In the coming year, my goal is to use future transfers to continue purchasing food and possibly add more hens. The persistent harsh weather conditions make it difficult to grow crops, so buying food from the shop is essential to ensure I have enough to eat. I also plan to grow my flock of hens, selling some as they mature to cover my other needs. I will set aside a portion of each transfer toward these goals, and I am truly thankful for the support, which is helping me create a better life.

As an elderly woman unable to work due to my age, I rely heavily on my son, who raises livestock. Unfortunately, his income from this work is limited, making it difficult for him to meet both his needs and mine. Thanks to the financial support from Give Directly, I am able to take care of myself without placing too much burden on him. I spent $57 on food, ensuring that I had enough to eat without missing any meals. I also invested in a goat for $35 and bought eight chicks for $10. These purchases are part of my long-term plan. I intend to sell the chicks once they mature, while the goat will serve as a backup resource for any future emergencies. With this addition, I now have four goats, all bought with the transfer funds, and I am hopeful they will multiply to grow my initial investment. I am very grateful for this financial support, which has helped me achieve a more stable and comfortable life.

My goal for the coming year is to invest in purchasing more goats and hens. Although I am old and can no longer work, I can still rear livestock and generate income from them. I plan to save a portion of my subsequent transfers to buy more hens and goats. Once they multiply, I can sell them and use the money to take care of myself, reducing my reliance on my son for financial support. I am very appreciative of the financial support.

I spent $53 on food. I had planted maize on my one-acre farm, hoping for a good harvest and plenty of food. Unfortunately, the rains failed, and all the maize wilted away, leaving me with nothing to harvest. My son, who I currently depend on, is a casual laborer, and due to a lack of sufficient jobs, he is also facing financial difficulties. To ensure I had enough food, I used the transfers to buy food. I am grateful that I never went to bed hungry. Additionally, I purchased a goat for $34 and eight hens for $10, and spent $5 on animal feed for the hens. I am hopeful that the hens will mature and multiply, giving me an opportunity to sell some and earn income. This income will help me meet my immediate needs, reducing the burden on my son, who has to support both his family and me. I am very appreciative of the transfers, which have helped me with my daily needs and improved my living conditions.

Despite the adversity of my house collapsing due to heavy rains, I remain hopeful that preparing my land for planting will yield a bountiful harvest. With this in mind, I intend to utilize my upcoming transfers to cultivate my one-acre farm and sow maize. This investment in agriculture will secure an ample food supply for the future. I am deeply grateful for the financial assistance that helped me navigate through the challenging times I faced.

The beginning of this year brought profound sorrow into my life as I tragically lost both my daughter and son to short illnesses. Being advanced in age, I found myself unable to offer the support they needed during their illnesses. Using $34 from my January transfers, I contributed towards giving them a dignified farewell. Although their passing has left an immense void in my heart, I take solace in the fact that I was able to provide them with a proper send-off with the assistance of the transfers. Just two weeks after laying my children to rest, my household faced another devastating challenge. Heavy rains, accompanied by fierce winds, tore off the roof of my house and caused the collapse of its weak mud walls. Fortunately, I was not inside the house at the time of the incident, sparing me potential harm. To restore my home, I expended $68 on repairing the roof and walls, purchasing new building materials such as poles and timber, and compensating the mason for their labor. I am relieved that my dwelling is now in a sturdy and habitable condition. I am deeply grateful for the financial support provided by Give Directly. This assistance has alleviated the heavy burden on my son, who works as a casual laborer, as I am no longer reliant on him to meet my needs. Despite my inability to work due to old age, I can now sustain myself independently, thanks to the transfers.

The heavy rains this month caused significant damage to my house, washing away part of the mud walls and leaving me to endure the cold and chilly weather at night. The deteriorating condition of my house is a source of concern, and I fear it may collapse. I intend to use my future transfers to repair the house and ensure it is safe for habitation. Despite these challenges, I am genuinely grateful for the financial support I've received through transfers, which has significantly improved my life.

In September, I tragically lost my son following his prolonged illness. To help cover the substantial hospital expenses accrued during his treatment, I contributed $34, which went towards ensuring he received a dignified farewell. Prior to harvesting maize from the farm, I allocated $60 towards purchasing food. I am grateful that this money enabled me to buy food and reduce my reliance on my son, who supports me financially through his job as a casual laborer, despite not earning much. Additionally, I invested $8 in the purchase of three hens, which I hope will prove beneficial in the future as they multiply, allowing me to sell them and utilize the proceeds to meet my needs. I am deeply thankful for the assistance I've received, especially during my old age when I predominantly depend on support from various family members.

