I know that one day the transfers will come to an end. By that time, I wish to have invested some funds in livestock like goats and chickens. Owning livestock will be a critical source of income as I can sell them to raise cash for my four children's school fees. I believe that with the transfers, I can achieve this goal. It is something that I had desired to do for a long time, but the mere earnings I made from making charcoal barely made it past our food expenses.

With four school-going kids, it can be challenging to raise enough funds to meet their needs, particularly in terms of paying school fees. Even with our efforts in making and selling charcoal, my husband and I barely manage to cover all these expenses. I am grateful because the transfers have been a crucial supplement to our meager earnings, specifically playing a significant role in supporting the education of our children. Recently, I used $34 to pay rent for my son who is currently in secondary school but resides in a rental space due to the long distance between his school and home. This expense had accumulated over a couple of months, and we had no other means of raising the money except by using the transfer funds. Additionally, I spent another $34 on school uniform, shoes, and book shopping for his sibling who was joining junior high school, and I paid $14 in examination fees for the other two. After that, I bought a hen for $6 for the purpose of rearing so that I can sell it in the future to raise money. The remaining $14 went towards household expenses such as food.

I desire to persist in livestock keeping, specifically goats. Should budget constraints arise, I aim to at least secure a hen from the cash transfers. With six goats acquired from previous transfers, my target is to increase this number to at least 20 by the time the transfers conclude. The envisioned growth of the herd through reproduction will enable me to sell some of the animals, generating resources to meet the various needs of my family, especially school fees for my six children. Despite existing financial constraints, I remain hopeful in realizing this dream.

I invested $30 in acquiring a goat to rear it. I now have six goats that I bought from the cash transfers. The goal is to leverage their ability to reproduce to grow a herd and generate funds that can contribute to the education of my children. There was also a period when one of my youngest one-year-old children fell ill, necessitating a visit to the nearest private hospital. Since I had no other money, I allocated $20 from the cash transfer for his medical expenses. I'm relieved that my child has now fully recovered and is more cheerful. Additionally, $30 was directed towards settling the school fees for another child in Form One, ensuring the balance was cleared before the school closed. The remaining funds were used to purchase food, a crucial step in ensuring my family's well-being. As my husband and I depend on casual labor in charcoal making, the cash transfers have significantly alleviated the burden of providing for our household. I could not be more grateful!

My future goal is to continue buying goats until I have a total of six, and then I will consider purchasing a cow as well. I am filled with joy and gratitude for the cash transfers, and I pray that God blesses the organization abundantly for the assistance it has provided. The transfers have opened up new possibilities for my family, allowing me to own livestock and pay tuition for the children, and I am hopeful for a brighter future ahead. Thank you once again for this opportunity.

I have made several wise investments since receiving the cash transfers. Initially, I purchased a goat and chickens, using part of the funds to pay my children's school fees. Recently, I bought another goat worth $34, aiming to rear them and allow them to reproduce. I plan to sell the offspring to cover the school fees of my four children in primary school. Currently, my husband and I depend on selling charcoal to pay for their education, but with the help of the cash transfers, our children can now attend school without interruptions, and I am immensely grateful for this support.

As I had said we are struggling as a family especially with the drought and the high cost of living. I have 5 children in school and their school fees per tem is about $190. My child in secondary schoo, form one requires the most money at $150 per term, while the youngest requires the least at $5 per term. We plan as a family to use the GD transfers to cover payment for school fees for this children to ensure they are able to attend school without fail. I also have a plan of getting chicken and goats. These animals are profitable since they procreate fast and can easily be sold for cash.

GD transfers have been a huge support to my family. My husband and I burn and sell charcoal as a way of getting an income. It takes a very large number of treee stumps to even achieve a whole bag of chacoal. The most we get is a small sack which is one thrid of the big sack. It usually goes for $3 and we make this in a week. It is very unsustainable and its very difficult to even take care of schooling for our five children in school. I was able to pay school fees for my child who had just joined form 1. I paid $10 in January and $10 in March. I was also able to buy food for my children over February and March, I spent $24 and $10 respectively. I was also able to buy a goat and a chicken. I bought the goat at $30 but spent $20 from my transfers and added $10 from the money I had from selling charcoal. I bought the chicken in March at $4.

We are an eight people in our family; my husband, our six children, and I. We all rely on my spouse because I don't have a steady income. He does the odd jobs that are available in the region, but they are unreliable, so he has been struggling to provide for us. We appreciate the help since it has allowed us to take care of a variety of needs that were beyond our budget. I spent $52 of the payout from the previous three months on various foods for my household. Due to the present drought, food commodity prices have increased, so we are grateful for the assistance since it has enabled us to at least afford two meals per day. I borrowed food items for $7.5 from the owner of the local shop before receiving the current transfer, and I paid it back when I got it. In addition to the nine goats I already had, I spent an additional $32 on a goat with the intention of breeding it and eventually selling some of the offspring. In addition to these, our two school-age children had $2.5 in unpaid tuition, which I am happy to say I was able to pay off using the money given.

I love the fact that Give Directly is supporting the needy families through the unconditional transfers. From the transfer, I will transform my life and become financially stable. I recommend to the organization to increase the monthly stipend. This will help us cope with the sharp rising of essential commodities such as food.

Last month was a tough one as my husband, who works as a casual laborer, could not get a job. This forced me to go buy food on credit from a nearby kiosk worth KES 500. When I received my transfer, I repaid the debt. I paid the school fees of KES 500 for my son, who is in primary school, to avoid being sent home. For the longest time wanted to own livestock but could not due to lack of funds. I bought a young goat (Kid). I plan on rearing the goat, ensure it multiplies in number and create wealth.

When I woke up, I received a message on my phone. I handed it over to my sister-in-law, confirmed that I had received my first transfer from Give Directly. I could not believe it and I started ululating. As I celebrated the good news, I broke into a dance.

The transfer made an enormous difference in my life because I bought food that prevented my children from starving. Unlike previous months when I would buy food on credit, the situation is different because of the high prices of food products. Shopkeepers are unwilling to sell on credit, making it hard to feed the family when I do not have money.

Since the commencement of the drought in our village three years ago, I have grown no food on the farm. I relied heavily on my farm to earn a living. When I lost my source of income, I opted to work casual jobs selling charcoal. Making charcoal is tedious and I often fall ill. Besides being a tedious venture, I earn very little from it and I cannot cater fully to my family’s needs (buying food, paying school fees, and buying clothes). When I received my transfer, I bought food (two packets of maize flour and ¼ kg of sugar) worth KES 600. It was very important for me to buy the food because we had nothing to eat for three days and we survived on the water. This affected my children because they were getting weak and malnourished. I paid school fees arrears for my two children in primary school and were not in school because of school fee arrears.