Constructing my own house posed a formidable challenge that exceeded my financial means. Fortunately, the recent transfers provided the opportunity to save consistently each month. This allowed me to acquire essential materials like iron sheets and building poles, ultimately realizing the dream of building my house. While it's not entirely finished, my current focus is on purchasing a door and new bedding to replace the old mats I've been using during my stay at my son's house. Achieving this has been my primary aspiration, and I am now content knowing that I have a comfortable home to reside in.

Before receiving the transfers, I found refuge in my son's house following the collapse of my own dwelling. Financial constraints prevented me from constructing a new home, and despite feeling uneasy about imposing on my son's large family, I had no other option. I stayed there, hopeful that I could eventually build my own place, especially considering my advanced age and the positive impact a comfortable living space could have on my health. Upon receiving the transfers, I dedicated myself to saving a portion of the money each month through our local merry-go-round. Managing to set aside at least $20 regularly, I utilized the accumulated funds during my turn to purchase essential building materials such as iron sheets and poles. Gratefully, I've been able to construct my house, and my next steps include acquiring a door, fixing it, and investing in a new bed and mattress—changes that I believe will significantly improve my life. Moreover, I allocated $20 from the recent transfers to hire an oxplough to prepare my farm for cultivation. Timely planting resulted in a bountiful harvest, alleviating the persistent issue of food shortages in my household. Lastly, I used a portion of the money to purchase foodstuffs for my family and pay the school fees for my grandsons. I am pleased that they are now comfortably attending school, thanks to the timely payments.

With my upcoming transfers, I have a strong desire to invest in livestock. This investment holds great potential as it will provide me with a sustainable source of income even after the transfer period ends. By venturing into livestock, I aim to attain financial independence and self-reliance. Additionally, I have faced numerous health challenges in the past, and it is my intention to utilize a portion of the transfers to seek improved medical care and undergo thorough check-ups. Prioritizing my health and well-being is of utmost importance to me, and I am grateful for the financial assistance I have received thus far. It has significantly contributed to my ability to lead a decent and dignified life. The support I have received through the transfers has played a vital role in enhancing the quality of my life. It has empowered me to take control of my financial situation and has instilled a sense of gratitude within me. I am truly appreciative of the opportunities it has afforded me and the prospect of a brighter future ahead.

I am currently residing with my daughter, who operates a small business selling fruits and vegetables within our village. With the financial assistance provided through my August transfers, I have been able to purchase building poles, which will be utilized in the construction of my new house. This endeavor has become necessary due to the collapse of my previous house a few months ago, as it had fallen into a state of disrepair. Furthermore, I have recently acquired 12 pieces of iron sheets, which will be sufficient for constructing the roof of my new home. The construction process is currently underway, with the building poles in place. The progress being made fills me with immense happiness and excitement, as it means that in the near future, I will be able to move into my new house. The financial transfers have proven to be invaluable to me, particularly given my advanced age and lack of employment. They have provided me with the means to rebuild and secure a stable living environment. I am deeply grateful for the support I have received, as it has significantly improved my circumstances and provided me with a renewed sense of hope and gratitude.

My goal has been to build a decent house since I have been staying at my daughter's house. This is after my house collapsed some years ago and I wasn't able to construct a new one at my own cost. I managed to buy 12 pieces of iron sheets after saving a portion of the money every month for the past few months. I am now planning to buy building poles in the months to come to start the construction project. I am tired of living in a house that doesn't belong to me and where I do not enjoy privacy due to the presence of my grandchildren.

I have been saving ksh.1800 every month over the past few months and my goal was to purchase some building materials such as iron sheets and building poles. My living house collapsed some years back and I had to seek refuge in my daughter's house. I however didn't enjoy privacy but since I couldn't afford to build a new house at my own cost, I had to endure, until when I began receiving the transfers. I managed to buy 12 pieces of iron sheets and I'm planning to buy some build poles to begin construction. I spent the remaining amount on buying food for my family. With the increasing prices of commodities, buying corn wouldn't have been easy for me had I not received the monthly transfers. Being able to feed my family adequately was one of the challenges, and I thank GiveDirectly for helping me to overcome it. I was able to fend for them without much struggle despite the tough economic conditions.

Sometimes back, my house collapsed. Since I did not have any source of income that could enable me to build another house, I was forced to move into my daughter's house. This state did not give me peace of mind since I was not as free as I used to be in my house. I felt my privacy is being tampered with. How I wished the charcoal-making job could enable me to build even a hurt. When I was enrolled in the GiveDirectly program, I opted to start buying some construction materials aiming to build my house. Currently, I have five pieces of iron sheets which I bought from the transfers. I will be very glad to accomplish this before the year ends. Although I am still staying in my daughter's house, I am very optimistic that by the start of next year, I will be in my house.

I used $9 to buy a piece of iron sheet. This is something I have been doing using the past four transfers. My goal is to accumulate enough pieces to build a new one room house. Ever since my house collapsed last year, I have been sheltering under my daughter’s house, where she stays with her four children. Given the limited space, it feels tiny for the six of us. Obtaining my own structure would ensure that we all get enough privacy. The aim is to accumulate 12 iron sheets first, then buy tree poles and hire someone to construct the house for me. Also, I spent $7 to treat a stomach complication that had left me in severe pain for days. I directed the remaining amount towards food to buy my son time as his casual jobs rarely come by. 

Over the years we have experienced quite harsh climate changes and this led to drought which has led to lots of cases connected to starvation. Therefore since having a meal is one of our biggest challenges I decided to use KES 2,000 of the funds that I had received and bought ten packets of maize flour and used an extra KES 500 to buy a two kilograms of beans and a kilogram of sugar. I was left remaining with a balance of 500 which I ended up going to the clinic with because I was not feeling quite well.

I would like to congratulate Give Directly for the wonderful gesture of helping the needy by giving them unconditional transfers so that they can uplift their lives from poverty. I would like to urge the organization to conduct physical surveys to find out the real impacts on the lives of the recipients.

I have a family comprising two children and four grandchildren, who are all under my care. I am weak and can no longer work because of my old age. The only asset we currently depend on is two dairy cows that survived the prolonged effects of drought. My eldest son sells the milk from the cows daily and the money we earn is used to buy food to feed us once. The milk we get from the cow is very little because there is no green grass to feed the cows because of the effects of the drought. As a result, my son has struggled to put food on the table for the entire family. Therefore, when I received my transfer, I spent the KES 3000 on buying 12 kg of maize flour, 2kg of maize, 2kg of sugar, and some vegetables as food for the family after surviving one meal per day for an entire month.

My friends were walking toward the shop to withdraw their money when I met them. Since my phone was in the charging place, I couldn't confirm if I had received my transfer. I impatiently waited until my daughter was back and she got the phone and confirmed that I had received the funds, too. I was thrilled and started ululating as we celebrated with my daughter.

Skipping meals and sleeping on an empty stomach is a trend that I have experienced in the past few weeks. However, the situation changed drastically after receiving the transfer. I bought plenty of food and I no longer skip meals. Buying the food is the biggest difference that I have had since I received the money.

The state of poverty in my home has worsened over the past three months due to a lack of money. At my age, I can no longer work and I depend fully on sons who work as casual laborers (house construction). Due to the poor state of the economy, they cannot get jobs after many construction sites suspended their operations. This has affected me too because they no longer send me money and if they do, it is very little to last me a day or two. This has forced me to survive on a cup of porridge or tea per day and when it worsens, I sleep hungry for several days (3 days a week). Therefore, when I received my first transfer, I spent it all buying 10 packets of maize flour and 2kgs of beans to add to the dwindling stock of food in the house.