Next year, my main goal is to renovate my house and add an extra room because my family is growing. It's a simple dream, but a big step for us. I've been making sacrifices, saving every penny, and planning carefully, and I truly believe that by next year, I'll be able to make it happen. Having that extra space will relieve so much stress from my life. I'll finally have room for everyone, and my children will have a safe and comfortable place to grow up. It's not just about the physical expansion of the house; it's about creating a better environment for my family's future. I can't wait to see the smiles on their faces when they have their own space to call their own.

For too long, the state of my house has been a constant source of worry; its deteriorating condition is a looming threat to our safety and well-being. With the steady influx of cash from the unconditional transfers, I devised a plan to address this pressing issue. By allocating $70 to my Merry Go Round savings, I ensured that when my turn came to receive the funds, I would have the means to undertake much-needed renovations. This proactive approach brought a sense of relief, knowing that I was taking tangible steps to secure our living space and alleviate the constant anxiety about our home collapsing around us. In the midst of grappling with housing concerns, a medical emergency added to our burdens. My newborn baby fell ill, requiring urgent hospitalization. With no stable income and my husband reliant on casual labor, the medical bill seemed insurmountable. However, the cash transfer provided a lifeline, enabling me to cover the expenses and ensure my child received the necessary care. The weight lifted from my shoulders was palpable, allowing me to focus on my family's well-being without the specter of looming debt. Additionally, settling a longstanding debt with a friend brought a sense of closure and peace of mind, further easing the financial strain on our household. With the remaining funds, I prioritized providing nutritious food and vegetables for my family, ensuring their health and nourishment amidst the challenges we faced.

Over the next year, my primary goal is to prioritize the renovation of my current house. Given its weakened state, I am concerned that heavy rainfall could potentially lead to its collapse. To address this pressing issue, I intend to rely on my savings to acquire the necessary materials for the renovation process. By investing in these renovations, I am confident that I can significantly improve the structure of my house. This endeavor is important to me and will provide much-needed peace of mind for myself and my family. With careful planning and prudent utilization of my savings, I am determined to undertake this crucial project that will greatly enhance the security and stability of our living environment.

Upon receiving my recent transfers, I made it a priority to always allocate $10 towards loan repayment and saved another $10 in a merry-go-round. I utilized a portion of the transfers to gradually pay off the credit for a solar lantern. This approach enabled me to manage my finances responsibly while meeting my obligations. Furthermore, a significant portion of the transfer has been instrumental in providing sustenance for my family, which consists of four members: my husband, our two children, and myself. As a result of the transfer, I have been able to balance debt repayment, savings, and meeting our essential needs. I am so grateful to GiveDirectly.

In the upcoming year and beyond, my foremost goal is to oversee the successful restoration of my home, which is currently in a state of near-collapse. This involves not only repairing the structural integrity of the walls but also undertaking a comprehensive remodeling project. Furthermore, I aspire to enhance the living conditions by investing in solar panels and lighting fixtures for the house, thereby replacing the need for torches at night. The realization of these objectives would bring me tremendous satisfaction, given the significant improvements resulting from these endeavors.

In August, I allocated $20 from my transfers into two separate savings accounts that my relatives and I had established together. Our intention is to distribute these savings among ourselves at the end of the year, based on our respective contributions over time. My primary goal for these savings is to undertake much-needed repairs on my deteriorating house. The structural integrity of my home has significantly deteriorated, with the walls on the verge of collapsing due to the weakened support beams used during its construction. Once these repairs are completed, I will finally have peace of mind while residing with my family. With the remaining $14, I made several essential household purchases. These items included soap, detergent, body lotion, cooking oil, salt, and a kilogram of sugar. These provisions are crucial for sustaining our daily life, especially for my husband, our two children, and myself. I'm deeply appreciative and overjoyed that these transfers have provided much-needed support for my family and me.

My goal is to start a business that offers sales of vegetables because I lack a consistent source of income. That will make it much easier for me to raise more money to support my family. As a result, I will have no difficulty raising the cash I need to buy food and cover my children's education costs. I will achieve financial freedom once my business starts to do well and I start to see consistent income flow. Consequently, I will stop taking small debts from the neighborhood because doing so has always deprived me of my peace.

Owing to the current situation, I have not been able to engage in any income-generating activity. I had been relying on subsistence farming to support my four-member family. However, for the past two seasons, we did not realize any harvest. My husband does a casual job to support my family. We have not been having many struggles despite the current famine situation. So when I received my recent transfer, I spent the whole of it on the goat. I had never raised any goat before, and I hope it will be beneficial. The other previous three months' transfers helped me pay off debts we had as a family.

As of last August, I decided to start saving up money so that I could finally have enough to build a proper home for myself and my children. The house I live in at the moment is almost on the verge of collapsing, and that is what made me want to build another one. Therefore, before the end of the year, I am planning to have accomplished this. Apart from that, I also happen to have five kids who are pursuing an education, so I will use some of the funds to pay for their tuition fees as well.

The moment I realized that the organization had sent out the transaction, I was quite overwhelmed with so much joy especially since the festive season was here and I really needed the money. I instantly went ahead to spend KES 2,150 on buying clothes for my kids for the Christmas celebrations. Afterwards I ended up putting away KES 1,000 in my savings committee because I had plans of using that money to build a bigger home for me and my children. Lastly I used the balance of KES 250 to buy laundry detergent.

We are four in our family, and we mostly rely on my spouse who is a porter. He has always tried to provide for his family however little he earns. We have a two-room house but it does not fit us forcing the children to sleep in the living room. When I started receiving the transfers, I joined a savings group where we save KES 2000 monthly and share the savings amongst us when the year ends. I plan to use my shares to renovate our house by both plastering and constructing an additional room which will be my children's bedroom. This will assure them of their privacy. KES 3000 I spent on foodstuffs for the family. We are thankful for the support from GiveDirectly.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly does so well in visiting and enrolling our community members in its program. It gives unconditional transfer that has proven to be of great impact among the beneficiaries. Since we began receiving our transfers, the families have been living peacefully. In addition, some have initiated other development projects such as reviving businesses as well as building savings for their children's education. A situation that could have not been so without that transfer. In contrast, there is nothing that GiveDirectly does not do well.

I am a mother of a 4 years old child, who fell sick just two days before the transfer date. Since I did not have money then, I was unable to take him to the hospital. However, when I received my transfer, I prioritised seeking medication for him. I am glad that at the moment, he has fully recovered. In addition, considering that I had joined a merry-go-round saving scheme when I received my first transfer, I also saved KES 1,000, with a goal of building a new house before the year ends. Prior to being enrolled in the program, I could not join any savings plan because I did not have any source of income. As a matter of fact, I am just a housewife. Lastly, the rest of the transfer helped me to obtain food for my family of 4. Throughout my life, I have been depending on my husband who is a casual labourer. Although his income is irregular hence we cannot rely on that.

I will never forget that moment I received the funds from GiveDirectly as I was just at home going about my housewifery duties of preparing a meal for my family. I was so very excited and happiness was written all over my face. I was able to withdraw the amount from an MPESA agent after one day.

The greatest impact the transfers have made in my life is that I have been able to save up and I can now see the actualization of building a better house coming to light thanks to GiveDirectly.

Being a housewife and not having any job, finances have been a scarce commodity on my end. I am married and my husband operates a small business of selling vegetables in the market and together we have two children. The KES1200 I received from GiveDirectly went straight to my chama savings account since I have the dream to build a better house than the one we live in.