Over the years, my main focus has been supporting my children to finish school. Once they're done, especially with one in high school, I’m counting on them to join forces with me to achieve my dream of building our own house. Living with my parents isn't ideal, but it's a necessary compromise while I prioritize their education. Once they graduate and secure good jobs, we can work together towards our shared goal of having a place to call our own where we can all feel comfortable and secure. I plan to use the transfers and my charcoal business savings to reach this goal, and I believe it will be attainable.

For years, my family of three and I had to use the bushes or rely on neighbours far from where we live to relieve ourselves. This situation was not only embarrassing and stressful, especially at night, but also unhygienic, exposing us to diseases like cholera. To resolve this, I spent about $68 to build my own pit latrine, finally putting an end to the problem for our well-being. Words can't fully express my gratitude to GiveDirectly for their generosity; without their support, it would have taken me years to achieve this goal. In addition, I used $20 to pay fees for my son, who is now in Form 3 at a nearby school. I'm relieved that he can now attend class without the worry of being sent home for unpaid fees, which will positively impact his performance and future. With the remaining $14, I plan to buy a goat soon, as I'm waiting for my incoming transfers since goats are quite expensive. This goat will provide security for me, as I currently rely on charcoal sales, which have never been lucrative. Having the goat will offer some financial stability.

As time goes on, my main goal is to keep adding more goats to my herd. I reckon having a sizable herd will come in handy down the road. If there's ever a financial squeeze in the future, I can always sell a few goats to sort things out. It's like building a safety net for myself and my family. With each new addition to the herd, I'm not just increasing numbers; I'm building a backup plan, a fallback for any tough times ahead. It might seem like a simple plan, but sometimes the simplest ideas are the most reliable. So, my focus for the coming year and beyond is on growing my goat herd, one goat at a time, ensuring a bit more security and stability for whatever the future might bring.

For too long, stress has been a heavy burden on my shoulders. Even the simplest tasks, like hosting visitors, became moments of embarrassment due to my lack of basic furniture, such as chairs. Often, I found myself borrowing from friends or uncomfortably perching on a log, each instance adding to my humiliation. But with the arrival of the cash transfer, I saw an opportunity for change. Investing in four plastic chairs may seem insignificant to some, but for me, it represented a monumental step towards reclaiming my dignity and independence. No longer would I have to rely on the goodwill of neighbours for such basic needs. In addition to addressing immediate household items, such as acquiring a charcoal burner, I made strategic investments aimed at providing both security and opportunity. Purchasing a goat not only served as a form of emergency savings but also offered the potential for future income through breeding or selling. Furthermore, I prioritized education by allocating $20 towards ensuring my grandson's continued access to school, sparing him from the repercussions of missed classes. As a widow navigating the challenges of livelihood through charcoal burning and selling, achieving these milestones alone would have been arduous and prolonged. Yet, with the support of the cash transfer, what once seemed like distant dreams have become tangible realities, marking a significant chapter in my journey towards stability and self-sufficiency.

I aspire to establish a lasting legacy, a testament to the years during which I have received these transfers, persisting even after the project concludes. My intention is to construct a shelter and raise goats and chickens until they reach maturity. The forthcoming transfers will be instrumental in realizing this objective, creating an additional source of income for my family. I am genuinely pleased to have been given this opportunity to positively transform my life.

Following the untimely passing of my husband when my youngest child was still an infant, I took on the sole responsibility of raising my children. Life proved to be exceedingly challenging as a single parent, given the insufficiency of my income generated from selling charcoal. The situation worsened due to a prolonged and severe drought, leaving us without access to sufficient food. However, our circumstances took a positive turn when GiveDirectly entered the picture. Since then, I have been able to provide a comfortable education for my kids, and the struggles of the past have become a distant memory. Upon receiving the funds, I allocated $40 towards settling a school fee debt, and an additional $34 went towards clearing a debt incurred from purchasing chairs on credit. The remaining $28 was wisely utilized to purchase food and other essential household items. I am genuinely grateful for the support I have received over the years.

I hold a deep passion for education and firmly believe that it holds the key to a bright and prosperous future for my children. With this conviction in mind, I am determined to allocate a significant portion of my forthcoming transfers towards financing their education. By investing in their learning and development, I am confident that they will have the opportunity to secure a promising future. In addition to prioritizing education, I see great potential in investing in livestock. This strategic decision will not only serve as a source of income for my family but also ensure a sustainable financial stream beyond the duration of the financial assistance I have received. By diversifying our income sources, we can create a more stable and secure future for ourselves. The support I have received thus far has been invaluable, and I am immensely grateful for it. It has provided us with the means to pursue our goals and aspirations, enabling us to take significant steps towards a better future. The financial assistance has uplifted our spirits and given us hope for a brighter tomorrow.

