In the coming years, my main goal is to invest more in goats. I believe that building a strong herd will provide security for my family's future. For every three GiveDirectly transfers, I plan to purchase at least one goat and gradually increase my herd. These goats can also be sold when necessary to cover school fees for my children or any emergencies that may arise. Slowly but steadily, I aim to see my goats multiply, giving me peace of mind knowing that we have something to rely on. I also envision exchanging some goats for a cow to diversify our sources of income. This will serve as my family's safety net, allowing us to stand strong in the face of life's uncertainties.

I am a mother of five, and only one of my children is still in secondary school. I rely more on subsistence farming to support my family, while my husband does casual jobs. Our sons, who also do casual jobs, have been helping us get by since we aged. With my most recent three transfers, totaling $102, I invested the money in buying a goat for $60 to add to the two I already had. Now, with three goats, I feel more secure about the future because the livestock will help us when we need extra money or food. I also paid $8 towards my child's school fees. Education is a priority, and even though it's a small amount, it helps keep my child in school, moving closer to completing their studies. Lastly, I used $34 to buy bales of maize flour, ensuring that my family won't go hungry. This food gave me peace of mind knowing we had enough to eat. These transfers have allowed me to make practical choices for my family's well-being, and I am grateful for the difference they've made.

My primary goal is to have cows that I can use to plow my farmland. To achieve this, I plan to strategically allocate my GiveDirectly cash transfers towards acquiring livestock. I will use a portion of the transfers to buy goats. My strategy is to allow these goats to multiply and increase in both number and value over time. Once I have accumulated a substantial herd of goats, I will then trade them for cows. This gradual approach will allow me to work towards my ultimate objective of owning animals to assist with plowing my farm. By investing in livestock, I am taking a proactive step towards establishing a more sustainable and resilient farming operation. The cows will not only help with plowing but can also be sold when needed to support my family.

Given the ongoing drought, I have decided to transition away from traditional plowing methods and instead focus on using cows for my farming needs. To achieve this, I have been strategically allocating a portion of my GiveDirectly cash transfers to purchase goats and therefore spent $60 to buy goats. My plan is to allow the goats to multiply, and then trade some of them for cows in the future. This will not only provide me with draft animals to help plow my land, but the cows can also be sold to support my family when needed. Recognizing the severe hunger crisis affecting our region, I have also spent $34 of the transfers to buy food for my family. This ensures my grandchildren do not go hungry, especially during these challenging times. Additionally, I gave $4 to one of my grandchildren to pay his school fees. His father was not around, so I wanted to make sure he could continue his education without interruption. Finally, I used the remaining $4 to cover the cost of transportation to visit a loved one who was unwell and admitted to the hospital.

In the upcoming months, my goal is to ready my 4-acre plot for planting, in anticipation of the rainy season. Timely preparation and planting of the land are crucial to guaranteeing a plentiful harvest, providing an abundance of food. The surplus maize will significantly alleviate our financial burden, sparing us from purchasing expensive maize flour from stores. I am sincerely grateful for the financial assistance, which has greatly improved my livelihood.

I assisted in covering the fee payment for my grandchild's enrollment in Form One, contributing $25 towards his education. Given my son's financial struggles, I felt compelled to support him, ensuring that my grandchild could pursue further studies. Additionally, I invested $43 in purchasing a goat, with the hope that it will reproduce and yield a greater return on my initial investment in the coming months. In November of last year, I allocated $24 towards the funeral arrangements for a deceased relative, ensuring they received a dignified farewell. These financial contributions have been instrumental during challenging times, particularly in facilitating the education of my children. I am deeply grateful for the assistance provided through these transfers.

Although my household has numerous pressing needs, I am determined to focus on acquiring goats to serve as my primary assets. There are instances when financial difficulties arise, and due to the absence of a stable source of income, overcoming these challenges becomes quite challenging. Owning livestock, particularly goats, offers several advantages since they can serve as a reliable resource during such hardships. I aim to expand my current stock of four goats, and my objective is to maintain and raise them. As I do not engage in income-generating activities, having these goats will significantly assist me in meeting my various needs, such as covering educational expenses like fees for my grandchildren.

