In the near future and beyond, my main focus is on paying school fees for my children. As a peasant farmer, my income is not consistent, so I need to plan carefully to ensure my children can continue their education and meet their basic needs when external financial assistance ends. Before GiveDirectly came to our area, life was challenging, and my children were often sent home from school due to unpaid fees. This was because I lacked a reliable source of income. As the external support is soon coming to an end, I am considering expanding into livestock farming. Currently, I have five goats, and I'm delighted to see that they have multiplied since starting with just two. Investing in goats is beneficial as they can reproduce quickly, providing a simple path for growth. My aim is for their numbers to increase, allowing me to eventually trade them for cows and sell some to generate income for my family's needs.

I'm so grateful for the financial support from GiveDirectly. It has relieved me from financial stress and allowed me to afford basic needs for my family. The transfers have also enabled me to keep my children in school by promptly paying their fees. Out of the recent income, I allocated $42 to buy food to ensure my children don't go to school hungry, and I spent the remaining $60 on paying school fees for them. These transfers have truly made life easier for us as a family.

My primary focus is caring for my family, and I am planning to expand into raising livestock. Currently, I have four goats; starting with two, they have multiplied, which brings me great joy. Investing in goats is advantageous because they can reproduce quickly, offering a straightforward path to expansion. My goal is for their numbers to multiply, enabling me to eventually exchange them for cows and sell some to generate income for my family's needs. Thank you so much GiveDirectly for your support.

As a mother of seven children, with six currently attending school and one not yet of age, my top priority upon receiving transfers is ensuring their education continues uninterrupted. I allocated $20 towards settling their school fees, ensuring they wouldn't face the risk of being sent home. With the remaining $14, I purchased food for my family, ensuring they wouldn't go hungry. This allocation of transfers reflects my commitment to providing for their educational needs and basic necessities, ensuring a stable and nourishing environment for my children.

In addition to supporting my family's basic needs and supplementing my spouse's income as the sole earner, I am keen to explore investment opportunities in livestock, particularly goats. Recognized for their affordability and ease of rearing, goats present a promising avenue for investment. During school holidays, when the children are home and no fees payments are due, I plan to allocate resources towards acquiring goats. This strategic approach allows for focused attention on building a viable livestock venture alongside family commitments. Looking ahead, my objective is to leverage the assets accumulated through goat farming to finance a more substantial business endeavor. By strategically selling a portion of the goats, I aim to generate the necessary capital to establish a stable source of income before the conclusion of this project. This long-term vision underscores my commitment to securing financial stability and independence for my family, ensuring a brighter future beyond the duration of the current project.

The transfers we receive have been a lifeline for our family, particularly given our limited income sources. With my husband as the sole breadwinner, these funds have enabled me to contribute to our household needs, particularly in supporting our five children's education. Four of them are currently enrolled in various grades in primary school, necessitating a monthly fee payment totaling $20. The remaining amount from the transfers is allocated towards purchasing food and meeting other essential household expenses. Previously, solely relying on my husband's income placed significant strain on our family finances, often impacting the success of his small shop business. However, with the assistance of these transfers, his business has flourished, allowing us to provide the best for our children without financial strain. Notably, this financial stability enabled us to make the decision to enroll our child in boarding school, a prospect that would have been financially prohibitive if we relied solely on my husband's income. Overall, these transfers have not only alleviated financial pressures but have also empowered our family to make strategic decisions for our children's education and well-being. Through prudent management, we are able to ensure our children receive the education and support they deserve, setting them on a path to success.

Things have been looking up since the rain began, we have now farmed maize and some green grams and other plants for food. This makes us very hopeful. If we get to harvest the plants that we planted we will have enough food and it will mean the transfers will not be used for food and hence we can now use the cash to buy animals such as chicken or goats which we will be able to rear and make an income from them. I will also be able to educate my children using the cash that I receive from Giveidrectly.

I never owned animals until Givedirectly gave us the cash transfers. Now I have two goats which I bought in may at $70, I used $36 of cash I had saved over time from my transfers and I added the monthly transfer of $34 that I had received for the cash to be enough to buy the giats. In June and April I used the money in a similar way. I spent $20 to pay school fees for my 6 school going children and used $14 on food.

