My children and I currently do not have a proper home to sleep in. Right now, I sleep in a very small kitchen, where I take my bedding outside in the morning to make space for cooking and bring it back in the evening when it is time for bed. Also, my children have to borrow places to sleep from relatives, and this has been incredibly frustrating for me. To change this, I started a journey to build a three-room house for my family using the transfers that I received from GiveDirectly. My plan for this year and beyond is to continue using a portion of my transfers to buy building materials, ensuring that my house reaches completion. I feel so excited and happy to see the progress on my house and to imagine living there with my children. Additionally, with my kids in school, I am committed to using another portion of my transfers to pay their school fees so they can continue their education. I am truly grateful for the opportunities that GiveDirectly has provided for me and my family.

My children and I currently do not have a proper house to sleep in, so my kids have to borrow space from relatives, while I squeeze into a very small and uncomfortable kitchen. Because of this, I decided to build a three-room house for us and recently, I used $30 of the transfers I received from GiveDirectly to buy building materials for the house. Also, with five children in school, I also spent another $57 of my transfers on their school fees to ensure they could continue their education. Finally, I used the remaining $15 to buy food for my family so we would not go hungry, as we had very little to eat. This year, we received very little rain, which wasn’t enough for our farms and led to no harvests thereby exposing us to hunger. I am truly grateful for the support from GiveDirectly; it has made a significant difference in our lives, especially during these difficult times when we did not get anything from our farms.

My accomplishment in the coming year and beyond is to ensure the continuity of my children's education. I am happy that my children are rarely sent home due to unpaid school fees. I have taken the initiative to use my transfers to pay for their education. My two eldest children are currently in secondary school, while the remaining five are in primary school. It brings me immense joy to see them all in school, unlike before when I couldn't afford their school fees and they had to stay at home. In addition to paying school fees, I also aim to construct a new house and move out of the dilapidated structure we are currently living in. I am very appreciative of the financial transfers I have received so far, as they have greatly improved our lives.

I am the sole breadwinner for my family of nine members. My husband is very old and unable to work, leaving me solely responsible for meeting our family's basic needs. My earnings from selling charcoal are very minimal and insufficient to cover all our necessities. Life before being enrolled in the cash program was extremely difficult. I struggled to pay school fees for my children, resulting in them spending more time at home than in school due to significant school fee debts. We often slept on empty stomachs, and sometimes I had to borrow a cup of maize flour to cook porridge, ensuring my family survived the hunger. Receiving the transfers has significantly improved my life and that of my family. All seven of my children are currently attending school. I paid $70 in school fees, ensuring they stay in school and continue their education without interruptions. I am happy that my children are getting the education that will make their lives better. I spent $20 to purchase building poles as I plan to build a new house. We are currently living in a makeshift structure that also serves as a cooking place. Building a new house will provide us with a proper place to sleep. Additionally, I purchased food worth $12, ensuring my family had something to eat. I am very grateful for the financial support from the transfers. It has made a tremendous difference in our lives.

I have always wanted to build a new house, but school fees for my five children have constrained me. Additionally, the living I make from making charcoal is barely sufficient. The current house I have is in poor condition, with mud walls disintegrating and most of the walls falling. I pray that even as I support the education of my children through the transfers, I will be able to set aside some transfer funds to start building a house. I would be happy if I could build a two-room one, even if it is made of mud walls and an iron sheet roof. It would be a significant upgrade from the current one.

I have five children in school: two are in secondary school, and three are in primary school. Paying their school fees is my priority whenever I receive the transfers. There were debts at their school that I feared would risk them being sent home. So, I used $92 to cover the school fees. I also spent the remaining $10 to boost the little food that was left at home. My husband and I are both recipients of the transfers. He is advanced in age, so he cannot engage in any active work to provide for our family. Consequently, he usually spends his funds on household needs such as food. Meanwhile, I take on casual jobs like making charcoal to raise money for household expenses, especially after the transfer amount is depleted. Nevertheless, I am happy and grateful because the transfers play a significant role in paying school fees for my children and ensuring that they stay in school.

Throughout the entire year, I have been diligently saving the transfers received with the aim of purchasing a piece of land for my family. I am delighted to report that I am nearing the realization of my target amount. Looking ahead to the coming year, my goal is not only to acquire the land but also to construct a secure and permanent home for my family. Currently residing in a small makeshift building, the prospect of building a proper house holds great significance. It ensures my family has a safe and adequate place to live, bringing contentment to me as a provider. The invaluable support received in this endeavor is deeply appreciated.

