I am a mother of three children who sells sugar, salt, tea leaves to earn a living. I currently own five goats. I am grateful that with my recent transfer, I was able to invest $30 in purchasing another goat. My plan is for them to multiply so I can exchange them for cows, which will eventually provide milk and I will be able to sell the milk to help cover most of my expenses. Additionally, I am part of a merry-go-round where I have saved $50 towards my goal. I plan to expand my house to have two rooms, so I spent $10 on purchasing a metal sheet for and kept it at that I will use for construction. With the remaining, I allocated $12 to buy food for my family to ensure they don't go hungry for days.

I currently have five goats and two chickens, which brings me joy. My plan is for them to multiply, and then exchange the chickens for more goats and eventually trade the goats for cows. This will allow me to sell the milk and generate income for my family. Additionally, I aim to add another room to our house to provide a better living space for my family.

Last May, we initiated a savings group where we each contribute $20 monthly. These contributions rotate among the six members, and recently, it was my turn to receive my portion, totaling $120. With this money, I prioritized improving my living conditions. Firstly, I invested in essential materials, purchasing seven iron sheets for $84 and building poles for $36 to enhance my modest dwelling. My aim is to construct a more spacious home to comfortably accommodate my family of four. Furthermore, I allocated $29 towards the school fees of my two children, enrolled at Ikanga Primary School, and bought my son a new pair of school shoes. Additionally, recognizing the necessity for better sleep, I utilized $65 from the savings to purchase a new bed, alleviating the discomfort of sleeping on the bare floor. I'm grateful for the financial assistance provided by the savings group, significantly enhancing my quality of life.

Achieving financial stability is my primary objective, and to accomplish this, I aim to channel my upcoming transfers into acquiring additional livestock. At present, I possess four goats and three hens, all acquired through the financial assistance I've received. As these animals reproduce, they will generate supplementary income through surplus sales. The proceeds will be earmarked for my children's education in the foreseeable future. I deeply appreciate the ongoing financial support that facilitates the realization of my ambitions, which necessitate significant financial commitment.

I joined a monthly merry-go-round savings group, committing to saving $20 from my monthly transfers with the goal of acquiring more costly items that I would otherwise not be able to purchase using the monthly transfers and achieving significant financial goals. In July, I had the fortune of receiving the savings pot, which amounted to $120. With that money, I purchased household essentials like a $65 bed, a $55 mattress, and used the remaining funds to make partial payments toward my children's school fees. In the subsequent months, after setting aside $20 for the savings group, I allocated the rest of my funds to grow my small business by investing $4,500 in additional stock.In September, I used the profits from my business to buy a $45 goat, adding diversity to my long-term investments. In October, I extended my investments by purchasing two chickens for $10, and the remainder of the money went towards clearing my children's school fee balance, ensuring their education continues without interruption.

My most significant desire is to enlarge our one-room house, which is too cramped for my family of five. It's even more challenging as we all share the same room, including our children. I plan to use the next sum I receive from the merry-go-round to acquire the remaining construction materials needed to expand our house. We've already purchased seven iron sheets, and the remaining items are the poles and funds for labor charges. The prospect of having a separate bedroom for our children will bring immense freedom and comfort for my spouse and me. Furthermore, my aspiration is to expand my business to meet the demands of my customers, offering a wide range of items they currently seek. my goal is to elevate my business to a level where I can provide a wide variety of grocery items, attracting more customers and increasing my income. My ultimate plan is to achieve financial independence by the end of this project, relieving my husband of household responsibilities and improving our overall lifestyle.

I have seen my life change since Givedirectly began giving us this financial assistance. I was able to buy iron sheets in April at $20 since I have been thinking of expanding my house, I have also bought a bed this June at $40 where I added about $6 to my transfers to afford it. In May I got two goats at $15 each which in total was $30. My children got new shoes in April at $4 and I have also bought food for my family during this months at $10 in April, $4 in May.

I have three children with my oldest being six now, my house is a one roomed house and we all live in it. The house is not enough for me and my children and I would want to create an additional room so that the house is sufficient. I will need about 6 sheets of iron to accomplish this. I have so far gotten two sheets of iron and I am looking forward to adding the four as time goes by. I also have a business where I sell food items such as flour, sugar and other non food items such as phone vouchers. I would like this business to grow beyond where we are and I have plans of using the transfers in the coming months to restock the shop to a point where I increase my profits. This in turn will bring an increase in my income and I can afford to comfortably take care of my children.

Riziki, my daughter, was admitted to grade one when schools reopened in January this year. Because I did not have enough money at the time, there were some things I could not get for her. I spent $10 on her new uniform right after I got my recent transfer. I am glad she is always smart because she seems more focused every morning when she leaves for school. In addition, I spent $20 on goats. In the future, I anticipate a positive change in my life. This can come to pass if I start and succeed in raising livestock. The remainder enabled me to purchase food for my five-person family.

Since I got married, I have lived in a makuti-roofed house. However, regular roof maintenance is always costly. As a result, when the new year began, I set a goal of constructing a new 30 iron-sheet roofed house. I know that type of a house will comfortably accommodate my family, and there will be no need for regular roof repairs. My children's bedroom will be an additional room in the new house. I would not like to see them walking around at night to sleep in the neighborhood. In addition, I would consider purchasing additional goats to supplement my income in the future.

I did not complete my education, I stopped in grade six and got married in 2016. I have three children. two daughters and a son. My daughter is in kindergarten where I pay $7.5 a term. I sell charcoal at the nearby market twice a week where I get a profit of $3.5 each day. My husband hires a motorbike and gets $4 a day which helps buy food.

Givedirectly has helped a lot of people in the village. Most of them can afford three meals a day. We are happy about this initiative.

My husband works as a motorcycle taxi “BodaBoda” whereas I am a small businesswoman selling charcoal. As a family, we have faced serious economic challenges since the beginning of the year. My husband has spent the better part of this year without a job because of the constant breakdown of the motorcycle. My business has not been doing well because customers are opting to use cheaper fuel. When I received my first transfer, I was over the moon. I paid KES 500 school fee debt that my son owed the school. Neither I nor my husband had the money to pay, hence forcing him to stay at home for an entire week. Besides paying the school fee arrears, I bought food for the family. We adopted a culture of surviving one meal a day due to a lack of money to buy three meals.

The major difference the transfer has made in my life is to enable me to pay off the school fee arrears. Often my son would be sent home and because of my poor financial status, I forced him to stay home longer until I get the money. I am glad through the unconditional transfers my son is back in school.

I arrived home from fetching water from a faraway distance of about 40km. I was feeling tired and rested inside the house, away from the scorching sun. While resting, my phone rang loudly, and upon checking it, I realized I had received my first transfer. Wow! I was thrilled and jumped up and down in ecstasy. I quickly went outside the house and informed my husband about the good news. We all smiled as tears of joy rolled down our cheeks.