With my house on the verge of collapsing, my goal for the coming year is to build a new home. I am pleased to share that I have already purchased all the roofing materials needed for this housing project. Now, my next step is to buy building poles and cement. To achieve this, I plan to use a portion of my transfers to gradually acquire the building poles necessary for constructing the two-room house I have always dreamed of and start building. Once my house is complete, I intend to redirect my transfers toward buying goats. My hope is that these goats will multiply and increase in both number and value, providing me with a reliable source of income to support my family and educate my children. They will serve as a valuable asset, especially when this program comes to an end. I am truly grateful for the support I have received from GiveDirectly, and I remain hopeful for a brighter future ahead.

For the past few months, my life has revolved around two crucial priorities. First and foremost, I am deeply focused on my two children and their education. Their schooling is incredibly important to me, and I recently spent $30 of my latest transfers to pay their school fees. This ensures they can continue their studies without the worry of being sent home for unpaid fees. I’m thrilled to see them making good progress in school. The second priority is my home, which is in dire condition and on the verge of collapsing. I have always dreamed of having a new two-room house for my family. To make this dream a reality, I’ve been gradually purchasing building materials. Just recently, I used the remaining $72 from my transfers to buy roofing materials, and I’m excited to say that I’ve now completed that part of the project. Next on my list is to start buying building poles so I can begin constructing our new home. I am filled with hope that I will be able to finish this house and provide my family with a safe and secure place to live.

This year has been challenging because my house is unsafe to live in, but I have been making steady progress toward improving it. With the transfers I have received, I have carefully saved and managed to buy 22 iron sheets, just two sheets short of the 24 I need. In the next transfer, I am determined to get those remaining sheets. Once I have all the iron sheets, my next goal is to start buying building poles. I plan to set aside $20 every month to purchase the poles, one by one, until I have enough to begin constructing a new, sturdy house. This journey may take time, but I’m committed to creating a safe and secure home for myself, step by step.

I am a single mother of four, working hard to provide for my family by burning charcoal, but this work is becoming more challenging as trees grow scarce. With the recent three transfers totaling $102, my priority was my children's education, so I used $30 to pay their school fees. Ensuring they can study without worry is important to me because education is the key to a brighter future for them. On the other hand, the house we live in is in poor condition and unsafe, so I have been slowly saving to build a new one. With each transfer, I have been buying two pieces of iron sheets, and with the most recent transfers, I spent $60 on more sheets. Now, I have 22 pieces, just two short of the 24 needed to complete the roof of our future two-room mud-wall house. With the remaining $12, I bought food for my family, ensuring we had enough. These transfers have been a lifeline, helping me secure a better future for my children and myself, one step at a time.

My plan is to use the transfers I receive from GiveDirectly to build a better home for my family. This new house will not just be a structure; it'll be a haven, giving warmth and security for my loved ones. The mere thought of this dream becoming a reality fills us with boundless joy and happiness. Consequently, as my children pursue their education, I plan to invest in goats, hoping they'll multiply and become a source of income for us in the future buy selling them and provide us with financial security. With their help, we'll be able to cover our family's needs and keep my children in school without worrying about fees. This newfound sense of financial security fills me with hope and optimism about my children's future. And with every step forward, we're closer to turning these dreams into reality.

As a single mother, my priority has always been my daughter's education, especially since she joined secondary boarding school. Without a stable job to rely on, I depend on the transfers from GiveDirectly, which have been incredibly resourceful. Therefore, I used $74 of my transfers to pay my child's school fees and set aside $10 for her future fees as we await more. Having my child in school fills me with immense joy, and I am deeply grateful to the organization for their unconditional support. I have always wanted to build a new, bigger house where my four children and I can live comfortably. Right now, our current home is too small and uncomfortable for all of us. I am very committed to making sure we have a new house before the year is over. Therefore, I used $20 to buy 2 iron sheets, adding them to the 3 I previously bought, totaling them to 5. Just thinking about giving my children a better place to live makes me feel hopeful and determined. I believe that when we have a new home, I will be a happy and content mother.

My primary mission is clear: I am determined to secure additional funds to cover the education expenses of my three children. With two in secondary school and one in primary, the financial responsibility has become substantial. My aspirations extend beyond merely paying school fees; I aim to provide them with a quality education that will open doors to opportunities and a brighter future. Whether through finding additional income streams, exploring scholarship opportunities, or tapping into community resources, my commitment to their education is unwavering. I believe that investing in their learning today is an investment in their success tomorrow, and I am driven by the conviction that education is the key to breaking the cycle of limitations.

As a single parent juggling the responsibilities of four kids, making ends meet was a daily struggle, especially relying on a small charcoal business that barely brought in $5 a day. When my daughter joined Form One this year, the additional school fee burden threatened to overwhelm me. The $30 cash transfer was a lifeline. With immense relief, I promptly used it to settle her school fees, ensuring she could continue her education without interruption. The weight lifted off my shoulders was immeasurable; without that financial assistance, my daughter would have been stranded, and her dreams of a brighter future might have been dimmed. With $4.7 left, I made a practical decision to invest in the well-being of my entire family. I carefully budgeted and used the remaining funds to purchase essential groceries that would sustain us for a week. The simple act of filling our kitchen with nutritious food brought a sense of stability and warmth to our home. The unconditional cash transfer not only rescued us from an immediate crisis but also provided a brief respite from the constant financial strain.

