With the goal of providing a stable source of income while caring for my ailing younger child, I am determined to make a significant investment in poultry farming. Currently, I am meticulously tending to a small group of hens and ducks, ensuring they receive proper nutrition to facilitate rapid multiplication and growth. As their numbers increase, I plan to sell them and generate substantial earnings, which will enable me to meet my family's needs, assist my husband, and cover our household expenses. Thus, my objective for this year is to embark on a poultry business and establish a reliable income stream.

My husband is the sole breadwinner for our family of four. He is employed by a power company, but as a contracted worker rather than full-time, which means he earns very little. This makes it difficult for him to meet all of our family's needs. Unfortunately, I am unable to contribute financially because my youngest son has epilepsy and requires round-the-clock attention. When I received my mail transfers, I used $7 to purchase medication for my son, ensuring his condition remains stable. Additionally, I bought 5 packets of 2 kg maize flour for a total of $10,000 since we had almost no food left at home. This purchase brought smiles to my children, who were worried about missing meals due to our financial constraints. To sustain our livestock, I spent $6 on animal feeds for the hens and ducks that I bought with the transfer money. I am hopeful that with the number of hens and ducks increasing, I will be able to sell them at a higher price in the market and earn some income. Finally, I used the remaining amount to pay my two children's school fees and purchase stationery items, creating a conducive learning environment for them at school. I am deeply grateful to the organization for their significant financial assistance. These transfers have enabled me to fulfill needs that were previously out of reach due to the extreme poverty I was experiencing.

My poultry farm, which had more than 67 hens, failed at the end of last year. A strange illness that affected the hens caused them all to die. My attempts to save the situation were unsuccessful because all of the hens passed away within a two-week period. This year, I want to dedicate all of my time and effort to raising livestock, such as goats. I want to build up a sizable flock of goats by the end of the year, which will increase my initial investment. The choice of livestock is influenced by the severe weather we are currently having as well as the accessibility of medications that can be given to the animals in the event that a disease outbreak occurs. I'm crossing my fingers that this will work out as I search for a reliable source of income to support my family.

Because of my four-year-old daughter's condition, I have not had a single peaceful moment in my life for the past four years. She has been suffering from a chronic illness since her birth. With my recent transfer, I spent $9 on her medication since I always take her for medication every month. Secondly, because I cannot engage in any formal job since I have to always be at home to look after my daughter, I spent $15 on a small goat. My goal is to keep livestock that I can always attend to while at home to diversify sources of my family income. It will allow me to comfortably care for my six-member family in the long run. The remainder of the transfer, $10, assisted me in obtaining food for my family.

I spent $8 on paying school fees for my child in a primary. She is now studying well without being sent home like before. I am so happy because this has given me peace of mind to do my daily chore at home. I repaid a debt of $4 that I had borrowed from a friend to pay the medical bills for my child who was unwell. The remaining amount of money $18 I purchased a goat. I have always loved goat rearing. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards.

I commend the organization for helping the needy by giving out unconditional transfers. However, I would like to encourage the organization to conduct a physical follow-up in the village and assess the impact of the funds on changing lives for the better.

I am a small-scale farmer who ventured into poultry farming after the commencement of the drought. I lost all I had invested in the farm when all the crops dried up. When I received my transfer, I spent a large portion of KES 2000 on buying chicken feeds (starters mash). I depend heavily on this project because of the earnings I get to pay school fees for my 2 children, buy food and clothes and use some for medication. I spent KES 500 on paying school fees for my children after schools opened. Finally, I spent the remaining KES 500 on buying 2kgs of sugar, 1kg of sugar and tea leaves to add to the dwindling stock of food in my house.

I got home at 8 pm. After I finished up with my errands, I went to bed at around 10 pm. I then woke up to breastfeed my child and minutes later I got a message. Upon checking, I saw that I had received funds from give directly. I was very delighted and filled with so much gratitude towards the organization for fulfilling the promise they made. Since I wished to grow my business, I went out to purchase some poultry feed for the 36 chickens I rear for a living.

Although my life has been full of struggles, I have never dared to give up. I engaged myself in small businesses like poultry farming and charcoal manufacturing. This is so I could ease the burden of paying bills for my husband who works as an electrician. With the intention of opening a canteen near a school, and providing for my children, I ensure I work very hard. Now that I'm receiving these funds, I believe my life will be greatly improved as I will have an extra income that will help me thrive in business as I will invest in it.

I am a poultry farmer, currently owning 36 chickens. I also practice charcoal manufacturing. When I got the funds from give directly, all I wanted to do was improve my business. From its profits, I would ensure that my children's needs are well taken care of and I could support them through school. So, I used the funds to invest in my poultry farming business by purchasing some poultry feed.