As a widow with two school-going children, our livelihood often hangs by a thread. With the trees dwindling, my source of income, charcoal burning, has become increasingly unstable. However, the monthly transfers have been a beacon of hope for my family. In the wake of the recent transfers, I seized the opportunity to invest in our comfort and well-being. With $90, I purchased a medium modern bed, a significant upgrade from the small traditional one we had endured for so long. This new bed promises us better sleep and rest, essential for our health and productivity. With the remaining $12, I made sure to stock up on food, ensuring my children's bellies were full and their minds ready to absorb the knowledge their education offered. These purchases mark a significant improvement in our quality of life, made possible by the invaluable support we receive.

With the help of GiveDirectly, I managed to purchase a bed for my family, a small luxury that brings immense comfort. But there's still a missing piece to complete our nightly haven which is a mattress. It's not just about the comfort; it's about ensuring my children sleep soundly, free from the aches of the hard floor. So, my goal for the coming year is to save up enough, at least $10 a month, to afford a mattress, costing about $50. And once we have that mattress, my aspirations soar even higher. I envision venturing into livestock farming, particularly goats. They're resilient creatures, capable of withstanding the harsh climate of our region, and their maintenance costs are manageable. With a small herd of goats, I can provide for my family, not just in terms of food but also through the potential income from selling their offspring. With determination and the support of GiveDirectly, I know these dreams are within reach, and I'll stop at nothing to achieve them.

A few years back, my house fell apart, and I had to move in with my son, his wife, and their six children. I always wanted my place, but money was a problem. When Give Directly started giving out cash transfers, I thought it was a chance to build a house. But in the beginning, I struggled to afford food with the money. Luckily, we could farm during the rainy season, and we grew enough maize to last the whole year. That meant most of the cash didn't have to go to food. So, I decided to use the funds to build my new two-room house. I'm really happy to say that the construction is finished, and I moved into my new structure a couple of months ago. It's a dream come true for me. However, I still had some outstanding debts after completing the construction. I used $64 from the recent cash transfer to settle the payment with the constructor. Additionally, I invested $34 in purchasing a goat for raising. I plan that, in the future, after the cash transfers stop, I can sell these goats to cover my expenses since I can't take on physically demanding jobs at my age.

My son runs a small business where he buys and sells livestock at the marketplace. He's the only one bringing in money for our family, which includes his wife, six little ones, and me. Sometimes it is tough for him to provide regular meals because his earnings are up and down. I desire to help out more with the family's needs, even after the cash transfers stop, to ease the pressure on him. However, because I'm elderly and can't handle strenuous work, I plan to create wealth by raising goats. Now that we have enough food at home, I want to start with that. Besides, I currently sleep on a bed made of sisal ropes, and my bedding consists of sacks, making it very uncomfortable. As I  just finished building my new house and moved in, by the end of the year, I aim to buy a new bed and mattress with the income from raising goats.

After my house collapsed some years ago, I moved into my son's house, where I shared space with his wife and six young children. I always had a desire to build my own house, but I didn't have the financial means. When the cash transfers started, I saw it as an opportunity to construct a house, but financial constraints, particularly for food, challenged me during the initial transfer months. Thanks to the rainy season that allowed farming in my region, my family was able to plant and harvest enough maize to last us until the end of the year. Because of this, most of the money was not tied up in food expenses, so I decided to use every penny from the past three months to support the construction of my new two-room house. I'm delighted that the construction project was recently completed, and I moved into my new house a week ago. I'm now happy that I have provided my son's family with the privacy that I once felt I was depriving them of.

My son works in a small business buying and selling livestock at the marketplace, and he is the sole provider for the family, which includes his wife, six young children, and me. Until we recently harvested maize from our farm, it had always been a challenge for him to put daily meals on the table because his earnings were inconsistent. I would be pleased if I could actively contribute to the household's needs even after the cash transfers end and reduce the burden on him. However, since I am elderly and unable to take on strenuous jobs, my goal is to generate income through livestock keeping. I want to start raising goats now that there is enough food at home. Also, by the end of the year, I hope to have purchased a new bed and mattress for my new house, which I recently completed building and moved into.

