I recently joined a chama group to save a portion of my monthly $15 transfer because I'm aiming to invest in livestock farming. I've always dreamed of owning cattle, but they're quite costly to acquire. So, my plan is to start by purchasing goats and then, as they multiply, I'll sell their offspring to eventually buy a cow. I'm keen on investing in cows because they provide milk, which I can sell to support my family financially. Additionally, having children in school means there might be unexpected financial challenges like paying fees, but if necessary, I can sell some of the livestock to address those needs.

When I received my recent transfers, I carefully decided how to allocate them. I set aside $24 to buy hybrid seeds since it was planting season, knowing that farming is crucial for our livelihood. With the remaining funds, I prioritized my child's health by spending $34 on medication when my child fell sick. This was essential for ensuring her well-being. Moreover, I made strategic investments for the future, $15 went into my chama group for savings and financial security, while another $15 was allocated to purchase books, emphasizing the importance of education for my children's future. Lastly, I used the remaining $4 to buy sugar, which is a basic necessity in our household. I'm truly grateful for the support from GiveDirectly, as it enables us to plan effectively and make meaningful investments in our family's well-being and future.

My goal is to own livestock. I have already purchased two goats from previous cash transfers, and one has given birth, increasing the number to three. This has always been a desire of mine before the introduction of cash aid in my village. There was a time when I owned goats, but I had to sell them all to support my nephew's hospital bills, despite his unfortunate passing months later. The cash transfers now provide me with the opportunity to reestablish a livestock venture, which is crucial in the Giriama community as it serves as the backbone of our livelihood. Livestock generates wealth that can be used for future needs, particularly in raising school fees for my three children.

After separating from my husband, he retained custody of our three children, who currently reside with him in town while I am back at my maternal home. Despite the family's primary breadwinner being my brother here, I am grateful that I am not overly dependent on him as I have a small business of selling sardines. The cash transfers have significantly alleviated the weight on my shoulders, allowing me to contribute to both the needs of my family here at home and those of my children. Recently, one of my children fell ill, developing lumps and boils on various parts of his body, hindering his ability to attend school. I spent $34 to take him to the hospital, and although his condition remains severe, I am hopeful of raising more funds to return him for further treatment. Additionally, I allocated $34 for our Christmas celebrations last year, covering the cost of food. The festive season brought joy to my family and strengthened our bonds. Also, during the rainy season, I invested $20 in land preparation and compensated people to work on my farm. The recent maize harvest brings me happiness as it will alleviate the struggle with hunger for some time. I saved the remaining amount to support the education of my children in the future.

I would like to have a long term investment, but what would that look like in a rural setting? My question since I was enrolled into this program. Now that I have straightened my life and set up a small sardines business that helps take care of my daily needs, I now have the freedom to invest my transfers in a long-term project or items that will be of great benefit to my children. After thinking long and hard, I have decided that a cow would be most ideal in this environment, but honestly I may not be discipled enough to save my monthly transfers to a point that am able to afford a cow, so I will be channeling the transfers to something more affordable. Goats. Yes, the $34 I receive monthly can comfortably buy a goat old enough to reproduce within a year of its purchase. So, while I keep purchasing more goats that I can eventually sell to raise enough money to purchase a cow, the heard I already have would be helping in the realization of my goal through reproduction. Managing a single or 2 cows is much easier than managing 10 goats and they also come with other advantages such as large scale milk production that can also be a source of income. This is why it's important to sell the goats once the number is big enough to raise enough money to purchase a cow.

