For the past few months, I have joined a savings group in the village intending to pool money to purchase more goats. I am hopeful these goats will multiply, increasing in number and value over time. As my herd grows, I intend to eventually sell some of them and use the proceeds to buy bulls. The reason for wanting to invest in livestock is to ensure my son can continue his education without interruption, especially since he will be starting Form 1 next year. Given my financial situation, it would be difficult for me to pay his school fees without having a plan. I am confident that once this plan works out, his education journey will be smooth, as the livestock will provide significant support.

I have three children, but one is still in school, in grade eight at a nearby school. However, with the high cost of living we are experiencing, paying his fees on time has been a major challenge for me. My husband and I rely on odd jobs to meet our needs, and most of what we earn only covers food. As a result, my son has had to stay home, which has been very stressful. Upon receiving the cash transfer, I decided to pay about $30 for his fees so that he could stay in school without the distraction of unpaid fees, which I believe will improve his performance. In addition, I joined a savings group in my village, and I contribute about $11 every month, intending to accumulate enough cash to buy goats later in the year. These goats will be helpful, even after the program ends, as they will allow me to sustain myself. Finally, food insecurity has been a serious concern in my region due to a prolonged drought. Many times, we don’t know where our next meal will come from. For that reason, I used $39 to buy enough food to last us several days until the next transfers arrived.

With the pooled funds from my merry-go-round group, I plan to purchase more goats. I am hopeful these goats will multiply, increasing in number and value over time. As my goat herd grows, I intend to eventually sell some of them and use the proceeds to purchase cows. Cows are often seen as a more valuable livestock asset, and I hope they will also multiply, further increasing my wealth and assets. One of my key priorities is ensuring my children can continue their education without interruption. This long-term investment in livestock farming could provide a sustainable source of income for my family in the future and secure education for my children

With the region facing a severe drought and hunger crisis, the assistance from GiveDirectly has been a lifeline for my family. I allocated $35 to purchase food, ensuring my loved ones do not go without during this difficult time. Additionally, as a parent with children in school, I prioritized spending $30 to pay their school fees. This investment in their education will help secure their future and prevent any disruptions to their studies. Recognizing the need to build long-term financial resilience, I also saved $33 through a local merry-go-round group. When my turn comes, I plan to use these pooled funds to purchase goats, which I hope will multiply and increase in value over time and trade them for cows hoping that they too will also increase and multiply in number and value. Eventually, I can sell some of the cows and use the proceeds to cover my children's school fees. Finally, I allocated the remaining $4 to buy soap for personal hygiene and grooming, allowing my family to maintain good health and appearance.

My goal this year is to start a goat-rearing business, which holds great promise, especially if the goats multiply. This venture is well-suited to our area, and if successful, I plan to trade some goats for a cow. I will use the saved transfers to kickstart this business. Having an additional income source will ensure my family's well-being and enable me to comfortably educate my son. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be part of this program.

To provide for my family of six, I sell charcoal while my husband works in Mombasa. Previously, our business struggled, making it hard to afford food or school fees. This program has been a blessing, enabling me to educate my sons and even purchase chickens and goats. With the transfers received, I saved $30 in our local savings club for a future goat-rearing business. Another $64 was set aside for my son's school fees, and $10 went toward buying three chickens. The remainder was used for medical treatment for my chest problems, and I'm happy to report I'm feeling better. This organization has truly transformed not only my life but also our entire community.

Looking ahead to the coming year and beyond, my goal is to continue expanding my livestock holdings. I am grateful that through the previous cash transfers, I acquired two goats and two chickens. I aim to keep buying more whenever I have the opportunity. When the cash transfers end in the coming years, I believe the livestock will have multiplied, and I will be able to sell them to support my son's education. This will provide substantial relief to my husband, who earns little income from selling chewing sticks, and ensure that my son can study without interruptions.

Before I recently harvested food from my farm, the cash transfers were primarily used to buy food for my family. This support was crucial because my husband's income from selling chewing sticks was often insufficient to provide daily meals. However, after the harvest, we no longer faced constraints on food, so I decided it was time to invest in livestock. I purchased a goat for $30 and two chickens for $6. I am hopeful that when these livestock reproduce, I can sell them to pay for my son's school fees. During this period, there were also medical expenses. I experienced chest complications, and my son broke his arm while at school, requiring immediate medical attention. I spent $47 on medical procedures, and I'm relieved that both of us are now in good health. The remaining $15 from the cash transfers was used to purchase toiletries like soap and body oil. Since I began receiving the cash transfers, my life has gradually improved. I can now afford to own livestock and provide proper medical care for my family when we are unwell. I'm extremely grateful for this transformation.