I am disturbed and uncomfortable living in my grandson’s house. I feel like I am not doing just to him since I had taken his private space. This made me lack peace of mind and decided to take a step from the transfers I get monthly. From the previous ones, I have been buying one or two iron sheets depending on how tough the month was as far as hunger was concerned. Using the recent transfer, I used $20 to buy two iron sheets making the total number of iron sheets as of now to be 14. I am happy because through the transfers and the financial discipline I practiced, soon I will construct my house. Since I solely depend on charcoal burning, I opted to use the remaining amount to buy some food.

Building my own house is my top priority. Since I currently have 14 iron sheets and the target was 16, I see myself in my own house by the end of this year. I feel privileged and content with the opportunity of being enrolled in this monthly transfer program because it has enabled me to project my life in a house where my privacy will never be tampered with nor will I be a hindrance to someone’s privacy.

After my house collapsed five years ago, I could not afford to build a new one since I lacked the necessary funds. Ever since I have been occupying the kitchen structure for shelter. Am glad that Give Directly’s cash transfers brought a perfect opportunity to build a new house. I spent both December and November cash to acquire 8 pieces of iron sheets. From the recent transfer, I obtained building poles for $20. Also, my granddaughter had been sent out of class to collect school fees but her father was not around to provide the amount. So, I helped her clear the $4 debt and she resumed her happily resumed her studies. Finally, I spent the remaining $10 on food as my seven grandchildren and I had slept hungry the previous night after the household ran out of maize flour. Gratefully, the food served us until my son raised money for more and we have never starved ever since. 

Owning a house is one of the things I wish to accomplish in the following year and beyond. I feel like staying in the kitchen has deprived me of my privacy, which will be plentiful when I build my own shelter. My plan is to build a two-room house, made of mud walls and a tin roof. I would like to single-handedly finance the project with no support from my son since he has a huge responsibility burden of fending for his seven children. I believe that the cash transfers will help make this dream a reality. After that, I will venture into livestock keeping as a stream of income. 

I spent $35 of my transfers to purchase some building materials. It is more than 3 years now since my house collapsed and I have not been able to construct a new one due to poverty. For all those years, I have been living in my son's kitchen and constantly the smoke from the fireplace when they are cooking had started affecting my sight. In addition, I spent $24 to pay for the debt at the nearby food store where I had been taking foodstuffs on credit promising the shopkeeper to clear him when I got the transfers. With the remaining amount, I bought food for myself.

For over five years, I have had no house where I can go to sleep at night. My relatives have lent me a shoulder to kneel on by letting me sleep in their houses. 20 years after my husband passed away, my life took a turn for the worst. I could not provide for the family because I had no job. The lack of a source of income made it difficult for me to maintain and improve the condition of my house. Eventually, my house collapsed one night due to the weakened poles and strong winds blowing during the night. When I received my transfer, I spent the entire amount on buying three pieces that will be essential in building the roof of my new house. Building the new house will make me happy once again and stop the bad habit of sleeping in people's houses.

Give Directly through the unconditional transfers has given new hope to the homeless. I am happy that soon I will have a house of my own with help from the organization. I would like to urge the organization to conduct intensive registration in nearby villages so that the vulnerable in society can get help and uplift their lives.

The day that I had received the funds from GiveDirectly, I completed not anticipated for it. But as soon as I became aware about the transfers, I immediately opted to settle matters concerning nutrition because it was one of my biggest challenges. I withdrew the money from my phone and bought five packets of maize flour for KES 700 and then went ahead to use KES 270 from the remaining remaining balance to acquire some other items which included cabbage, tomatoes and cooking oil. After that u was left with KES 200 which I bought laundry detergent with.

This funds have played a huge role in my day to day life and most definitely affected me positively, especially in matters concerning nutrition. Were it not receiving the funds at the time I did, I would have probably ended up spending the day with nothing to eat and most definitely would have gone to bed in a similar fashion.

I cut firewood and burn it to make charcoal then afterwards sell it in order to make a living and cater for my needs, buy that day I was feeling exhausted because the job itself is quite tedious, so I decided not to go. Later on during the day is when I heard a notification on my phone and I asked my grandchild who was my trustee to read and explain what the message entailed. Finding out it was the transfers Immediately plastered a grin on my face especially since I did not go to work that day and I had no money. It was most definitely a pleasant surprise.