My house was carried away by the strong and fierce winds that struck our village, leaving me and my family homeless. In response to this, I constructed a small one-room structure where my husband, children, and I now sleep. For this coming year, I plan to build a two-room house where I and my family will live and have the space that we desire. To achieve this, I intend to use a portion of the transfers I receive from GiveDirectly to gradually buy building materials and eventually construct a larger house where my family can sleep comfortably. Currently, I have seven iron sheets, and I intend to purchase more sheets and other necessary materials as I can. This new home will provide us with peace of mind and privacy as my children grow. Once the house is complete, I plan to invest in more goats and chickens, hoping they will multiply. In the future, I aim to sell some of them and use the proceeds to support my family’s general welfare, including food, health care, and education. I am truly grateful for the opportunity that GiveDirectly has provided us.

I have always dreamt of having a herd of livestock and a good flock of chicken so that in the future I can rely on them to take care of my family and my children's education, especially when this program comes to an end. To work toward this goal, I spent $34 of my recent transfers to buy a goat, hoping it will multiply and increase in number and value. I also spent $5 to purchase three chicken, with the same hope that they will increase in number, allowing me to trade them for more goats in the future. Additionally, I have two children in school, so I used $20 of the transfers to pay their school fees to ensure they wouldn’t be sent home for unpaid dues. I also bought them new school uniforms and shoes for $14, as their old ones were worn out and unsuitable for school. To support their education further, I purchased some necessary stationery supplies that were needed at school for another $5. Consequently, with the current hunger crisis in our region and the fact that I lack a reliable source of income, I spent the remaining $24 on food for my family to ensure we wouldn’t go hungry. I am truly grateful for the financial support from GiveDirectly; it has been incredibly helpful, especially during these challenging times.

My house was swept away by fierce winds that struck our village, leaving me devastated as I had no immediate plans to build a new one. As a result, I constructed a small one-room structure where my husband, children, and I now sleep. My plan is to gradually use the transfers to buy building materials and eventually build a bigger house for my family where we will sleep comfortably. I will be very happy once this is achieved. Additionally, I hope that the goats I have will grow healthy and multiply in number. In the future, I plan to sell them to fund my children's education. I am very optimistic about the plans I have for my family, and I am grateful to GiveDirectly for this opportunity.

My house was swept away by fierce winds that struck our village, leaving me devastated as I had no immediate plans to build a new one. I had to construct a small structure to shelter us while making plans for a bigger house. To have the small structure ready, I spent $54 of my transfers to build it, providing temporary shelter as I look forward to building a larger home. Additionally, I have a vision of owning a great herd of goats. I spent $33 to buy a goat, hoping it will multiply and increase in number so that, in the future, I can sell them to fund my children's education. To ensure my children are in school, I spent $10 of my transfers on their school fees. Since my children were walking barefoot, I also bought them shoes for $4, and they are now happy to have shoes to wear. Finally, I used the remaining $1 to buy soap for cleanliness purposes.

I am eager to allocate a significant portion of my upcoming transfers towards investing in livestock. With their ability to multiply relatively quickly, these animals will serve as a fruitful long-term investment, amplifying my initial capital. My intention is to utilize the proceeds from selling the livestock down the line to fund my children's education. The assistance provided by the transfers has been instrumental in ensuring my children's continued enrollment in school, eliminating the challenges we faced in the past when they were often sent back home due to financial constraints. This progress brings me immense joy and gratitude.

A substantial portion of my funds went towards investing in my children's education. At the onset of the current academic term, I allocated $11 to cover their school fees. Additionally, I allocated $4 for purchasing essential stationery items to facilitate their learning process. Notably, one of my children required a new set of school uniforms due to wear and tear, amounting to $6. Witnessing my child's newfound confidence and happiness in their refreshed attire brings me immense joy. In a hopeful endeavor to generate additional income, I invested $9 in acquiring three hens, aspiring for their multiplication to provide financial assistance in meeting my family's needs. During the festive season, I allocated $34 towards purchasing new clothing and shoes for each of my three children. Following the destruction of my home by heavy rains last November, I invested another $34 in repairing it, ensuring its safety and my peace of mind. I express profound gratitude for the financial assistance received from Give Directly, which has significantly contributed to my family's well-being.

My primary objective is to secure the necessary funds to support my children's education until they reach the highest level of academic achievement. To accomplish this, I intend to invest my monthly stipend in acquiring additional livestock, with a particular focus on goats. The inherent ability of goats to multiply will ensure a sustainable source of income in the future, enabling me to finance my children's education through the sale of some of these animals. In addition to prioritizing my children's education, I am also determined to construct a new house. The current state of my dwelling is dilapidated, with the risk of imminent collapse. To avert the possibility of homelessness, I have devised a plan to gradually acquire the necessary materials and construct a new home within the shortest possible timeframe. The financial support I have received through the transfers has been invaluable, and I am immensely grateful for it. The opportunities it has provided have allowed my children to pursue their studies with minimal interruptions, fostering their learning and growth. Witnessing their progress fills me with joy and further motivates me to work towards achieving these goals for their future.

