In the upcoming year and beyond, I have two main projects that I am determined to complete. Time is flying by, and I want to ensure that I finish these projects before the support ends. I've already started buying building materials, especially iron sheets, because the roof of my current house has developed holes over the years. My plan is to build a new house to improve our living conditions, as the current situation, with rain coming inside, has been causing health problems for my children. Once the house is finished, my next goal is to buy a cow for milk production. Initially, I considered purchasing two cows for plowing, but after calculating the costs, I realized it would take longer to save up for them. Therefore, I’ve decided to focus on getting a dairy cow, which will provide milk for both our household and for potential sale. I am hopeful that with the support I am receiving, I will be able to achieve these two important goals. I am very grateful to GiveDirectly for their assistance.

I currently live in a one-room house that was built a long time ago. The roof, made of very old iron sheets, has developed holes, causing rain to leak through and making the environment very uncomfortable for us. I'm tired of living in these conditions, so when GiveDirectly started operating in our area, my top priority became improving our living situation. With my most recent transfer, I spent $60 to buy six iron sheets to begin the preparations for building a better home. I used the remaining $42 to buy food, as we didn’t have much to eat at the time. This helped us get by while we continue working to earn more money. I’m incredibly grateful for the financial support, which has brought light into my life, and I’m optimistic that I will soon achieve my goal of building a two-room, house.

In the coming year and beyond, my dream is to buy a complete pair of oxen, and I am planning to save diligently over the next few months to make this a reality. I firmly believe that this goal is attainable with careful planning and perseverance. Once I acquire the oxen, they will be of immense support for my agricultural activities, significantly easing the burden that has fallen entirely on my own hands for so long. The physical toll of manually ploughing the farms has been exhausting, and the oxen will bring much-needed relief, enabling me to work more efficiently. This shift promises not just a reduction in my daily toil but also the prospect of more plentiful harvests. In the past, my yields have been limited by the sheer effort required to tend to the land without adequate help. With the oxen, I envision a future where my hard work results in bountiful crops, providing better food security and financial stability for my family. This dream of owning oxen is not just about easing my workload; it's about transforming our agricultural practices and improving our overall quality of life.

For years, I have been sleeping on traditional beds with my two children. The beds were small and uncomfortable, with ropes and old clothes serving as makeshift mattresses. The pain and discomfort were constant companions. When I received the cash transfer, I used $50 to buy a spacious modern bed and an additional $55 for a comfortable mattress. This purchase has transformed our nights, providing a decent and restful place to sleep. I cannot thank the organization enough for this incredible relief. The improvement in our sleep quality has had a positive impact on our overall well-being. Beyond our immediate comfort, the cash transfer also helped me address other pressing challenges. Paying school fees for my children has always been a struggle due to the inconsistent income from my palm wine business. My children were often sent home because of unpaid fees, disrupting their education. With the cash transfer, I was able to settle their arrears, ensuring they could attend school consistently. Additionally, I bought enough food to sustain our family for a while, lifting the constant worry of daily sustenance from my shoulders. As their only parent, this support has brought immense relief and stability to our lives, allowing me to focus on building a better future for my children.

I am a single mother, I live at home with my mother and we were recently joined by my sister who recently separated from her husband. My main source of income is the money I make from selling wine I buy from wine tappers. My income is not as being and hence having this transfers to compliment it really makes a difference. I plan to buy more animals using this transfers and use them as an emergency fund. If my child is sent from school I can sell the animal and cover that need.

My child is of school going age, I had enrolled her in school but had some pending debts. In January I paid the school fees debt of $9 that I had as well as buying my child school uniform and shoes at $20. I spent the remainder of my transfers on food and toiletries. In December it was the holidays and my child was not in school, seeing then that I had an amount I could spend on needs that I had I added some money to my transfers and bought mattress worth $40. In November I basically took care of food and toiletries with food taking $29 of the cash and toiletries taking up $5 of the transfers. $11-food-2500, soap-200, lotion-250, tea leaves-150, sugar-300, debt-100,DEC mattress- 4000, JAN-1500- unform, 900 -school fees debt, shoes-500, grade 2 soap-200,flour- 300. Did not have a mattress, slept on sacks, it was holiday and children were all home hence decided to redirect the money.