I am currently at home without a business, I have embarked on a new venture by investing in two goats. With a thoughtful plan in mind, I am now considering purchasing chickens to expand my animal care efforts. This strategic move not only provides me with the joy of tending to these animals but also offers a safety net during challenging times. Should any obstacles arise, I can rely on the option to sell these animals, resolving any difficulties that may come my way. This endeavor fills me with a sense of empowerment and optimism for the future, knowing that I have a practical solution within my grasp.

As a devoted mother of seven incredible children, my heart swelled with love and happiness as I carefully selected and purchased food for $14, ensuring that their tummies would be nourished. The thought of surprising my little ones at school and dividing $20 among my five children for their school fees, made me witness their faces light up with delight, and that was a priceless moment for me. My husband, the rock of our family, works tirelessly to provide for us, and the prospect of assisting him with the upcoming transfer fills my heart with gratitude and eagerness. Together, we share a bond forged by unconditional love and a shared sense of purpose.

In our area, we suffer more from the drought that is ravaging the entire County. With the assurance of my monthly transfer, I have a goal of raising goats just like my neighborhood. I have witnessed many people benefiting from such ventures whenever they sell them. By choosing to venture into livestock keeping, I will find it easy to take my children to school without having to beg for support from some family members, as it had been the norm before being enrolled in GiveDirectly's program.

In my house, we are a total of nine household members. Since we are jobless and always struggle to fend for the family, whenever I receive the transfer, I always give a portion to help support in obtaining food for the family. A day before the transfer dates, we had no food, a situation that forced us to go the whole day without a meal. Immediately after I received my most recent transfer, I spent $34 on food that lasted more than a week. I am glad I was able to be of support to our family. We are so grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial.

Since I was enrolled in GiveDirectly's program, I have been able to focus on my original goal of raising livestock, particularly goats. The venture into livestock has been made possible because GiveDirectly focuses on giving unconditional cash transfers rather than conventional support. As a result, we, the program participants, are at liberty to prioritize how we spend our transfer. It comes with no strings attached. In my opinion, this is what GiveDirectly does well. In contrast, I have yet noticed what it does not do well.

I have been unwell since I received my recent transfer. As a result, I have not spent it since I have been on some medication and hoping to get better soon. I, therefore, opted to save the whole transfer to spend it on buying a goat. It will give me a golden opportunity to begin rearing livestock. With a herd of goats, it will be easier for me to raise school fees for my children unlike depending on making and selling charcoal, a venture that is not only strenuous but also has a low income. I am so grateful to GiveDirectly because from the transfer, I will be able to break the vicious cycle of poverty that has hindered our family development for years.

I felt so happy the moment I received the money from GiveDirectly. It was very late in the evening that day at around 8:00pm and I was with my husband. I heard my phone ring and upon checking I was met with a very pleasant surprise- it was my first transfer from GiveDirectly. I found myself jumping up and down in happiness in a celebratory mood. I of course shared the good news with my husband who was equally very happy for me. I had waited for the money for a very long time and I was at the verge of giving up. Most of the people who were enrolled with me had received their transfer the previous month and I was left with some few people waiting. When it finally hit my account, I felt so relieved and grteful. The following day, I went and withdrew the money and put it into good use.

The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving transfers is that I am now generally happier than I have ever been before. I can be able to plan myself well and decide on what to do by myself I no longer rely and consult my husband in everything that I do since I am empowered contrary to before. The money has just brought peace of mind for me and my family in general.

I used $25 of my recent transfer to pay school fees for all of my six children who are in their primary school level of education. All of them are in different classes but the money came at a time that each was required to pay some fee. I am so grateful that this money helped me at my hour of need. Had I not received the cash, then my children would have probably missed out on exams. Life has become so costly lately especially due to the adverse effects of climate change. There has been prolonged droughts and even getting food has been a great challenge. I do not have an income generating activity that I would engage in and we have all along been relying on my husband who is a shopkeeper to meet the needs of our family. We have seven children in total with six of them already in school and paying their school fees alone has been a toll order on us. I look forward to the day that we shall have the rains back, at least we will be able to put some land under agriculture and ease the cost of living.i used the remaining amount of $5 to buy food for my family.