcoal burning to meet our daily needs. When I received my last three transfers, totaling $102, I knew I had to prioritize improving our living conditions. First, I used $60 to repay a part of a $110 debt for a bed and mattress that I had bought on credit. Before this, I used to sleep on a small, traditional bed that left me feeling sore and exhausted every morning. But now, with the new bed, I wake up refreshed and energized, ready to face each day’s challenges. After addressing the debt, I focused on our household needs. I set aside $20 as an emergency fund to cushion us during unforeseen circumstances, like when we fall sick or need urgent supplies. The remaining $24 went towards buying food for the family. This transfer has been a blessing, helping me secure comfort, stability, and sustenance for my loved ones.

My primary goal for the upcoming year and beyond is to save more money from the monthly transfers I receive to buy livestock, particularly goats. This investment will supplement my current earnings from selling charcoal in the village. I am deeply grateful for the financial support I've received so far, as it has greatly improved my quality of life. I am confident that achieving this goal will lead to a stable and prosperous future for myself and my family. Another goal is to purchase new bedding, such as a mattress, as the one I currently use is worn out and has been causing me sleepless and painful nights. I believe that with my monthly savings, this dream will soon be within reach, and I will no longer have to worry about the condition of my bedding, which will contribute to better health and comfort.

My life has been filled with stress and sorrow, especially since my husband passed away many years ago, leaving me with many responsibilities for our children. As a charcoal seller, it has been challenging to meet our needs and save for assets, with whatever I earn going hand-to-mouth. For the past three months, I have made a plan to save $23 each month. Once this money accumulates, I intend to use it wisely. My plan is to buy a better mattress, as the one I currently use is worn out and has been causing me sleepless nights and pain. I want to resolve this issue once and for all by purchasing a quality mattress. Additionally, I aim to add more goats to my livestock, providing me with a reliable asset to rely on in the future when this program ends. The remaining funds have been used to purchase household items like food, cereals, vegetables, and oils. Thanks to the support from GiveDirectly, it is now rare for us to go to bed with empty stomachs, a significant improvement from the days before we received help.

My primary goal in the upcoming year and beyond is to save diligently and invest in livestock. Recognizing that the financial assistance will eventually cease, I aim to build a sustainable income source through livestock rearing. This investment will complement my existing earnings from selling palm wine in the village. I am deeply grateful for the financial support I have received thus far, as it has significantly improved my quality of life. With careful planning and wise investment decisions, I am confident that I can secure a stable and prosperous future for myself and my family.

Before joining the Give Directly program, my livelihood was primarily dependent on selling palm wine and engaging in farming when weather conditions permitted. However, the unpredictability of the climate severely impacted my farming income, leaving me in financial distress. Three years ago, we faced a complete crop failure, forcing us to purchase expensive food from shops just to survive. Since receiving support from Give Directly, my life has taken a positive turn. I've learned the importance of saving and have joined a savings group, where I contribute $75 monthly. By the end of the year, I aim to use these savings to purchase a comfortable bed, mattress, and additional livestock. Currently, I sleep on a worn-out sisal bed that provides little comfort. With part of the financial assistance, I invested in a goat for $23, envisioning its multiplication into a valuable herd. This asset will provide a sustainable source of income even after the program ends. The remaining $4 was used to purchase essential items like soap and detergents. I'm incredibly grateful for the support received from Give Directly. It has significantly improved my quality of life, lifting me out of poverty and providing hope for a better future.

At present, I own three goats, acquired through my previous transfers. My objective is to expand my livestock holdings by adding more goats once I have saved enough funds through the savings group. The goats represent a crucial avenue for generating income, as their offspring will contribute to a steady revenue stream. I am truly grateful for the financial assistance provided by Give Directly, and I am confident that this support will pave the way for financial stability, empowering me to sustain myself.

As a widow, my main sources of income are casual farming and charcoal sales. Through careful saving, I managed to accumulate a significant amount of $68 from my previous transfers within a five-member savings group. I intend to use a substantial portion of this money to invest in livestock, as they offer a cost-effective means of generating income. By rearing and subsequently selling the offspring at a higher price, I can secure a good profit to sustain myself. During the festive season, I allocated $34 to purchase food essentials and partake in celebrations alongside my co-wife. I am truly grateful for the financial support that enabled us to have a meaningful festive celebration with an ample food supply.

My immediate goals are to establish a business and acquire a goat. Currently, I possess two goats, and I aim to increase this number to at least four. I also aspire to launch a vegetable-selling venture. This business would not only contribute to the household income but also provide a sustainable source of revenue even after the cash transfers cease. Given my current financial constraints, I am optimistic that by consistently saving from the transfer funds, I can turn these aspirations into realities. With the savings, I hope to gather the necessary resources to achieve these goals.