My household has five individuals including my mother, my 3 siblings, my child and I. It is however unfortunate that we all sleep in one room as the house is quite tiny. This is not just uncomfortable but also embarrassing so I intend to construct a separate house where some of us can sleep in. With the food crisis that we experienced for the better part of this year now over after the generous harvesting season that we have just witnessed, I am now in a position to save for this goal with the help of the transfers and from my small business. Once this has been achieved, I would like to invest in livestock, most especially goats which are cheaper, less demanding are easy to keep. The goats are a long term investment for future years when this project shall have ended. The goats will be my emergency exit plan as I will be able to sell them when in urgent financial need to raise the money, most importantly to cater for my child's school needs. Besides, this they will also be a proof of GD's great impact in my life after the project is over.

The last 3 months were very tough on my household, just like it was on other village members and presumably the entire country due to the famine that was experienced countrywide caused by the lack of rains over the past couple of years. The failed rains affected food production and greatly limited the availability of the basic commodities such as maize which is the country's staple food. The golden commodity doubled in price, making life literally unbearable during those months, but thanks to the transfers, we were sometimes cushioned. During the past three months, I completely spent my transfers on foodstuff and other basic household needs. I would have loved to invest part of it on any long term projects, items or livestock, but inflation made it impossible as almost all basic items had risen in price. In this month of August, things are much better as we just harvested our crops and now have sufficient food allowing me to channel my transfers towards other needs. This is why I was able to use this month's transfer to purchase my child a new set of school uniform and also managed to offset some debt I had accumulated by purchasing food items on credit from the local shop.

I have a goal to purchase two cows that can assist me with various farming activities. These cows will not only be valuable for plowing tasks, but I also plan to generate additional income by renting them out to others in need. Owning these cows will provide me with a means to enhance my farming productivity and potentially expand my income streams. I recognize the potential benefits that these cows can bring to my agricultural endeavors, and I am eager to work towards acquiring them to fulfill my goal. I trust that the cash transfers will make this dream a reality for me.

My main focus after receiving cash transfers is to allocate funds for my son's school fees and to purchase food for our household. As a single mother without any support, I must ensure that my son's education is not disrupted. From the recent transfer, I allocated $5 to pay for my son's tuition fees for the current academic term. I am grateful that this payment has ensured that he can continue his studies without any financial burdens. To sustain our daily needs, I rely on selling palm wine, although the income generated from this business is often insufficient to cover our expenses. In some cases, I am forced to purchase food on credit, promising to repay the debt whenever I get cash.  When I received the cash transfer, I was facing a debt of $15 at the shop. After settling the debt, I allocated the remaining $14 towards purchasing additional. I am grateful that since the inception of the cash aid, rarely missed basic meals.

I was genuinely happy to receive the money as I always am with each transfer, but this time I was perhaps even more excited especially since we were almost celebrating Christmas and the money was going to be such a great help. After I finally got the chance to withdraw the money I went ahead to spend KES 1,700 solely on nutrition. Therefore I ended up buying five packets of maize flour, about two kilograms of sugar, tea leaves and bread on a daily basis. I proceeded to spend KES 1,400 on purchasing new attire for myself because my old ones were worn out and most of them are torn as well. Lastly I spent the remaining KES 300 and bought laundry detergent with it.

C

The moment I realized I had received the transfers I decided my first priority was to ensure that I paid tuition fee for my daughter because a day prior to receiving the transfers she had actually been sent home. Therefore after withdrawing the transfers I ended up paying KES 1,000 for her school fees. Afterwards I decided to cater to matters concerning nutrition since it was a challenge so I ended up using KES 1,780 by purchasing ten packets of maize flour and two kilogram of sugar. Lastly I remained with they KES 220 which I ended up spending on purchasing laundry detergent with.

I felt excited the moment when I received the first transfer. I was at home preparing to go to bed when I received the Mpesa message. This money gladdened my heart as I knew that my child who had stayed at home for two days would finally resume his studies. I thank God for coming to my rescue at a time of need since if it was not for the transfer, it would have been challenging to raise the money for school fees and food for the family.

The biggest difference in my daily life since I received the transfer is having been able to pay for my child's school fees on time. I sell local brew but of late it is no longer selling like before making it challenging raising money to sustain my family. On the other hand, my mother whom I stay with is aged and depends on me too.

My child was sent back home for school fees, and he stayed home for two days since I did not have any money to give him. When I received the transfer I paid KES 1500 for his tuition fees, spent KES 1500 on 24 kg of corn flour enough to sustain my family for weeks, and used KES 500 to purchase both detergents and personal care products. I am a single parent of one and I stay with my mother who is aged and cannot engage in any economic activity. I sell local brew but of late the income is low hence the transfer came in handy and I thank GiveDirectly for that.