We faced many challenges in the past, particularly when obtaining food became a significant problem due to a persistent drought. Caring for my eight children became a hard task, especially since my elderly husband not able to undertake strenuous activities, leaving all responsibilities on my shoulders. Engaging in farming has been my means of providing for the family, although it hasn't always been sufficient. The transfers we received have brought about positive changes, allowing me to cover school fees and ensure an adequate food supply for my family. From these transfers, I allocated $60 to savings, earmarked for future land purchase. The remaining $42 was invested in farming activities, taking advantage of the rainfall we were experiencing. I am content and grateful for the support that has made a meaningful difference in our lives.

My primary goal for the coming year and beyond is to ensure that my five children do not drop out of school due to lack of funds. I was having difficulty paying their fees, so I was always late with my payments. As a result, my children were frequently expelled from school. They could stay for weeks because I could not afford the fees. Since I am now assured of receiving this money every month, I prioritize paying the fees on time in order to avoid having them expelled from school, which can have a negative impact on their academic performance.

The recent transfers have been beneficial because my children's education has not been disrupted due to a lack of fees. I have five children in school, and paying their fees has been difficult for me. I am unemployed and have no one on whom I can rely. My husband, who could help, is no longer working; we are both subsistence farmers in the village. I am relieved and confident that my children will be able to complete their education as a result of the transfer. I was able to pay off the fee arrears by paying $25 each month. The arrears could have accumulated if it had not been for the transfer, and my children would be at home right now. I used the rest of my money to buy food, including maize flour and other cereals. Previously, we were forced to skip meals because there was insufficient food. I am glad food was available for my family, and eating three meals a day was no longer an issue for us.

It had always been my wish to educate my children to a level that they would want even though I am faced with financial challenges. So my major goal is to ensure that my children go to school uninterrupted and and will achieve this by ensuring that I spend part of my monthly transfers on paying any school fees balance that they might have accrued.

Four of my children had been sent home for school fees and I had no money to settle their remaining school fees since my husband and I had no reliable source of income, the only income we had was from burning and selling charcoal in small scale. Luckily I received the transfers from GiveDirectly which was of great help to my family and I. I managed to pay KES. 2000 for school fees, paid a land debt of KES.1000 and the remaining amount of KES. 470 on food. I felt so grateful.

My husband and I both work as casual workers and make our living by selling charcoal. The money I make from selling charcoal is not enough to support my family's needs, which include paying for food, medicine, and school expenses. Five of my children are currently enrolled in school. While the other four are in primary school, my oldest son is in secondary school. The five children collectively owe their respective schools a significant sum in unpaid school fees, totaling $110. Given that I have many other needs, this is a sizable sum that I am unable to pay. As a result, after receiving my transfer, I spent $20 on partially clearing the enormous debt my children owe their schools in order for them to be allowed back and to continue their education. I used the remaining money to purchase food for the family so they wouldn't go hungry in addition to paying back overdue school fees. I'm appreciative that the cash made it easier to avoid having to skip meals for my family because there wasn't enough money.

I happen to have five children who are still in school and while four of them are in primary school, only one is in high-school. Now before the transfers had been sent out, all four if my children who were in primary school had not been to school for over a week just because I had failed to pay tuition fee due to lack of finances. So as soon as I realised the donation was out, I hastily paid their school fees of KES 2,000 and the next day the institution allowed them to resume class. Afterwards I took the balance of KES 1,000 I was left with and bought five packets of maize flour because nutrition was our biggest tribulation and at times we would go for days with nothing to eat.

The services that give directly has given us are top-notch. The organization has done very well, especially with financial support. I am now able to attend to my children and meet their needs, unlike before when I used to struggle. I have not seen any area where give directly has not done well.

My husband is retired so I am left to work and take care of my 8 children. My job involves selling groceries where I only make KES100 daily. This amount hasn't been enough for us and often I am late on the payment of the children's school fees. Therefore, when I received the first transfer, I used KES650 to buy food KES500 to pay for the children's school fees. As for my second transfer, I used KES1500 to settle the school fee arrears, KES1000 I used to purchase food and the remaining KES500 I used to buy clothes.

I was very happy as my children had been sent home from school due to school fees arrears. I thus, paid school fees and used the rest to buy food. They'd now have something to eat when they came back from school as well.

The biggest difference is it has helped me to take my children back to school and they can now continue with their study. My children also have something to eat when they get back from school.

When the transfers came in, my children had been sent home from school due to school fees arrears. I used KES 700 for school fees and they were able to resume school. KES 500 went toward food and we're happy when they get home they have something to eat.