My son is currently enrolled in junior high school and as his parent, my prayer is to ensure that he succeeds in his education. Currently, I do not have any source of income that I can rely on to pay for the school fees, I majorly rely on the monthly transfers which have ensured so far he stays in school. My plan is to pay his fees promptly so as to avoid him being sent home. I remember sometimes back he could stay at home for some days since I could not raise the fees on time using my own means. With the transfers, I am assured that his studies will not be interrupted through the transfer. I am convinced that this is the only opportunity for him to stay in school despite my financial challenges. I believe that once he completes his studies, he will be successful even in securing jobs, thus my goal is to use the transfer to pay the fees on time.

For a long time, I could not even think of saving because I did odd manual jobs which mainly helped to buy food alone. When I began receiving the transfer, I began thinking of saving for emergencies I resolved to save at least $10 every month, so as to start a good income generating activity like poultry farming. Having such a project will ensure that I have some income that can cater for my needs in the household like food and fees for my children with ease. Also, paying fees was a challenge which at times made my son stay at home for weeks. I am grateful because through the recent transfers, I was able to pay for him on time, which has been $10 every month. This has ensured that my son who is currently in junior high school, get the best education since his education is no longer interrupted because of fees. I also saved some money over the past three months and managed to buy a goat which I am currently keeping in my homestead. My expectation is let it reproduce and increase in number, I can also sell the offspring to educate my son through the goats. I am glad that at least I have some assets that I can rely on, instead of depending on burning and selling charcoal alone, which does not pay well. Lastly, I did some shopping on foodstuffs which ensured that my household has enough food. I bought maize flour that lasted for some weeks, and ensured that we do not go hungry.

My household has been surviving on a meager income. That has been insufficient to sustain my family's needs. It had subjected us to difficulty in raising my children's school fees. However, I desire to see my son advance in his study. Therefore, at the start of the year, I developed a goal to divert my monthly income toward paying school fees for my school-going son. As a result of this, I shall see him advancing in his studies.

Five people live in my house. My spouse, however, is in town, and he does casual jobs to help support the family. To help my family and cover Hasan's school expenses. I also ventured into charcoal making and selling. I am happy to see that he is making good academic progress. Immediately after I received my recent transfer, I spent $4 on food even though the family had little in the house. To increase my livestock-keeping venture, I $30 on a goat. I am optimistic that when my son joins the secondary school, the number shall have increased, hence I will sell them to raise his fees.

I am honestly quite grateful with the transfers that I've been receiving from the organization because they have really helped me especially when I was low on finances. At the moment the financial stress has reduced abundantly because the funds help me pay for the essentials which include my sons education.

Upon the arrival of the transfers I went ahead to immediately withdraw the funds because at the time I really needed the money especially for nourishment purposes since there was no food in the house. Therefore I went ahead and spent KES 1,000 by purchasing five packets of maize flour and a quarter kilograms of beans and sugar. I then proceeded to use KES 700 by purchasing two hens because I was planning to invest in poultry farming. Also I ended up depositing KES 1,000 into my savings account in preparation of any emergency that may arise. I ended up remaining with a balance of KES 300 which I decided to pay tuition fee for my son since it had been two days since he had been to school.

I had left my phone to charge in my son's house when the money was sent. Since I do not know how to operate a phone, my children helped me to check the message and informed me about it. I became so happy upon hearing the good news because I was down financially at that time.

The biggest difference in my daily life is having been able to pay for my child's school fees. She had stayed at home for some time since we did not have money by then. I am glad and grateful that the transfer enabled her to sit for the end-of-term examinations that she would have missed had we not been able to clear her school fees on time.

I bought foodstuffs worth KES 800 after receiving my transfer as a way of helping my spouse who hawks toothbrushes in Mombasa town as he had no money by then since the business had gone down due to the election. Aside from this, my primary school-going child had been sent back home at that time, therefore, I used KES 400 to clear the fee balance that we were owing the school.