I have been saving up to build a new house since my current one is in a very bad shape. The house was built using palm leaves which constantly need to be replaced. It also leaks, which has made it weaker. To address these problems, I recently joined a merry-go-round where I have been contributing to save money to buy building materials such as poles and iron sheets. My goal is to build a new, decent, and stable house that I can call home. This will relieve me of the stress of replacing the roof and the worry of rain. When my turn comes, I plan to buy the iron sheets first, and later on, the poles.

Over the past few months, I have endured severe rainstorms that have caused significant damage to my house. The house was built using local palm tree leaves for the rooftop, which has been destroyed by termites over time, resulting in uncontrollable leaks. Despite replacing the palm leaves, the situation has worsened, and I have decided to purchase iron sheets instead. To achieve this, I joined a merry-go-round with seven individuals from my village, where I contribute $10 monthly. Once my turn arrives, I will purchase the iron sheets. In addition to this, I also used $30 of my recent transfers to pay my children's school fees. I am a single parent, and I rely on selling local palm wine to support my family. However, competition has recently increased, and this has resulted in my profits declining. Despite this, I am grateful that my children are comfortably attending school and pursuing their educational goals. Furthermore, I also acquired a goat and four chickens for $42, which I am currently raising, intending to sell them to generate some income as they multiply. Since the chickens have a shorter maturity period, I can sell them faster than the goats. I plan to use the money to pay for my children's education and support my household needs.

My primary goal for the upcoming year and the years ahead is to construct a larger house. At the moment , I live in a small, one-roomed, grass-thatched house that does not accommodate my family comfortably. To achieve this objective, I plan to continue setting aside a portion of my transfers. The prospect of constructing a better home holds great significance for me, as it will provide my family with a more comfortable living space, ultimately bringing us peace of mind. I take pride in the progress I have already made this far.

For many years, my livelihood has been sustained through the sale of palm wine in my village, enabling me to provide an education for my three children. However, my journey has not been without its share of challenges as a single mother. Recently, my daughter entrusted me with the care of her four children while she ventured into town in search of employment. Her support, though appreciated, barely covers our expenses. I am grateful that these transfers have allowed me to purchase food, pay school fees, and provide clothing for my family. Additionally, I invested $68 in acquiring chickens and goats, which I plan to raise to maturity and subsequently sell for a profit. The remaining $34 was allocated for the treatment and medication required to address my son's hernia diagnosis. This organization has renewed my hope, and I am eagerly looking forward to a brighter future.

My three children are currently enrolled in school, and my goal is to ensure that they all achieve their academic objectives. My main source of income has been burning and selling charcoal, which I hoped would allow me to pay for my children's school fees and food. However, this has not been easy because I could only do this twice a week, earning only $7, which was insufficient to meet the needs of my entire household. Due to a lack of fees, my children were occasionally sent home. I was unable to pay for them on time, and whenever they were sent home, they remained for weeks while I sought financial assistance. My top priority since receiving the transfers is to ensure that my children's school fees are paid on time. This will allow them to stay in school and avoid having their education interrupted.

I spent my most recent transfers to pay for my children's school fees, food, and the purchase of a goat. For a long time, my primary source of income was burning and selling charcoal, which does not pay well. I was unable to meet my family's basic needs, such as food. Without the transfer, my children would have been sent home for failing to pay their fees. I was able to pay for them on time after receiving my transfer, and they were able to continue their education without interruption due to fees. Also, as a result of the transfer, food was no longer an issue in my household. Previously, I used the little money I earned from burning and selling charcoal primarily to pay school fees because I did not want my children's education to be jeopardized. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling me to purchase enough food to last several weeks, such as maize flour. Despite our financial limitations, my family found it simple to eat three meals per day. I also paid $28 for the goat, which I keep on my homestead. I decided to purchase the goat because it counts as one of my assets. My intention is to keep as many goats as possible so that I can rely on them if I run into financial difficulties. I can easily sell them and make enough money to cover my expenses.

I had always wanted to build a house that would be enough for my children and I because the one that we currently live in is not suitable for all of us. Therefore my goal for the next one year is to build a house and I had started buying materials in bits with the monthly transfers that I always receive. I have bought a number of iron sheets and still planning to buy more in the next months.

The transfer that I received was of great help because I received it at a time when I was in need of money. I am a single mother of four because my husband and I separated leaving me with the burden of taking care of the children. Paying school fees and getting money for food had been a great challenge. Therefore with the transfers, I managed to pay all the school fees balance of KES.1000, bought food worth KLES. 1470 and saved the remaining amount of KES. 1000 for my future project.

The day before I received the transfer, my two grandchildren (in grades 1 and 2) had been sent out of class to clear an outstanding fee balance of $10. Their mother, who works as a housemaid in Mombasa had not received her salary and she could not afford the amount. Also, my business of selling palm wine had not been fruitful that week, and I could not support them. So, I channeled part of the transfer towards clearing the balance and they happily resumed classes. I spent $20 to buy a goat for rearing as this had been my goal ever since I started receiving the cash aid. I feel fulfilled from investing the transfers in livestock because not only do they represent great use of the money, but also multiply and grow the herd.

GiveDirectly is definitely doing an amazing job because through it I have to chip in when it comes to taking care of my family since before my husband paid for most of the bills and now I even have an allowance to save up some money to finally build a home.

When I noticed that the funds had finally been sent out, I made up my mind to leave KES 1,000 in my savings account because I was planning to build a new house for me and my family especially one with the roof being ironsheets since my roof at the moment was grass thatched which was always in need of fixing. After that I took KES 1,000 and purchased three packets of maize flour,I kilogram of sugar and one packets of wheat flour. Lastly I used the remaining funds which was KES 1,000 and bought five hens hoping to start a project in poultry farming.

I had actually gone to the farm that early morning when the transfers arrived and when I arrived back home, my brother-in-law informed me that the funds had already been sent out since he had received his. Upon checking my phone as well that is when I confirmed the same fate and I was honestly quite overwhelmed with joy because it meant my kids could finally go back to school and attend class like other children.

I am quite grateful for the generosity I have witnessed so far although this my first transfer because were it not for me receiving the funds when I did, Lord knows how long it would have to taken me to be able to find money and send my children back to school. Therefore allowing my kids to resume school meant the world to me and them.

I was so grateful to receive the transfers from the organisation when I did because my children had been kicked out of school and were staying home due to lack of school fees. Therefore immediately after receiving the funds I went ahead to withdraw the money from my phone and paid tuition fee worth KES 450 for my two children and luckily they were allowed back to class. I also went ahead and used KES 200 and bought a hen because I planned on investing in poultry farming for financial gain. I was left with a balance of KES 550 which I used in ensuring I acquired four packets of maize flour because nutrition had been a challenge from time to time.