Looking ahead to the coming year, my main goal is to make my home stable and secure. The walls were weakened by the last heavy rain, and it's been a constant worry for me. By June, I aim to renovate the house, strengthening its structure and ensuring it can withstand any future storms. I've started a saving plan, putting aside $15 each month, which I believe will accumulate enough to cover the renovation costs. This project is my top priority, as having a safe and stable home is essential for my family's well-being and peace of mind.

Life has been a constant struggle for me, relying on charcoal burning for survival. With the trees disappearing, the difficulty only grew. But when the recent transfers from GiveDirectly came through, a spark of hope ignited within me. I decided to allocate $19 to buy some much-needed foodstuff, longing for a break from the exhausting work that had left me skin and bones. It was time to nourish my body, to regain strength and vitality. Moreover, I embarked on a savings plan, setting aside $15 from last month's transfer. The goal is to make savings till June this year, aiming to accumulate enough funds to renovate my deteriorating house. The weakening walls had been a constant worry, threatening the very sanctuary I called home. The saving plan will get me closer to securing a safer and more stable shelter for myself.

In the past, I used some of the initial cash transfers to buy chickens for rearing. I was hoping they would reproduce and increase our flock, but unfortunately, they all perished from coccidiosis. Ever since I have been hesitant to get more chickens as the disease is still prevalent in the community. Instead of buying more chickens now, I'd like to switch to goats. Raising goats is one of the surest ways to continue generating income for me in the future, even after the cash transfers end. This will enable me to buy food for my family and help support the education of my two grandchildren.

I live with my daughter and her two children, and our primary sources of income are the cash transfers and farming when it rains. Fortunately, we were recently blessed with rain, allowing us to plant maize crops that have now matured and started providing us with food. While we waited for the maize to mature, which happened only a few weeks ago, I used every penny from the monthly cash transfers to purchase food. I'm happy that this reduced the frequency of us going hungry in my household. There was also a time when one of my grandchildren and I fell sick at the same time, and there was no money to take us to the hospital. Since I lack a steady source of income, it's challenging to earn and save money for situations like these. I'm grateful that the cash transfers allowed me to spend $16 on medication expenses. We are both recovering well now.

Following the passing of my husband, I found myself without any remaining support and embarked on a journey of self-discovery. Presently, my house is in a state of disrepair, with the beams holding it up at risk of collapsing. My objective for the coming year and beyond is to accumulate sufficient funds, to enable me to purchase the necessary construction materials for the creation of a secure and improved home where my family members can safely reside.

Over the past five years, my health has been declining. I received a diagnosis of high blood pressure, which frequently disrupts my ability to work normally. Typically, I experience intense headaches followed by irregular heartbeats that cause me to lose consciousness. Upon regaining consciousness, I feel weak and incapable of participating in any activities. Fortunately, my daughter's husband has returned home after their separation and is now taking care of me. We both engage in farming and occasionally sell charcoal, but the earnings are not sufficient to meet our family's needs. Thankfully, I am grateful for the monthly stipend from an organization, which has been immensely helpful in seeking medical attention during critical moments. After my health worsened, I spent $3 of the stipend on transportation for medical services. I am relieved to say that I have now recovered and can resume the physically demanding farming and selling tasks to support my family. To invest in this endeavor, I purchased three hens for $2.5 each. I am optimistic that they will multiply, providing a fallback option in case of emergencies without sufficient funds. I plan to sell some of the hens to address such emergencies. With the remaining $23.5, I bought twelve packets of 2 kg maize flour to ensure my family's food needs are met. I am grateful that my family never experienced hunger during the period when I was unable to work, thanks to the financial assistance from the organization.

My advanced age prevents me from burning charcoal for sale any longer. I consequently plan to launch a vegetable-selling business this year. I have located a kiosk in a neighborhood market center where I will be running the business. Since they are commodities that practically everyone consumes, they will sell quickly, resulting in quick money, making them much simpler and more successful.

I am unable to participate in the majority of the available economic activities in our area due to my advanced age. The most frequent one is charcoal burning for sale, which I have done for most of my life. Unfortunately, as the years pass, I become less and less able to cut wood logs for charcoal. In addition, my spouse passed away a few years ago, and I have had to rely on myself ever since. I consider myself lucky to have been accepted into the program because I haven't worked as much in the charcoal sector as I formerly did since then. The majority of my monthly income goes toward paying for my meals, but with the help of the most recent transfers, I was able to spend $84 on enough food to last me for a while. When I was ill, I used $10 to cover my medical costs and spent $8 to purchase three chickens to raise.

Personally I have nothing but great reviews when it comes to the work by the organization, especially because through the funds that we have been receiving I can clearly see our change in our day-to-day lives. For instance, nutrition was quite a challenge before but now at least the money comes in handy because it helps us ensure we do not starve.

I was instantly filled with so much Euphoria the moment I realized the arrival of the transfers especially because my family and I barely had any money nor food left. Therefore I decided to put away a KES into my savings account because my house at the moment is almost on the verge of collapsing so I am hoping to renovate it after I have saved enough money. Afterwards I decided to look into nutrition because as I had mentioned before we barely had any food and I was scared of starvation. Therefore I went ahead and used KES 1,000 by purchasing five packets of maize flour, two kilograms of beans and groceries. Lastly I use the remaining balance of KES 1,000 and decided to buy four hens because I was investing in poultry farming.

I cut down wood for charcoal to make a living and that is what I was doing when they money arrived. I could almost swear I let out a slight scream out of all the excitement I felt at that exact moment.

Through this transfers I am honestly proud that I've been able to put some money aside to invest in my future by growing my farm and also so that I could finally be able to Ienovate my house.

My first priority was to ensure that I had a meal in my house, so I ended up using KES 500 of the transfers to buy four packets of maize flour and a kilogram of beans. Afterwards I deposited KES 1,000 into part of my savings committee because eventually when the money accumulates I plan to renovate my house. Eventually was left remaining with a balance of KES 1,500 which I put in a separate savings account because I plan on investing on growing my farming with it by purchasing livestock and poultry.