In the upcoming year, my goal is to acquire goats with the intention of selling them as they multiply. The proceeds from this endeavor will enable me to invest in cows in the future. I plan to use subsequent transfers to facilitate the realization of this goal. Establishing a sustainable source of income through livestock holds the promise of significantly improving my circumstances, a prospect for which I am profoundly grateful.

Since my husband's passing two years ago, I have shouldered the responsibility of providing for my three children. The income generated from selling charcoal was inadequate to meet our various needs. Receiving these transfers has been pivotal in allowing me to plan and provide for my family effectively. Notably, I have managed to cover my son's college tuition as he pursues an electrical course, bringing me great satisfaction. The financial flexibility these funds give me has translated into the ability to pay school fees, invest in poultry, and even acquire goats for future sales. A portion of the funds, amounting to $68, was directed towards settling a pending school debt and funding essential examinations at the beginning of the term. The remainder was wisely saved to cover upcoming school fees as the academic year began. I find immense joy in being part of this positive change, and I eagerly anticipate brighter prospects in the future.

My primary goal is to acquire a dairy cow as it will provide me with a consistent source of income through milk sales, enabling me to support my family. To accomplish this, I plan to start by purchasing some goats and raising them. Once they multiply, I can sell some of them and use the proceeds to buy the dairy cow. Additionally, I recognize the need to address the worn-out and rusty iron sheets that currently cover my house. To prepare for the upcoming rainy season, I intend to invest in new iron sheets and replace the old ones. The support I am receiving is truly uplifting, as it is helping me make significant progress towards achieving my goals, despite the challenges of being a single parent.

Last year in June, my son enrolled in college to pursue a course in electrical engineering. However, by the end of the last semester, he had accumulated a school debt amounting to $60. To ensure his uninterrupted education, I allocated $20 from my August transfers to partially clear the debt. This allowed him to return to school and continue his studies. With the remaining amount, I made a strategic investment by purchasing some hens for $14. I am optimistic about the future as I anticipate the hens to multiply in the coming months. This will not only double my initial investment but also provide a potential source of income in case of emergencies. Being a single parent with a modest income from selling charcoal, I am truly grateful for the financial support that has assisted me in caring for my family.

Having relied on making charcoal as a means of livelihood for the better part of my life, am happy that I can manage to take breaks from it due to the cash transfers. Also, before it was not easy for me to own livestock or poultry for a long time as I constantly sold them to pay school fees for my son Chengo and buy food. My family has never gone a day without food nor has my son missed a day of school, courtesy of the cash aid. My aim is to continue supporting his studies until he graduates next year. After that, I wish to start saving money to replace my tin roof, which has been damaged over the years. 

The rainy season just started, which presents an opportunity to plant food crops like maize. Although many planting seasons have passed, where I planted but did not harvest any yields, I never shy away from sowing whenever I see the rains. Immediately after I received the funds, I paid people to clear half an acre of my farm in preparation for planting, and I paid them $10. At least this ensured that I grew my crops early enough before the rainfall ceases. Besides, it was an ideal way to spend the transfer as my son, Chengo, had closed school and would never require school fees until the following month. I used $4 to buy food and saved the remaining $20. I plan to spend these savings to secure a goat, before the end of the week, to rear and expand my sources of income.  

This year, I want to buy goats and chicks to raise. They are the best type of investment since they can endure the drought in our region, which is what encourages me to invest in them. My target for the year is to achieve a total of six . The money I will get from them, along with the money I make from my charcoal business, will make it very simple for me to support my family. Once I've accomplished this, I'll work on repairing my huose's roof so that we can have a good place to live. I am grateful for the help because it has given me the chance to better myself, and I am sure that by the end of the year, I will have accomplished my objectives.

I am grateful for GiveDirectly's help since  it has been quite helpful in covering my child's college expenses. Two of my three children are adults, while the third is a college student. I spent $40 on his college during the last three months. I'm relieved that he does not currently owe the institution a substantial chunk in arrears. I'm delighted the money was sent when I needed it most because I was ill when I recently received my transfers. Consequently, I spent $12 on my medication and $42 on groceries for my family.

My spouse has more than one wife, and he rarely provides for us because he does not have a reliable source of income leaving me with the role of both father and mother. I sell charcoal which is the main economic activity in our area but it does not pay well because its market is flooded. Still, I have always provided for my family however little. I am glad the transfers came in handy when my son was joining college. I added part of the money I had saved to KES 5300 of the transfers and paid for his admission fee. Besides that, I was unwell when I recently received the transfers and used KES 200 to purchase the medicines that had been prescribed by the doctor. KES 2000 I spent on some of the foodstuffs for my family while KES 1500 I used to purchase two ducks for rearing hoping to sell some of them in the future after they will have reproduced.

GiveDirectly has continued to uplift lives and help people in the lesser communities without discriminating. All the help they give is surely a welcome relief and we appreciate a lot.

Getting by the days has been a major challenge as jobs are scarce and finances rare to come by. I am married to one husband who has no job at the moment and together we are blessed with three children. On regular days, I burn and sell charcoal to at least sustain the whole family as I assume the roles of a breadwinner. Receiving the KES 3000 brought a major difference to our lives and really helped a lot. I was able to buy school uniform at KES 1000 for my daughter who is joining Form One this new term. I also bought food worth KES 1000 for our home, since what was left was over that we had to sleep on empty stomachs the previous night but now have adequate food for some time. The remaining KES 1000 I bought three chicken, as with the hope that they will lay eggs and hatch to multiple chicks improving my poultry farming skills.

I was at home relaxing with my children and my son was using my phone. I heard him call me with excitement as he came running towards me. "You have received the transfers" he shouted. I was overjoyed as well because I was assured of that days food and days that followed.

The biggest difference is that I never struggle to put food on the table as I used to before and I'm so grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial support.

Being a second wife in a polygamous family, I had to take full responsibility of raising my three children since my husband who is at his 70's now is unproductive. I have been selling charcoal to provide for my family a business which has been faced by so many uncertainties due to prolonged drought and deforestation. It's been hard to put food on the table and sometimes we end up sleeping hungry. I have been wishing to have livestock which I can sell to provide for my family when life hits the rock bottom but I couldn't afford to buy them. When I was enrolled in the program, my goal was to buy as many livestock that I can so that I can sell them and pay bills. I spend KES 500 to buy a chicken and KES 650 to buy six 2kg packets of maize which can take us for at least three weeks.