Unfortunately, last year, my farm experienced excessive waterlogging caused by heavy rains, resulting in a failed maize harvest. This setback left my family facing food shortages. To ensure a reliable means of providing for my family, I am strategizing to broaden my current business ventures. I intend to diversify by incorporating the sale of additional food commodities such as maize flour and sugar. This expansion not only promises to attract a wider customer base but also aims to increase my income, thus enabling me to better support my family. The stability afforded by the financial assistance from the organization is deeply appreciated, as it has played a pivotal role in securing my family's financial well-being.

My two children attending primary school faced the unfortunate circumstance of having their school uniforms rendered unwearable due to irreparable tears. To rectify this, I allocated $20 towards acquiring new uniforms for them, ensuring they maintain a smart and presentable appearance. Additionally, I dedicated $14 towards covering their school fees for the new term, a payment that guarantees their continued enrollment and uninterrupted education. In anticipation of sustaining my family of five members, I invested a substantial portion of my funds, amounting to $46, in purchasing 30 packets of maize flour to bolster our food supplies. Despite the modest earnings from my vegetable-selling small business, which primarily supports my daughter's secondary education, the financial assistance provided through transfers now enables me to allocate extra funds towards supporting my family through essential food purchases. I am profoundly grateful for the invaluable financial support received, which has significantly eased the burden of caring for my family and ensured their well-being.

I intend to expand my vegetable-selling business by purchasing additional stock. While it may not be a massive investment, this business has been a reliable source of sustenance for my family. Increasing my stock will result in higher profits, ultimately providing me with the means to comfortably support my household and cover the educational expenses of my four children. In addition to improving my business, I also have plans to acquire some livestock, including chickens and goats, which I will raise. I believe that as these animals multiply, they will serve as a valuable resource for addressing any unforeseen financial challenges that may arise.

I manage a small shop primarily focused on selling vegetables, which plays a crucial role in supporting my family. While I do generate some profits, they often fall short of covering our household expenses, especially school fees, and ensuring our family's well-being. During periods when my business doesn't perform as well, the financial assistance comes in handy, helping me to address these essential needs. I have four children, one in high school and the others in primary school. Whenever my business struggles, I worry that my children may be forced to stay home from school. I'm grateful to say that, in recent months, I've been able to contribute $80 toward their school fees, ensuring that they continue with their education. Additionally, I also invested a portion of the remaining funds in replenishing my vegetable stock, which is gradually boosting my sales, and I anticipate increased profits as I continue to restock. Finally, I used some of the funds to purchase essential food items like sugar and beans to feed my family, as well as household items that we were lacking.

Venturing into livestock buying and selling business ventures is something I am eager to pursue. It offers the potential for an additional income source, which would greatly facilitate meeting my family's needs. Engaging in livestock rearing would enable me to amass substantial wealth as the animals multiply and their numbers increase. My goal is to establish a large herd of goats by the end of the year, which will serve as a solid foundation for launching the business.

I operate a small kiosk business located in Mnazimwenga Center, where I sell household goods and food products such as flour, biscuits, and more. On good days, my profits can reach up to $20, but on bad days, I may only make as little as $2 per day. As the sole breadwinner of my family, consisting of my wife and four children, the income generated from this business is insufficient to meet all our needs, including purchasing food, paying school fees, and covering medical expenses. When I received my May transfers, I allocated $20 to buy food for my children. Unfortunately, the drought at the beginning of the year resulted in high food prices, making it challenging for us to afford the necessities available at inflated store prices. This situation has led to occasional meal-skipping, as we often have to survive on just one meal per day. Despite these difficulties, I am grateful that the monthly stipends have provided some relief by ensuring that my family does not go to bed hungry, even though we are unable to have three meals a day as recommended. In addition to purchasing food, I used part of the funds to partially pay my children's school fees. . Since receiving these funds, my children have been attending school consistently, as I plan accordingly and strive to pay off the fees promptly, minimizing the risk of accumulating a significant debt that I cannot afford to repay.

In the next one year and beyond, I am planning to start livestock rearing project., I want to ensure that I buy goats and chicken and after a period of time, I would be in a position to sell them and pay school fees for my children without any difficulties. With the plans in mind, I will be ensuring that I buy one at a time with the transfers that I will be receiving monthly.

I previously had challenges feeding my 4 children because the income I was earning from my small business was not enough to cater for all their needs, luckily, I managed to receive the transfers at a time when I was in dire need because the children were still on holiday break. With the transfers I received of KES. 3470, I decided to spend it all on food and I felt that I was relieved of a huge burden.

Generally, GiveDirectly's ways of operations are transparent and efficient. The officers are very interactive and friendly. Right from the sensitization to the enrollment stage, they embrace truthfulness and practice no favoritism. The staffs do not take advantage of any community members. Lastly, it does regular follow up to help gauge the impact of its program on the community members where it works. So far, I have not observed what GiveDirectly does not do well.

I used my most recent transfer to buy food worth $20 because we had depleted the food we had then. It served my family of six members so well. The food I purchased lasted us more than a week. I always do small business even though I don't have a job. Even though my wife is a peasant farmer, I am always able to make a $2 profit. I spent the remaining $10 on school fees for my two children, Matano and Robert. As a result, they can study effectively and without interruption. The other two had already paid their fees. I appreciate GiveDirectly.

I did not learn about my transfer until late at night, around 9 p.m. My family members had gone to bed except for me because I was thinking about how the next day would go. I felt compelled to check my time phone, and to my surprise, the first thing I found was a Mpesa message. I least expected money by then and that attracted my attraction. As I went through it, I was relieved that it was the transfer from GiveDirectly. That restored my hope, and without much thought, I gave thanks to God and went to bed, self-assured of a better day ahead. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for its historical support.

It was extremely difficult for me to support my family prior to receiving my transfer. My business was struggling because food prices had risen and I could not restock. As a result, I could only make a few sales per day, which was not only worrying but also deprived me of the ability to support my family. I felt a lot of relief because the transfer allowed me to buy food when I could not support my family. This is the most significant change in my life.

I am a shopkeeper who has been in business for many years. However, in recent times, the business has not been performing well, resulting in my inability to support my family. My family could occasionally go without food. As soon as I confirmed my transfer, I spent KES 1,200 on maize flour to supplement the food my family was eating at the time. I am glad that as a result of this, I was able to provide much-needed assistance to my family, as we received enough food to last us five days.