My aspiration for this year is to empower myself financially by joining a merry go round, a local group of women making monthly contribution to the village bank. I will be joining the group of 15 beginning this month and hope to raise about 20000 KES by the end of the year to build a new house to comfortably accommodate my family of 8. I will be excited to accomplish this!

With 4 of my children in school, it is an uphill task taking them through school with no constant source of income. When I received money from GD last month, I spent 3000 KES to purchase one goat,to add to the 13 I already have. Given the short period they multiply, I will be able to sell them occasionally to educate my children.

My objective is to establish a general shop business in our local trading centre in the near future. To realize this dream, I've become a member of a savings group comprising twenty-five individuals, contributing $20 monthly. Recognizing that securing the necessary capital is the primary challenge, my plan is to initially invest my savings in purchasing goats. Once these goats reach maturity, I can sell them at a profit, enabling me to accumulate the capital required for my business venture. This endeavor will not only enhance my financial independence but also provide the means to support my children's education effortlessly. I am a parent to four children who rely on me for their educational fees. It is my utmost priority to witness them achieving their academic aspirations despite our financial constraints. Therefore, my current primary goals are to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of my children's education and save for an income-generating project.

My primary aspiration has always been livestock ownership, as I view it as the most important asset within my reach. Given my current lack of income-generating activities, I consider livestock to be the best investment option available to me. Recently, I allocated $40 from my transfers to acquire a goat and three chickens, which I am currently raising. I am pleased to report that I now possess a total of four goats, which I anticipate selling to meet my future financial requirements. Additionally, I allocated $10 to purchase an iron sheet and carried out essential roof repairs to address leaks. I am relieved that I no longer need to worry about rain causing damage. Furthermore, I have become a member of a savings group consisting of twenty-five members, where I consistently save $20 per month. Our collective goal is to enhance our economic well-being by acquiring a piece of land in the upcoming months with the intention of starting a business venture. Initially, we plan to use our savings to purchase goats, rear them, and eventually sell them for a profit, thus raising capital. This investment will not only generate income but also empower us to provide for our children's education. Lastly, I utilized a portion of my funds to acquire various household necessities, personal items, and toiletries that were lacking in my household.

My goal is to start livestock rearing as a means of livelihood to reduce the financial burdens in my household. I am incredibly grateful for the previous cash transfers, as they have allowed me to acquire three goats and four chickens. By owning this livestock, I will accumulate enough wealth that will help my family's living conditions and support my children's education. It brings me great joy to envision them studying without any interruptions due to a lack of school fees.

I allocated $10 from the cash transfers to settle the school fee debt for my three children for the ongoing term and $5 for my son's school uniform, as his current pair is worn out and needs to be replaced. Thanks to the cash transfers, my children’s education has not been interrupted, and I am extremely happy and grateful for that. I also purchased a hen for $5, which I plan to rear and allow to reproduce. The income generated from the sale of eggs and chickens will help contribute to my children's education. My husband, who works as a driver, is the sole provider for our family, and his salary is received at the end of the month. However, there are times when we face immediate needs like food before he is paid, and I always want to contribute and help. This is why I had to spend the remaining $14 to buy food for our household. At least it served us to the end of the month when he was paid.

My objective for the transfer proceeds this year is to primarily use them to buy more livestock. I've depended on the farm for my livelihood and survival for the past 20 years. This, however, has abruptly changed, and since I can no longer harvest any crops from the farm, I now need to look for a new source of income. I will be able to buy livestock at a lower cost and sell it for a profit by investing in it. This will enable me to look after my family during these trying times.

My children had a $20 school fee debt to their school. A week after I got my January transfers, school opened up. To ensure that my five children would be allowed to return to school and continue their education, I paid the past-due school fee debt with $15. Selling charcoal is my main source of income, but I make very little money from it, so I can't afford to pay my children's school fees on time. My truck driver husband is also having trouble finding work, so I am left on my own to take care of everything for the family. I used the remaining $19 to buy food for the family in addition to paying the past-due school fees. The effects of the drought have continued to wreak havoc in our area over the past few months, making things really challenging. We have to make do with just one meal a day because the high cost of food makes it impossible for us to afford to purchase three meals.

I spent $20 of my recent cash transfer on purchasing a goat. This has been my long-time dream to rear them in my homestead but I could not afford any at my own cost. I feel grateful and happy because I am certain very soon I will have many of them. I am certain that once they will increase they will generally change my living standards because I will be in a position to sell one or two and sort all my household bills. With the remaining amount of money, I opted to pay fees for my five children in who are primary schools. I am glad that they are now studying peacefully without any disturbances.

I loved the services and how courteous the Give Directly staff were when they enrolled us into the program. Their communication skills allowed us to understand the organization well and agree to be enrolled in the program. I would like the organization to send more staff to ensure that more people are enrolled.  

I spent half of my transfer of KES 1500 on buying a goat. I bought the goat with the primary reason for investing in the future. With proper care, the goat will multiply in number and once this happens, I can sell some and use the funds to attend to my most pressing needs, e.g. paying school fees for my children. I earn a living through the sale of charcoal, whereas my husband is a public service vehicle driver. Because of the sharp rise in fuel, he earns very little (450 per day). The amount is not enough to cater to all the house expenses. Besides investing the money in buying the goat, I spent the other half on paying off a school debt that my 5 children owed in their school. This ensured that they continued with their studies in school.

It was late at night after dinner, and I was almost going to bed. My phone had a message notification. Because of my illiteracy, I asked my elder daughter who is my trustee to read the message. I was ecstatic and unable to control my excitement when she confirmed that I had received money from Give Directly.

The biggest difference in my daily life since I received these funds is providing my family with food. Life has its challenges and with a family of six children without a stable income, it is difficult to feed them and pay their school fees. It is always the joy of a parent to provide for his/her family and that’s the main reason that I only see my husband once over the weekend. The consistent monthly funds will enable feed my family and eventually unite my family once more.

Lack of a stable source of income makes it more difficult to make ends meet. My husband, who is the sole provider for the family, is a casual staff and works as a driver in a different town. I have been working as a charcoal burner in order to support my husband with our daily expenses. The charcoal business has become hard and competitive and at the moment, there is not much I can do. I spent my transfer of KES 2700 on food and KES 300 to buy one chicken.