Last time we spoke I wanted to buy my own fishing nets as that is my main source of income. I also burn and sell charcoal when the oceans are not as kind. The place where we fish has experienced low water levels which has really affected the amount of fish we get. My hope is to add agriculture to the things I do in order to get cash. I would like to purchase some piece of land and practice farming on it. My goal is to scamper all over and save towards this purchase as I already have talked to the farm owner.

My family feels overwhelmed every time we get the cash transfers as it is an assurance of access to resources that the cash at our disposal could not access. The cash I received allowed us to buy some livestock as well as stock up on food and also got to pay school fees for my 6 school going children. I got a goat at $34 and some chicken at $9. I was also able to pay $15 to my children's school. Majority of the cash we received, went to purchase food for our big family at $39.

This year, my objective is to obtain my own fishing net. Currently, I rely on borrowing one from a colleague, which has restricted my productivity and consequently reduced my earnings. I plan to utilize my upcoming transfers to achieve this goal. Acquiring my own fishing net will enable me to maximize my output, resulting in a greater catch and higher returns. I am pleased with the progress I have made thus far and look forward to a brighter future.

My livelihood depends on fishing, while my wife earns a living by extracting tree stumps and selling charcoal to support our family of ten. Life has been challenging, and there were times when hunger was a constant companion due to lack of food. Fortunately, things have taken a turn for the better. I have successfully completed renovating our dilapidated house, ensuring we have a comfortable place to live in. Additionally, I've ventured into goat and chicken rearing. From the transfers we received, I used $20 to purchase essential household items as we had run out. I then spent $10 to pay for school fees for my children, ensuring they continue with their studies without interruptions. Another $4 was used to buy two chickens, to be kept and sold later at a profit. Furthermore, I spent $34 on iron roofing sheets to replace the deteriorated ones, improving our living conditions. The remaining funds were used to compensate the technician who renovated our house. I take pride in the progress we have made and eagerly anticipate achieving more in the future.

Looking ahead to the coming year and beyond, I aspire to acquire my fishing equipment. Despite relying on fishing as my main source of income, I have been sharing equipment with my father, creating inconveniences and limiting our fish yield. To purchase new equipment, I estimate that I will need at least $90. Despite the financial constraints and significant responsibilities of providing for my eight children, I remain hopeful that I can save and accumulate this amount in the near future.

As the sole provider for my wife and eight children, my primary source of income comes from fishing in the river. However, the ongoing heavy rains have led to flooding in the rivers, making it challenging for me to engage in fishing activities. During this period, the cash transfers have played a crucial role in ensuring that my family has regular meals on the table. I allocated $38 for purchasing food, and despite the temporary halt in my fishing income, my family has not experienced hunger. Another $34 was used to buy new clothes for each family member, addressing the issue of tattered attire that was unfit for public use. Additionally, $10 was dedicated to acquiring school uniforms for two of my children who were attending school in casual clothes due to the lack of uniforms. The remaining funds were directed towards plowing and caring for my land in preparation for planting after the rains. I am genuinely grateful for how the cash transfers have positively impacted my family's access to food and clothing.

My goal is to establish myself as a reputable livestock keeper in the area. Through planning, I have already begun building my herd with the acquisition of five goats. However, my ambition is to expand my livestock holdings further. To achieve this, I have devised a strategy of purchasing at least one additional goat every two months, steadily increasing the population of my herd and bringing me closer to realizing my goal of becoming a recognized figure in the local livestock community.

After receiving the funds from GiveDirectly, I, a passionate livestock keeper, made a conscious decision to invest in expanding my herd. With previous transfers, I had successfully acquired goats whenever possible, and this time was no different. Thanks to the most recent transfer, I was able to purchase one goat worth $28, further increasing the population of my livestock. This brought me immense joy and a sense of progress, additionally, the remaining $6.7 proved to be invaluable as it allowed me to provide food for my family.