My son has encountered difficulties covering the school fees for my five grandsons, leading to several instances of them being sent home from school. To ensure their education remains uninterrupted, I stepped in to assist, spending $21 to cover both their tuition fees and examination expenses. I'm delighted to witness their comfortable return to school. In addition, I've become a member of a six-person merry-go-round savings group, where we collectively save $10 every month. My intention is to utilize these savings to acquire and raise goats. I currently own four, with plans to expand their numbers and encourage breeding. These goats will serve as a reliable financial resource during emergencies and support my grandchildren's education. Over the past few months, I also found myself relying on credit to purchase food, accumulating a debt of $16. I'm pleased that I successfully cleared this debt using the recent transfers, a task that would have taken several months to accomplish using my own finances. I also received $60 to boost my farming since it was the planting season. I hired oxen and laborers to prepare my three-acre farm, resulting in a bountiful harvest. This harvest has significantly eased the issue of food scarcity in my household.

Looking into the coming years, I wish to have bought more goats for rearing. I hope for the rains to persist, as this will enable me to utilize the cash transfer to acquire additional goats. With the previous transfers, I have already been able to purchase two goats, and I am determined to leverage this opportunity to further grow my wealth through livestock rearing.

As the planting season has arrived, with the ongoing rains, I allocated $13 to weed my farm, to ensure optimal growing conditions for my maize crops to thrive. At the same time, my four grandchildren were unable to attend school for two days due to unpaid fees. Their father was unavailable to address this issue, so I spent $7 to clear their outstanding debt and ensured their prompt return to classes. Also, our household was going through another hardship: we had completely run out of food and my son had not earned enough money to purchase more. Consequently, I utilized the remaining funds to acquire food for our family. The relief provided by the cash transfer has been invaluable during these challenging times and I could never be more grateful. 

I never imagined that I would be able to raise livestock before I was enrolled in GiveDirectly's program. I had yearned for it, even though my income was insufficient to achieve such ambitions. Now that I am assured of my continuous transfers, I intend to purchase additional goats to maintain a number while still in the program. I see this as an investment that will pay off handsomely when the program comes to an end. Apart from livestock, the transfers will enable me to pay school fees for my five school-age children every month, reducing the accumulation of fee arrears.

As a mother of five children, I rely heavily on small business that sell cooked food to support my family. My husband also runs a herbal medicine business. However, our daily wages are never enough to meet my family's insatiable educational and nutritional needs. We did not have food when I got my recent transfer. As a result, I spent $15 on food. The remainder went into school fees for my five school-going children. The transfers I received in October, November, and December enabled me to purchase two goats for $80. I chose these because goats are valuable and will benefit my family in the future.

The finances offered by the Organization have been quite a tremendous help when it comes to our day-to-day life. I have even had the opportunity to start small projects like poultry farming which I am hopefully will assist in the future in case of any financial strain. Therefore I am grateful for GiveDirectly lending us a hand when we needed it the most.

After withdrawing the transfers I went ahead to buy three chicks for KES 600 because I planned on investing in poultry farming with the aim of financial benefit as time went by. Immediately after I realized that I was left with a balance of KES 2,400 which I proceeded to sort out nutrition with because it was a necessity at the time. true that money I was able to purchase eight packets of maize flour, two and a half kilograms of sugar, two kilograms of beans, groceries on a day to day basis and sardines from time to time.

I had just returned from fetching water from a far-off water pan when I arrived at home. My phone notified me of a text message before I could relax. I gave my oldest grandson, who was playing nearby, the phone so he could read the message. He told me I had gotten my first transfer, which was great news. Despite being worn out from the perilous trek, I bounced around in ecstasy and ululated loudly. I bowed my head and prayed a brief prayer of appreciation to the Lord while kneeling.

My grandchildren's enrollment in school again was greatly influenced by the transfer. Having them stay at home while their peers, pursued their schooling made me feel terrible. I made every effort to collect the funds needed to pay the outstanding school fees, but I was unable to do so. I'm incredibly appreciative of the money because it helped my dire financial situation a lot.

I make a living by selling charcoal in the village as a casual worker. We have not had rain for more than three years, which inhibits us from working on our fertile farms. Selling charcoal is the only way I can support my family. The demand for charcoal is declining as consumers chose to utilize more readily available, less expensive fuel as a result of the economy's dire condition. We eat less because of a lack of money, and even worse, we go to bed hungry. I bought food supplies for the family with my first transfer, which cost me KES 700. I purchased beans, one kilogram of sugar, and two packets of maize flour. Along with purchasing food, I paid KES 500 in back school fees for my five grandchildren who were staying at home due to unpaid school fees. I'm happy that the transfer made it possible for them to return to school and resume their study.