Even though I separated from my spouse over ten years ago, I am still in touch with my 3 children who remained under his care and remains responsible for some of their needs, especially school needs. I assumed this responsibility after they complained to me that their father had completely abandoned their school needs hence would spend most of their time away from school which greatly affected their performance and general well-being as the same was not the case with their step siblings. As this quarter fell within a farming season, I was also able to invest some of the transfers in farming by hiring labour and purchasing quality seeds. Through this, we were able to realize a bumper harvest this season and can rest assured that we will not be facing any hunger situations for the rest of the year. In August however, I feel seriously ill and was admitted to the hospital, forcing me to spend my entire month's transfer in hospital bill payment and purchasing of medication. Part of this month's transfer ($15) was also used to clear a debt I had after I was forced to borrow some money to help clear the hospital bill. Only a small fraction of my transfers for this quarter was spent on foodstuff(Approximately $400) which is attributed to the coming of the rains that made foodstuff more available and affordable as we now have vegetables in our gardens and just harvested a great deal of cereals from our farms.

As a single mother, I want to concentrate on raising livestock. I had been saving my transfer partly last year, and I have so far purchased three goats. I want to succeed in breeding more goats for my herd can grow. I hope this venture will succeed since it can support my family after the transfer period. Even though I prioritize paying for my children's school, I eagerly anticipate purchasing a second goat this year. I will continue with this project in the upcoming years. As a result, when my kids start secondary school, at least I will be able to sell some of them to help pay for their school fees.

I constantly struggle since I am a single mother, and I have to concentrate on my small business to raise money to support my three school-going children. When I recently received my transfer, I spent $20 on plowing an acre of land because it is the rainy season. The crop has germinated, and I have begun to weed them. Additionally, I spent $10 on school fees for my sons; Karisa, Abdul, and Rauman. They are all in Primary School. I am happy they have enough time to devote to their education. Additionally, I spent the last $4 on food for my four-person family, and for the past three days, we did not miss a meal.

To fully support the education of my children, I need to have an alternative source of income, other than the business of selling sardines. I believe rearing livestock is a stable form of investment I can explore to have enough wealth in the future. By the end of this year, I hope to have bought at least 10 goats. I pray to never skip any of my cash transfers from now on so that I can achieve this goal.  

To take care of my three sons, I sell dried sardines and sometimes burn charcoal for money. The little earnings I get from these hustles are never enough for all needs, particularly food and school fees. Although their father is actively involved especially in their education, his contribution is hardly enough to cover everything. There was a school fee debt that was outstanding from last year, and I used $20 from the most recent transfer to settle it. I spent $4 to buy new books for my youngest son since his father had ran out of cash after buying for the other two. $10 went towards food to boost the little there was on stock. I spent the entire December transfer, $34, on foodstuff for Christmas celebrations and my family enjoyed. From the transfer I received in November, $20 went towards four chickens for rearing purposes, so they can help me generate funds in the future when I sell them. I spent the remaining $14 to boost stock for my sardine-selling business. I am grateful I have started realizing more profits than before, which allows me to afford regular meals for my children.  

They offer helping hand to those in need without favour to specific people thus they are unbiased .

Kadoz spent the money by paying school fees for her three children respectively grade four,three and two which she paid ksh2000.He used the remaining money to purchase food .

I received the first transfer on Friday night while I was attending a night vigil of a neighbor who had passed on. This came as a surprise and got so excited and could not keep calm. I had to excuse myself to a quiet place where I celebrated the receipt of the transfer, thanked God, and later joined the rest of the people.

Having been able to both pay for my children's examination fees and provide for our meals with a lot of ease is the biggest difference in my daily life. The income from my small business could barely afford a whole day's meal, and I am glad GiveDirectly came to my rescue. Having met most of the pressing needs, I can now use the profits I make to boost the business.

I separated from my husband more than ten years ago and by then, we had three children who are currently in primary school. I since then relocated to my paternal home where I stay with my aged mother who can not engage in any economic activity. I have therefore struggled to support and provide both financial and emotional support for my family. My small business of buying and selling silver cyprinid in the nearby markets does not earn me enough profits that can sustain our needs. In some cases, I depend on my brother who sells second-hand clothes in Mombasa town. My children had not paid for their examination fees of KES 300 which I cleared with the first transfer. The remaining KES 800 I spent on enough foodstuffs for the family to sustain us for some time as I work towards attaining more.