Since the arrival of heavy rains in June this year, my house has fallen into a state of disrepair. The force of the rainwater caused significant damage to the mud walls, leading to weakened supporting poles and resulting in the house tilting to one side. Furthermore, the iron sheets covering the roof have rusted over time, leading to severe leaks. Given the circumstances, my objective is to utilize the funds from the transfer to construct a brand-new house. The financial support I have received thus far has allowed me to purchase ten pieces of iron sheets, marking a significant step towards achieving my goal. The prospect of having a new house fills me with immense joy and gratitude, as it promises a safer and more comfortable living environment for myself and my family.

As the sole provider for my family of four, the responsibility of supporting my household rests solely on my shoulders. Both of my children are currently pursuing higher education, with one studying in the medical field and the other in the teaching field. Meanwhile, my youngest child is in their final year of primary school, currently in class eight. Being employed as a casual laborer, my earnings are often insufficient to meet our financial needs. Consequently, a significant portion of the transfers I received was allocated towards financing my children's education. I directed $30 from the transfers to cover their school fees, ensuring that their education remains uninterrupted. Additionally, recognizing the precarious state of our dwelling, I decided to allocate $60 towards the purchase of six pieces of iron sheets. Our house, constructed with mud walls, has been severely affected by the heavy rains that frequently occur in our village at the beginning of June. With ten iron sheets already acquired, I am grateful for the progress made in constructing a new, more stable house. Moreover, I utilized $12 from the transfers to purchase essential items such as sugar and detergents. These basic necessities contribute to the overall well-being of my family. I am incredibly grateful for the financial support provided, as it has played a pivotal role in transforming my life for the better.

Though I am a single mother and the sole provider of four children. I have been living in an old structure that is in a dilapidated condition. I have been longing to build a new spacious house. I, therefore, hope to accomplish my goal of building a new house that will accommodate my four children and me. We always squeeze ourselves into the current small structure that is so uncomfortable to stay in. I am looking food to achieving this before the year ends. I shall be a happy mother once I succeed in that.

I am a single mother of four children. Because I do not have a reliable source of income, I have been living in a small structure with all my four children. It is an uncomfortable place to stay in, I have no way out. My siblings had been trying to help me occasionally since they also struggle to keep their family, but there has been no improvement in my way of life. I spent $20 on buying two iron sheets. Since I have a daughter who schools going, Riziki, for whom I could not pay her fees, I spent $10 on her school fees. She has ample time in school to concentrate on her study. The rest I used to buy food that took us for a day.

I want to buy more iron sheets with the transfers this year, and then I'll start buying lumber. Since I currently reside at one of my relatives' homes, my ultimate goal in the entire process is to one day own my own home. Aside from that, I'll also consider nutrition-related issues because they've been a persistent source of difficulty for me and my children. My plan also includes financing my three children's tuition since I want them to continue their education unhindered.

When I first got the transfers, I made sure to pay my son's tuition because it had been two days since he had been to school. I then went ahead and paid his tuition with KES 1,000. After that, I spent KES 2,000 to purchase a pair of iron sheets like I have been doing since last August so that when I had enough money, I could start building my house. In the end, I bought a kilo of sugar and a package of maize flour with the remaining KES 400.

I spent $10 of my recent transfer on paying fees for my daughter who is in grade seven at the nearby primary school. She has always been on and off because of the pending arrears which have equally been affecting her performance in general. I later used the remaining amount to buy two iron sheets. I plan to construct a new house in the next five months, therefore I have opted to purchase the materials whenever I received the transfer. Being a single parent, it has been tough to provide for my family's basic needs and construct a decent house at a go.

Our financial hardships had worsened after drought struck and we were unable to engage in subsistence farming. Burning and selling charcoal was now the income-generating activity and still could not sustain us. We were hopeless and meeting the very basic needs had become the biggest challenge. However, our lives are now improved because through the unconditional support from GiveDirectly, we are now able to take care of our most important basic need; food. Our children are also comfortably in schools because of the transfers.

My current house is very small and dilapidated since I have not been able to renovate it for a while. Its nearly collapsing and I am always worried that it might one day fall on me. My lowly financial status could not allow me to purchase the required building materials such as iron sheets and building poles. When I received my recent transfers, I bought two iron sheets to start with. I am planning to save every month to attain my target of 22 iron sheets. Apart from this, my children had also been sent home for failing to pay for their fees on time. Thus I took Ksh 600 and paid for the fees and examination. They would have stayed for long had I not received the transfer. I am also grateful to GiveDirectly because ever since I received the money, my household never ran out of food since I did enough shopping on foodstuffs such as maize flour and beans. I could now afford three meals a day unlike before when I had to skip meals.

I was out clearing my farm in preparation for planting despite the drought when I received a text message. Since I do not know how to read, I handed the phone to my son whom we were with to check the message. I could tell it was a piece of good news from the smile on his face. He then told me smiling that GiveDirectly had kept their promise. I was financially down at that time and the money was an indicator that my family was not going to spend the whole day without food. I thanked God for the miracle.

It has been a challenge to get some of the basic needs like food and personal care products. I do casual work on people's farms to earn a living but due to the current drought, there are no farms works hence no income. I am glad the foodstuffs I bought with the first transfer have kept us for a good period.

I did not have a phone at the time of enrollment, so I was given a phone by the field officers. Part of my first transfer was deducted to cater for the phone leaving me with KES 1200 as my first transfer. I am glad it assisted me in purchasing mostly dry foodstuffs for my family. It was a reliever because we do not have a reliable source of household income which made it challenging raising money for the family's food. The KES 200 I earn once in a while after helping people out on their farms is not enough to meet all the household needs.