To prioritize my son's education, a significant portion of my August transfers was allocated towards paying his school fees. Currently in third grade, he had an outstanding balance of $20 from the previous term. To ensure that he could continue his studies uninterrupted, I made the decision to settle the arrears and clear the balance. In addition to the school fees, I allocated $4 towards purchasing food for my family. This contribution was crucial in ensuring that we did not go to bed on empty stomachs, providing much-needed sustenance for my loved ones. Recognizing the importance of long-term financial stability, I managed to save $10. The intention behind this savings is to make a substantial investment in acquiring livestock. By doing so, I hope to establish a sustainable source of income in the future, as the livestock multiply and I am able to sell some of them. As a widow, the responsibility of providing for my family of four falls entirely on me. The income generated from selling charcoal is insufficient to cover all our expenses, leaving us with limited financial resources. However, I remain determined to explore alternative avenues for income generation and improve our overall financial well-being.

I am determined to turn my passion for fashion into a successful business by opening a clothing store that showcases my unique styles and offers a wide range of fashionable items. I am incredibly grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling me to start selling from home, and I am now excited to take my business to the next level of starting my own amazing store. This is possible because of the monthly transfers I started receiving from GiveDirectly.

As a business woman, I am always seeking new opportunities to grow my business, such as expanding my product and improving my marketing strategy.I am grateful for the financial support I received from GiveDirectly, which allowed me to invest $24 in my clothing business. This investment has enabled me to make a profit of $15, which I use to save and buy food for my children. I am proud to see my business thrive, and it brings me joy to know that I am providing for my family.

After seeing the consistency of GiveDirectly in sending me some money, I became certain that the program will for sure take me through the promised five years. Having this security, I developed a goal that I would like to accomplish before the year elapses. My desire has been investing in livestock farming specifically goats because they withstand the harsh climatic condition of our area. Not only withstanding drought but also they are cheap to purchase and maintain as well as easily convertible to monetary value due to their ready markets.

I have been raising our kids alone since my spouse passed away years ago. Two are still children, while three are currently adults. The only reliable source of income I have is farming. It is unreliable since the crops often do poorly because we rarely get rain. As a result, I typically rely on my kids for financial support. My maize fields were afflicted with pests when I recently received the first transfer; as a result, I spent $10 on pesticides and am happy to say that I was able to control them. I still have $40 in savings that I can use to eventually buy goats to raise. I had quite a few, but the drought caused them all to perish. I bought my family a variety of foods with the remaining $44.

I have saved 3000 KES of my last three months' transfers in our table banking group. We are 10 people in the group and the goal is to invest my shares in either a poultry or goat rearing project. I have not decided yet but both are lucrative business since they are both in high demand and reproduces faster. Through this, I know I will have a reliable source of income that will sustain my family's needs in the future even after the closure of this project. 3000 KES I spent on 16 kg of corn flour for my family and used the remaining 3000 KES to meet daily household needs like detergents and purchasing daily meals. The transfers have been of great help since I do not have a reliable source of income at the moment and I can not thank GiveDirectly enough for the support.

What GiveDirectly does well is supporting people living in poverty like me to raise their standards of living. The impact of the cash transfers is very evident in my village and I urge you to continue with the good work that you always do.

All through my life, I have used kerosene lamp as a night light provider something that I thought would change once I start my family but this was just but a nightmare. Coming from a poor family, I didn't get opportunity to get education something that would have empowered me and brighten my future. I got married to a poor man and the vivacious poverty cycle repeated itself. I began using the same Kerosene lamp that I hated to provide light at night for my family. Nowadays, Kerosene has become expensive and some days we would sleep very early because I couldn't afford to buy kerosene everyday. My dream has been to buy a solar or a chargeable lamp but since I couldn't have bought it myself, being enrolled in the program was a great opportunity for me to set that as my first goal. I spend KES 500 to buy a chargeable lamp and saved the balance the balance towards buying livestock since I'm looking forward to invest in livestock. I'm now able to save the money that I was using the buy kerosene to pay other bills and I grateful that you helped me achieve my dream.

It was in the morning and had gone to fetch water when I had my phone beep and I asked my nephew to check the message and help me read .My nephew was excited to share the good news that left me confused because of my intentions in spending the cash.

The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving this transfers is have been a burden to my son and all the time have been relying on him yet he has inconsistent flow of income.Currently with the unpredictable weather condition as a farmer am not worried because GiveDirectly funds have covered my monthly food budget which is more than enough for my grand son and I. My plans to start livestock keeping are underway and more than delighted to be in this support program.

The biggest challenge is lack of a reliable income and the cost of living is ever rising.I am a peasant farmer and a widow who depends on maize farming, with the prolonged drought and the uncertainty in the harvest its been difficult to have food for myself and my grandchild.On receiving the cash transfer I decided to use KES 650 on food and saved KES 500 for I had with my grandchild my intentions to start livestock farming .