Due to a severe illness, my daughter has become bedridden and lacks the ability to tend to her own needs. It is my utmost desire to provide her with financial support to cover her hospital expenses, enabling her to recover and potentially secure employment. Unfortunately, her health continues to deteriorate as we are unable to afford the specialized treatment required, due to the substantial medical bills involved. Witnessing her regain her health and stand on her own two feet is the greatest source of happiness for me.

As an elderly widow, I rely on assistance from my nearby relatives as I am unable to perform tasks independently. Our village has experienced significant rainfall in recent months. Recognizing this, I made the decision to allocate a portion of the $15 I received through a transfer to hire individuals who could dig up and plant maize on my one-acre farm. Due to my frailty, I am unable to work on the farm myself. I am delighted to see the maize crops thriving, and I anticipate a plentiful harvest. Once the maize is harvested, I will no longer need to purchase expensive maize flour from the store. With the remaining $19, I purchased eight packets of maize flour, which sustained me throughout the entire month of June. Unfortunately, my son, upon whom I depend, lacks a stable job and relies on sporadic casual work to make a living. The income from these jobs is minimal and insufficient to support both of us. I am grateful that the money I received is truly aiding in taking care of my well-being.

I'm hoping to have enough money saved up by the end of the year to make repairs and improve the condition of my home. Every day, the poles that were used to construct my home get weaker. Large holes in the mud walls also allow cold nighttime air to enter. My health has been greatly impacted by this, and I frequently cough at night. For the house to remain warm at night, I would like to strengthen it by erecting sturdy pillars around it and plugging the enormous holes.

My youngest son, who works at a few old part-time jobs, helps me financially because I am very old and need him to make ends meet. With the temperature rising due to climate change, life in the village has become intolerable. My son, who raises livestock for a living, makes only $30 per month and is unable to support both his own family and mine. I used $14 of my January transfers to purchase food and medicine. My son, who struggles to make sure I get all the necessities, was greatly relieved by this. I frequently get sick, and instead of going to the hospital for proper care, I am forced to use medicinal herbs to treat my illness. I'm appreciative that my monthly stipend always goes a long way toward assisting me in taking care of my needs. Along with purchasing food and medication, I saved the remaining $20 in a group of five people. After making monthly contributions of $20 each, two people receive $60 each. With this sum, one can make appropriate plans and complete larger projects that cost a lot of money.

For many years, I have desired to start a goat rearing like others in the village. This is an investment for the future, I would sell them to assist me whenever I get a financial emergency. After receiving the transfer, I spent $30 of it to purchase one goat for rearing. Currently, I am feeling happy about owning livestock and positive that it will support me when it reproduces. Furthermore, I bought proper bedding for $60 since I was using an old traditional threads twisted bed that was not comfortable. I was always experiencing backache every morning. Nowadays, I am enjoying my nights sleeping on a modern bed and mattress.

In my opinion, GiveDirecty did well in sending unconditional transfers to everyone without discrimination. In addition, we are able to solve our problem at the household level with the help of the transfer. With all the goodness that the organization is doing, I do not see anything that it does not do well.

I had desired to purchase proper bedding for myself. This is because I had been using the traditional bedding which is uncomfortable and makes me always feel backbone pain every morning after waking up. I spent my recent transfer plus my saving from the previous transfer that I received to purchase a modern bed and mattress for KES 5800. I am happy that I am sleeping on a comfortable bed something that has improved my productivity at work. This is a result of waking up fully refreshed after having a quality sleep.

I still remember vividly, it was exactly when 9 am. I was on my farm preparing it ready for planting we anticipate to start receiving the short rains any time from now. I heard my neighbors celebrating for transfer, my phone had been taken by my helper for charging. I waited patiently for him until the evening when he come home and handed over the transfer to me after cashing it out. I felt very happy for receiving my transfer, I was very sure that I will be able to accomplish my projects with help of the transfer.

I am very grateful for the transfer, through it, I was able to purchase a modern bed that will save me all the body pain that I had undergone for many years. Being able to spend my nights in a comfortable bed like other people is the biggest difference in my daily life. The only time when I would enjoy sleeping on proper bedding is when I visited my elder son in town. In addition, I am confident that will be able own livestock like other which will help me whenever I face financial challenges in the future.

I spent my recent transfer to purchase proper beddings for myself. This is because I have been using a small traditional bed that had broken legs. It required constant repairs and replacement of the threads which was relatively costly. I used my first transfer together with personal savings to buy a modern bed that cost KES 4000. Furthermore, I am planning to spend my next transfer to start livestock rearing specifically goats which are easy to raise since they can withstand drought conditions for a long time. I will sell them whenever I encounter financial problems in the future.