After receiving the cash transfer, I continued with my practice of saving $20 through a merry-go-round club, a habit I have maintained since March. I aim to accumulate enough funds to eventually start a vegetable-selling business. This initiative is crucial as I hope to establish a sustainable source of income once the cash transfers come to an end. I also allocated $14 towards purchasing food. At that time, the household was experiencing significant food scarcity as our crops had not yet been harvested. This resulted in three consecutive nights without food. Gladly, after the food I bought was depleted, the maize crops were ready for harvesting, and we have not faced such hunger ever since. Typically, I engage in charcoal production, especially in the days leading up to the transfers as this is mostly the time my household runs out of food.

I am planning to buy more goats, which to me are an investment because when they reproduce and increase in number, I can readily sell them to raise more money and cater for my financial needs. I have been saving Ksh 1500 every month for this purpose, and I am planning to save more in order to achieve this goal.

I always appreciate the support that I have been receiving from GiveDirectly because it has totally changed my life. I was not blessed with children in my marriage, and I depended on my husband for everything. When he passed on, I had no one to help me, and I struggled to fend for myself. I could only engage in farming, but rains are unpredictable, and I had to beg for food from neighbors. When I began receiving the monthly transfers, I could now buy enough food for myself, and I even began to save Ksh. 1500 for my emergencies and buy goats too. So far, the transfers have been my only hope, and I plan to spend my savings in the near future to invest in goats and other viable projects to increase my sources of income. I am currently owning some goats that I acquired through the transfers, and I am planning to buy more goats and rear them, let them reproduce, and sell them later on to curtail my financial needs. I am also saving the monies so as to enable me to start a poultry project by the end of this year.

For a while now, I have had the plans to Invest in my farm especially by ensuring that I buy a couple of farm animals. I decided that I will be saving a portion of the money that I keep receiving so that I could eventually have enough to buy a couple of goats and poultry since purchasing cows is costly.Apart from that, I also intend to finish up with renovating my house because after I started receiving the transfers I began fixing it especially the roof since the iron sheets were old and worn out.

I am a widow and a mother of two. To support them, I always make charcoal for sale to earn a living. I do that work because I do not have an alternative although I strain a lot to cater to the needs of my three-member family. Since I do not have someone else to depend on for support, immediately after I received my transfer, I spent $19 on food. To be assured of getting some cash for paying my children's school fees, I opted to save $15. As a result, when schools re-open, I will not struggle much to raise all the fees because I shall have some cash.

For the past two months I have been using the transfers that I've been receiving to buy building material so that I could finally renovate my house because it was a mud house and was almost on the verge of collapsing. Therefore I ended up using KES 2,500 out of the transfers I had received to buy twenty five pieces of timber. I was left with a balance of KES 500 which I ended up using on nourishment by purchasing five packets of maize flour.

I love the fact that the Give Directly staff were very courteous as they visited our village during the enrollment exercise. They created a conducive environment that ensured I shared as much information as possible with them. I would recommend an increase of the monthly stipend by the organization so that we can be able to execute bigger projects such as building houses with ease.  

Three weeks ago my house partially collapsed because of the strong winds blowing during the night. The house was a four-bedroomed house and two rooms were destroyed. As a result, I lost my valuable property. I moved to my relative's house, which was safer as I wait to repair my house. Lack of money due to lack of a job has delayed my plans of repairing the house. When I received my transfer of KES 3000, I paid the mason who was repairing my house. I am glad that he could repair one room that collapsed.

With my advanced age and no education, I am not able to operate a phone. I only receive calls but let my grandchildren read messages for me. One morning when I was at home, I received a call from one of my friends confirming if I had received any money from GiveDirectly and since I do not know how to operate a phone I could not tell whether I had money in my Mpesa account. Immediately after the call, I handed the phone to my grandson to check if I had money in my account and that was which he indeed confirmed. It came as a surprise because I did not expect it would be sent that fast.

Having been able to purchase foodstuffs for my family is the biggest difference in my daily life since I received the transfers. With the current famine, food security is the greatest challenge and whenever we can acquire some we become so proud of ourselves.

At the time when I was enrolled in the program, I did not have a mobile phone. I was, therefore, given one which was deducted from my first transfer leaving me with KES 1200. Out of it, KES 800 catered for corn flour which is enough to push my family for some time while KES 350 I used to purchase a chicken for rearing. This is my first time owning one because I have not been able to afford some. I will be purchasing two of them whenever I receive my transfers so that I can rear them on a large scale. Since they multiply faster, I am hopeful that by the end of the year I will a good number of them. I aim to sell some in the future to raise money for my household needs since I do not have a reliable source of income. The eggs and meat from them will also be a good source of protein for my family.