We live in a house that is made of palm leaf roofing, and I have always dreamt of having a house made of an iron sheet roof. My plan for the future is to build the house of my dreams. To achieve this, I first need to have food security so that the transfers I use to buy food can be redirected to buying building materials.Therefore, in the next planting season, I plan to put in extra effort in land preparation and farming generally, hoping that the rains will come to allow our farms to yield bountiful harvests. This will enable me to gradually start buying building materials with some of the transfers. I will be very happy and excited to own the house of my dreams. I also plan to use a portion of the transfers to start a kiosk where I will be selling non-perishable goods, which will be our daily source of income for our family's sustenance.

Our region is facing hard times since we did not get any rain this year. Our hard-planted farms yielded nothing due to the prolonged scorching sun that dried out everything. Right now, our stores are empty, and we are out of food. To make sure that my family did not go hungry, I spent $42 of my transfers to buy food for my family so they would not go hungry. Additionally, I have 4 children in school, and to ensure their continued education without any interruptions of them being sent home to collect school fees, I spent the other $60 of the transfers to pay their school fees for them to learn without interruptions. Maintaining children's education during times of crisis is essential for their long-term development and well-being. I am happy for the financial aid that GiveDirectly is giving us, especially during this difficult time. These transfers have been a lifeline, allowing me to provide for my family's basic needs and ensure that my children's education remains uninterrupted.

In the future, I would wish to have a business selling household items such as sugar and matchboxes since it will be a source of income for my family. Am now tilling the land with the hope that when I get good produce I will be able to save the amount of transfers to use the amount to start my business project.

I have always wished for children to get educated so that in the future they get good jobs and relieve me from these harsh and tiresome jobs that I do to put food on the table. Being a casual house constructor with unpredictable patterns of jobs earning at least $70 in 2 weeks on which sometimes you can stay a whole month without a job made me use $90 of the quarterly transfers to pay school fees for my 3 children in primary school who were at the verge of missing exams due to the school fees arrears, this restored their joy after they realized that the debts were cleared and they will freely do their exams in peace. I used the rest of the amount to buy food to ensure that my family did not go a day with hunger.

The challenges I've faced in managing my finances have motivated me to pursue the establishment of a business in order to enhance my earnings. In the upcoming year, my intention is to utilize my transfer by initiating a venture focused on retailing food essentials like sugar, tea leaves, and maize flour. This endeavor will not only generate income but also contribute to the welfare of my family. I am deeply appreciative of the support provided by the transfers, which has ensured that my family members have had access to sustenance and that my children have been able to continue their education.

In my role as the primary provider for my family of ten, it is crucial for me to attend to their fundamental requirements, encompassing the procurement of food, settlement of school fees, and acquisition of clothing. To avert the risk of starvation during a period of job scarcity, I acquired 12 packs of maize flour, which sustained my family's sustenance. Upon receiving my transfers, I promptly settled a $14 debt and obtained additional provisions valued at $34. Additionally, I made a partial payment towards the school fees for my four primary school-going children, ensuring their uninterrupted education. Despite having paid $54, a remaining $10 fee will be addressed next year when they resume their studies. I am appreciative of the invaluable assistance provided by the transfer funds, which has significantly alleviated my family's financial strain and facilitated the fulfillment of their essential needs.

My goal is to focus on crop farming. I hope that if we succeed to realize a good harvest, my family will have sufficient food. As a result, I will be at liberty to spend my transfers not only on food, but also on other family projects. I aspire to start a small shop business within the village where I can realize family supplementary income. I know it can provide a regular source of income that will go a long way in improving our living standards.

When I received my recent transfer, my family did not have food. I have a large family of 9 members, and I do not have a regular source of income. I over-rely on farming and other casual jobs. So when I confirmed the receipt of my monthly transfers, I used $24 to buy food and other household items. We have been experiencing starvation following the previous drought, and it is always difficult to raise school fees. Therefore, part of the transfers I always spend on paying school fees for my four school-going children. I am grateful the transfer has been a boost in my family.

In my family, I am the sole breadwinner. My wife is a housewife and does not have any source of income. She fully leans on my support. As I continue to receive my transfers, I have developed a goal of starting a business for her. I am optimistic that it will create an opportunity for her to raise some income. As a result, the family will have an alternative source of income to help meet the competing family needs. She is likely to succeed in this because she had done business dealing with the sale of vegetables.

From my recent transfers of $34, I spent $20 on paying school fee arrears for my four school-going children. They had a fee balance of $60 that I could not raise by then. I struggled to raise their fee because I over-rely on casual and house construction jobs. However, such opportunities have been rare to get. Since I did not have food in the house, I also spent $14 on foodstuff for my nine-member family. I was worried about how I could manage the situation owing to the current severe famine in the area due to drought. The previous three months' transfers also helped me in paying school fees and buying food for the family. Life has been bearable courtesy of GiveDirectly's transfers.

I spent $20 on paying the hospital bill for my father who was admitted. Unfortunately, he passed on last week. The total hospital bill was $70 my relatives and friends contributed the balance. I am so happy because we were able to sort all this out on time. The remaining amount of money I spent on food and other basic needs that we were missing at home. I am so grateful because were it not GiveDirectly this could have been so hard for us.

At some point before receiving the transfers, my family and I were going through a difficult time financially and one of our biggest challenges was nutrition. The situation was terrible especially considering that our kids looked up to us to take care of them. So when the times were too tough and my children and I were almost starving, I went to ask for items from a shop nearby on loan so that we wouldn't have to go hungry. Therefore when I received the recent transfers from GiveDirectly I immediately went ahead to pay the debt at the store when I had initially taken six packets of maize flour, so I paid KES 600 to settle the debt. Afterwards I took the balance of KES 2,400 I was left with and bought a bag of maize flour which contained a dozen packets so that my family and I would not have to worry about a meal for sometime.

Give Directly does well by providing transfers to people, which is an absolute assured source of cash. Although the amount is not as much as we could have wanted, it is enough to sustain the needs as we pull strings to make our ends meet. I do not see anything wrong with how Give Directly works

Recently, my mother suffered a waist injury and I had to forgo paying school fees in order to settle her hospital bill. Currently, I have outstanding arrears amounting to KES 4,000 to settle at my children's school. I am quite intentional when it comes to deciding what necessity to prioritize over another. Unless otherwise, my children's education and meals come before anything I could possibly accomplish. So I spent KES 1,700 on their school fees and KES 2200 on purchasing food.

On this very day, no one had requested my carpentry services. I also had no money to buy food for my family. To ease my mind from the pressure, I went to shepherd my livestock. I then received a message confirming the receipt of the funds. I felt lucky because I knew I was going to sleep hungry that day. So, the first thing I did with the funds was to buy half a kilogram of sugar and a packet of maize flour.

I am yet to note any difference as it is my first transfer. But I believe with time, I know there will be some changes in my life. Even so, I can now borrow knowing that I will be receiving some money monthly which I would use to pay my debts. Presently, I have a debt of KES4600 that I am expecting to settle using my second transfer.

Sometimes back, my mother fell and injured her hip bone. Having been my dependant, I was left to take care of the hospital bill that amounted to KES4000. Working as a contractual carpenter, my salary is often inconsistent. There are also times when customers are late with their payments. Since I had a hospital bill to cover, I was unable to pay for my four children's school fees that accrued to KES5000. So, when the first transfer came in, I used KES600 to reduce the arrears and bought maize flour with the remaining KES600.