I allocated a total of $67 towards the purchase of livestock, including two goats and three hens. This accomplishment brings me great satisfaction, as these animals have the potential to multiply, resulting in an expansion of my initial investment. The prospect of their increasing value is also a source of excitement, as it opens up the possibility of earning substantial profits should I decide to sell them. Moreover, I disbursed $30 to cover the school fees of my three children, who are enrolled at Ikanga Primary School. I am delighted that they can continue their education without any interruptions or being sent home. To enhance their appearance and ensure they feel confident, I invested in new school uniforms for each of them at the beginning of the third term. These replacements have replaced their worn-out and torn garments, making them look stunning and presentable as they attend school. Additionally, I set aside $8 to purchase essential stationery items such as books, pencils, and a school bag for each child. These supplies are crucial for their education, allowing them to carry their books comfortably to and from school. Lastly, I allocated $7 to acquire soap and detergents for maintaining cleanliness in terms of clothing and utensils, ensuring the well-being and hygiene of my children and family. I am immensely grateful for the financial support that has enabled me to fulfill these various needs, particularly in terms of my children's education.

My biggest goal is to be financially comfortable and able to send my children to school comfortably. In the coming year and beyond, I would like to diversify my revenue streams with chicken farming. I've established a strategy to save at least $10 per month toward this objective. This will be another step toward financial stability.

I am a subsistence farmer who relies primarily on agriculture for a living. My village was plagued by drought for a long time, and the lack of rain resulted in low crops. I'm overjoyed that we've had rain in recent months, and I spent $60 preparing my field for cultivation. I grew maize and other vegetables to provide food for my family. In addition, I paid $18 in school fees for my three kids who are in school, and the remainder was spent on food for my family.

I had hoped that this year's transfers would enable me to add a second bedroom for my children. My four children, my husband, and I all occupy a single room, so I hoped the extra room would provide us more space and privacy. Additionally, I want to use the money to keep my kids in school by paying their tuition.

After getting the transfers, my top concern was food-related issues, especially because there wasn't much food in the house. As a result, I proceeded to spend KES 1,000 to buy 6 packets of maize flour. Then, as my children were starting school again, I also had to buy them stationery and pay tuition, so I spent another KES 1,000. After that, I spent KES 500 buying a new clothing for myself because my old ones were quite worn out. Finally, I invested the final KES 900 in three hens for poultry farming.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly did a very good job in my entire region by ensuring that no one was left behind provided he or she was a resident of the visited village. Also, my cash was directly into my Mpesa account as promised and asked to purchase what I feel is good for my family and I. I, therefore, do not see anything that was not well done.

I spent $10 of my recent transfer on paying fees for my two school-going children. The money came in good time because they were about to be sent home because of the arrears and this would hinder them from sitting for their exams. I had been wanting to clear the arrears on time but I did not have a stable source of income to finance that. With the remaining amount of money, I have been purchasing food for the family. As a family, we are so happy and grateful because for once we can take at least two meals a day unlike before whereby we used to go without food for days.

When I first heard a message notification on my phone, I assumed it was one of the usual subscription alerts that I always get. I was hesitant to check it. However, I finally checked my phone and learned that my transfer had been sent. In my heart I felt some peace and happiness that I had never had in my life. I could not stop myself from abandoning whatever I was doing at the time. Though KES 1200 may appear to be a small sum of money, it had a significant impact on my life. Every child in my family was overcome with joy. We are grateful to GiveDirectly as a family.

For an entire term, I could not really cope with the idea of my daughter going to school without her school uniform. Many times teachers could send me letters to try to make her neat and positive in class, but I was unable due to financial constraints. However, as soon as I received the transfer, I prioritized this area, and my daughter is now smart. This is the most significant difference that the transfer has made in my life. Every time she leaves our school, the young girl feels grateful.

When I confirmed the receipt of my first transfer, I opted to spend it on buying food. Because part of it was deducted to pay off the phone I had taken, I received KES 1,200. From this, I spent KES 500 on buying maize flour, and for a period of 3 days, my family had sufficient food. Since my last-born daughter did not have a school uniform, a situation that had forced her to use no school uniform when going to school, I prioritized spending KES 600 on buying school uniforms for my child. Her uniform was old and torn hence it was not presentable.