In the coming years, I have a dream of building my own house. It's something I've wanted for a long time, but money has always been tight. Most of what I earn from my casual job goes straight to buying food and taking care of daily needs. But I'm not giving up. I've come up with a plan to slowly save up for my dream home of a 2-roomed house. Every month, I buy just one iron sheet to start building. I'm also part of a merry-go-round savings group, which will help me put aside a little money each month. It's not going to be easy, but I believe with patience and determination, I can make my dream of owning a house come true.

Living in my in-laws' house since the owner passed away, I knew I needed to make changes. With the quarterly transfers from GiveDirectly, I took a step towards independence. I saved $36 on building materials, eager to construct a house in my name, a place I could call my own. Living with my deceased husband's sister, who also lacked a home, I felt a sense of responsibility towards us both. Additionally, I allocated $28 towards a merry-go-round, a financial safety net crucial to me in times of urgent need. As the sole provider for myself and sometimes for my unemployed child and their family within the community, I felt the weight of financial responsibility. With my income from charcoal burning fluctuating, I needed to secure stability. Lastly, I used $10 to ensure the education of my grandchildren, recognizing the importance of investing in their future. Each allocation from the transfers was a step towards a brighter tomorrow, providing both security and opportunity for my family and me.

In the upcoming year, my goal is to prepare my house for occupancy so that I can finally move in. Over the past two years, I have been fortunate enough to be welcomed into my co-wife's house. However, having my own home has been a lifelong dream, and I eagerly anticipate the fulfillment of this aspiration. The prospect of having a place to call my own brings immense joy and a sense of accomplishment after harboring this desire for such a significant period of time.

I allocated a significant portion of my transfer to acquiring iron sheets as my previous house had collapsed, and due to extreme poverty, I was unable to construct a new one. Currently, I am seeking shelter in my co-wife's house, but my ultimate desire is to have a home of my own in the near future. I have already purchased six pieces of iron sheets, and my aim is to acquire an additional nine pieces, which will be sufficient for building a one-room house. To ensure I achieve this objective, I have joined a local savings group consisting of seven members. Each month, we contribute $10, pooling our resources. The accumulated sum is then given to one member who can utilize it for a personal project. Soon, it will be my turn, and I plan to use the funds to purchase the remaining iron sheets. Furthermore, a considerable portion of my transfer was spent on purchasing food. As I rely on subsistence farming and lack any form of external support, ensuring my own sustenance is crucial. The opportunity to finally own my house after an extended period brings me immense happiness and hope for a brighter future.

For many years, I have been living in my co-wife's house after my own house collapsed. It has been challenging to find the funds to build a new house as every penny I had went towards purchasing food to address hunger in the household. However, with the recent blessings of rain and the prospect of a successful harvest, I am optimistic about the future. Once my family has enough food, I plan to allocate a significant portion of the cash transfers toward constructing a new house. This new dwelling will provide ample space for everyone in my family and offer my co-wife and her daughter, along with two grandchildren, their separate living area. Additionally, having my own house will enable me to comfortably raise poultry, as one room can be dedicated to their care while I occupy the other. I am grateful that I was able to save some of the previous cash transfers to acquire four iron sheets, which will be instrumental in the construction project.

I am grateful for the cash transfers as they have significantly reduced the level of hunger my household faces daily. While there are still days when we have to survive on minimal meals like a cup of porridge or hot water, the frequency of such occurrences has decreased since I started receiving the cash aid. My son, who works as a painter in house construction, sometimes supports me with food, but his earnings are limited. He also has his responsibilities, including caring for his six children, most of whom are in school. I would not want to burden him further, so when I receive the cash transfers, my priority is to buy food for myself. In the recent transfer, I spent $29 on food. Additionally, my grandchildren had outstanding school fees and were sent home, so I used the remaining $5 to clear their balances and ensure they could return to school.

After my house developed huge holes in the walls, I was scared to shelter under it and I sought sleeping space at my niece’s house, where I have been staying to date. Before, I lacked the money to build a new house. Gladly, the cash transfers presented an ideal chance to work on the construction project. I have already secured 4 iron sheets through previous transfers. My goal is to assemble the building materials like tree poles and iron sheets, then hire someone later to construct the two-room house. 

Like how I spent the previous transfers, I secured an iron sheet worth $9 through the recent transfer. The goal is to accumulate at least 12 pieces and build a new house. I have been seeking shelter from my niece’s house because my current house has large openings on the walls, which were left after the mud disintegrated. Having bought the iron sheet, I used every remaining cent on food and water to support my son in providing for the family. Am grateful because my family rarely sleeps hungry as it previously used to. 

On the farm, no crops can be grown or harvested due to the harsh climatic conditions. My ability to buy the food that is priced extremely high in the stores has greatly improved thanks to the unconditional transfers. Without which, I would spend the majority of the week sleeping on an empty stomach.

My house is in a terrible state. It was challenging for me to live in the house because the rusty iron sheets were being blown away by the wind. The house I lived in before was seriously leaking during the night, so I was forced to move into my granddaughter's home. I spent $8 on a single piece of iron sheet when I got my transfer. With the subsequent transfers, I want to buy more so that I can fix my house. The remainder of my funds were used to purchase food. Crop harvesting on the farm has been extremely challenging due to the drought. For my survival, I am compelled to pay exorbitant prices for food and water. I'm glad because the cash was very helpful to me.

The moment I realized the funds had been sent out I was actually at my late mothers wake. During that time I heard the notification coming in and proceeded to ask my son to help me read it out and that is when he confirmed the arrival of the money. I most definitely felt some sort of excitement because I was not expecting the money at all at the time and it was absolutely going to help me.

In my own opinion the biggest difference for me would be the fact that now I feel like I'm financially capable of building a home for myself through the donations after nearly a decade of being homeless.

I realize that the transfers have been sent out I was quite overwhelmed especially because I was really looking forward to receiving the money. The reason is, about more than five years ago my house collapsed and since my husband had passed away and I had no job, I ended up moving in with my son since I could not afford it. Therefore I ended up using KES 1,800 on purchasing it on sheets. I remember the balance of 1,200 which I sought out nutrition because nutrition was a challenge so I ended up purchasing ten packets of maize flour, half a kilogram of beans and groceries.