The situation in our area has worsened due to the unending drought scenario experienced in the past seasons. Consequently, there has been a low rate of casual jobs. Because I do not have an alternative source of income, I hope to be spending my transfers on my children's school fees. I hope to accomplish this goal so that my children can always have adequate time in school to focus on their studies. It will help me to pay school fees for my children. In addition, I will focus on ensuring that we have a steady food supplier.

Because of the current famine and drought situation, we mainly struggle to obtain food and pay school fees for our children. I am a father of six children, and all are enrolled in school. Two of the eldest children are in form one. Raising their school fees proves to be a burden to me because I do not have a job. So when I received my first transfer, I spent $30 on paying school fees for my two children in secondary school. As a result, I got relief from the finance-related stress that I was going through. Courtesy of the transfer, I did not have to bear many burdens as compared to moments when there was no transfer. Since we had run out of food, I spent $4 on food for my family.

After successfully finishing their primary education last year, two of my children are about to begin their secondary education. Given that I do not make much money from my job as a fisherman, paying for the education of the two and four other children who are still in elementary school is a significant burden for me. I go fishing in a seasonal river, but it's almost dry, which means I'll lose my only source of income. Given the recent decline in charcoal sales, my wife, who sells it, makes a pitiful income. I want to make sure that my children stay in school and concentrate on their education this year. This will be accomplished by providing a favorable environment for their academic pursuits.The most crucial thing is to make sure I pay their tuition on time, and I'm hoping I can do that with the aid of the transfer money.

The transfers during the past month allowed me to settle more of my children's tuition arrears with the school. I used $30 to pay off the balance when I most recently got the transfer. I'm ecstatic and delighted to have paid the arrears, so t hey can now completely participate in class. I enjoy fishing, which I do to earn a living, but there are fewer fish now because of the drought, which has dried up the rivers. Food is expensive and in short supply, but I am grateful that I was able to feed my family every day with the $64 that was part of the transfers.

For the past six months, my job as a fisherman has been on a downward spiral. The prolonged drought in our village has affected the water levels in the rivers. This has affected the number of fish and also the level of income. With my income affected, I have struggled to cater to the needs of my family. When I received my transfer, I paid school fees for my four children so that they would remain in school and continue with their education. I bought food for my family worth KES 1000 to add to the depleting food stock in the house. Finally, I bought two hens to add to the other eight that I have. I am happy that the hens are multiplying in numbers.

Everyone in our village is happy at the mention of GiveDirectly and can not miss a kind word to describe how they are doing great work in the village. In my opinion, this has been the best organization to ever work in our village with clarity of information, timely delivery of their promises, and no bias at all. I have nothing to complain about GiveDirectly.

Chicken rearing has always worked for me. They do not require much capital at the same time, managing them is easy. I have been doing it but not on a large scale because in most cases, I would sell some of them to raise money for settling my household bills and school fees for my children. At the time when I received the second transfer I only had two of them left. I, therefore, spent KES 2000 on 10 more for rearing with a projection of selling some of them by the end of the year to raise money for purchasing a goat. KES 1000 I spent on some of the foodstuffs for my family that can take them for quite some time. Food prices have gone up due to the current drought hence I had to take advantage of the transfers.

I left for my aunt's funeral and forgot my phone at home. When I returned home two days later, my wife informed me that she had received money from give directly. I went to confirm if I did too and I saw that I had. I gave her my phone so she may withdraw the money together with hers. She then brought me my share and I put it away for one week so I may decide on how to spend it

Because of my aunt's funeral, I had not worked for 4 days. So, when I ran out of funds to buy food with, I used the funds from give directly. and if I had not received it, we would have slept hungry and my child would have been sent home from school. These funds gave me some sort of financial security.

I am a fisherman by profession. In a week, I make around KES900. This helps me in fending for my wife and four children who are all in school. My eldest child is in class 8, other than his school fee arrears of KES500. He is required to pay Kes1500 for his exam. This is after I had paid KES600, using the funds I got from give directly, to reduce the arrears. The remaining KES600 I used to buy food