I have always had a plan to become a livestock farmer and create wealth through livestock. My intention was to use my transfers to buy goats, but circumstances have changed due to the drought. The rains did not come, and all our efforts on the farms dried up under the scorching sun and very strong winds, leaving us with nothing to harvest. We are now faced with hunger, and almost every cent that I receive goes towards buying food. My current plan is to keep using a portion of my transfers to buy food to sustain my family and ensure we don't go hungry. Until the rains come and we get some good harvests and have food security, I will then divert my transfers to buy goats, hoping they will multiply and increase in number. I then plan to trade them for female cows, which will also multiply. In the future, I will sell some of these cows to take care of my family and fund my children's education. I am determined to stick to my long-term goal of becoming a successful livestock farmer, but for now, my priority is to ensure my family's immediate needs are met by providing food during this difficult time. I remain hopeful that the rain will come soon, allowing me to resume my plans to invest in livestock and create a sustainable source of income for my family.

The transfers arrived at a time when I was unwell and needed to access a hospital for proper medical care. I used $10 of my recent transfers to take myself to the hospital, and I’m grateful that I received the treatment I needed. I’m happy to say that I am now feeling better. Consequently, this year has been one of the toughest we’ve faced, as there has been no rain despite our efforts to prepare our farms for food security. All our crops dried up, and we are now confronted with hunger. To ensure that my children wouldn’t go hungry, I spent another $42 of my transfers to buy food. Lastly, with my children in school, paying their school fees is essential to ensuring they can continue their education. I spent the final $50 to cover their school fees, making sure that they could go back to school since they had been sent home to collect school fees. I am happy that they are now in school and focusing on their studies.

In the near future, I'm aiming to buy a goat. It might seem small, but if they multiply, I could sell some and handle financial emergencies better. Right now, I rely on a future transfer, but it's tied up with paying school fees for my three kids. It's a tough choice to divert that money to buying goats, but I'm hopeful it'll pay off in the long run.

The quarterly transfers from GiveDirectly have been a life changer for me and my family. When I fell ill with pneumonia from the harsh work of burning charcoal to provide for us, I used $59 from the transfer to cover my medical bills. With my husband unemployed, I've had to shoulder the responsibility of providing for our family, often using the little money I earn for our children's school fees and food. Thankfully, $21 went towards buying books for them, ensuring they can focus on their studies. Additionally, $20 was spent on school uniforms for my two children, whose old ones were torn. As I remain at home due to my health, with no income of my own, we rely heavily on my husband's income from charcoal burning after he lost his job. The support from GiveDirectly has been valuable during these challenging times, and I'm immensely grateful for it; without these transfers, I'm not sure how we would have managed.

In order to assist my husband, I intend to use my upcoming transfer to acquire an additional goat, supplementing the two that are currently in my possession. Subsequently, as they multiply, I plan to sell some of them to contribute to my husband's household expenses. The proceeds from the sale of the animals will also aid in covering future school fees for our children, ensuring they receive a quality education and have a brighter future. I am deeply grateful for the financial support, as it has been crucial in meeting my essential needs.

My family of five relies solely on my husband's income as I am unable to contribute due to health complications. Furthermore, my husband often struggles to provide enough meals for the family due to his limited earnings from casual jobs, which typically amount to less than $5. A significant portion of $48 was allocated to ensure that we could celebrate the holidays with a plentiful feast. I incurred $20 in medical expenses during my hospitalization, but I'm grateful for the substantial improvement in my health. Last year, I dedicated $34 to cover the school fees for my three children, one of whom was completing primary education. I'm pleased that their education continued without any interruptions. The financial support has been invaluable, allowing me to care for my family despite my declining health.

In the upcoming year, my intention is to allocate my monthly stipend towards acquiring livestock, with a particular focus on goats and hens. The monthly funds at my disposal are sufficient to facilitate the purchase of these specific types of animals. Furthermore, I aspire to expand my livestock portfolio by eventually obtaining a dairy goat. This aspiration will come to fruition once I have successfully sold a portion of my goats and hens. This strategic investment in livestock serves a dual purpose, offering me a safeguard for unforeseen emergencies by allowing me the option to sell some of my livestock and utilize the proceeds for personal assistance.

For the last five years, I've endured intense chest discomfort, a result of my physically demanding job of making charcoal and hauling heavy sacks. Before I received my August financial assistance, I grappled with severe chest pains, leading me to seek medical attention at the hospital. A total of $20 from the August aid was utilized to cover the medical expenses, including the cost of prescribed medications. I'm relieved to report that my health has vastly improved, and I'm currently in good spirits. The remaining $14 was allocated to purchase essential school supplies for my three children who attend Kabatheni Primary School. These supplies are crucial for their uninterrupted education, and I'm delighted that they can continue their studies without any disruptions.

For the past three years, my house has been a suitable home for my family. However, the walls have recently developed massive cracks, indicating that the poles supporting the house are weakening. To reinforce the house, I plan to purchase bags of cement, sand, and building stones. Building strong pillars around the house will make me feel secure, and I will no longer worry about the house collapsing. In addition to improving the house's condition, I would also like to purchase a bed and mattress. Sleeping on the cold bare floor has significantly contributed to my chest pains and breathing difficulties, and having a proper bed will help improve my health.

As casual laborers who sell charcoal, my husband and I struggle to earn enough money to meet our family's needs. Our children suffer the most because they often miss school when we can't afford their fees. However, when I received my April transfers, I felt relieved that I could use $10 to pay off some of my children's school fee debt at Kabatheni primary school. Seeing them go back to school gave me peace of mind, and I no longer had sleepless nights worrying about their education. In addition to the school fees, I spent $10 on medical expenses after falling ill with severe chest pains. Thanks to the financial boost, I could access the necessary health care, and my condition has improved. I am grateful that I could take care of my health without worrying about the cost. Finally, I used the remaining $14 to buy food for my family. With no money from charcoal sales, we would have starved without the financial boost we received. I am thankful that I could provide for my family's basic needs, and we did not have to suffer from hunger.

Making sure that I use the money I get to keep my kids in school is my top priority. My three children, who are still in school, frequently experience being sent home and must spend extended periods of time at home. Since I've been sleeping on a traditional bed made of sisal for years at this point, I was also expecting to utilize the money to buy myself a bed and a mattress. The traditional bed prevents me from sleeping on the ground, but it is not as comfy as one might hope. Additionally, I wanted to purchase some farm animals, especially some goats and fowl, since they come in handy when I am in need of financial aid in the future.

I was extremely overjoyed to receive the transaction when I did especially because at the time I was in a financial fix and my three kids had been out of school for a week after I failed to settle their debt in tuition. Therefore immediately I got the chance to withdraw the transfers I ended up spending KES 2,000 on paying for the debt. I then proceeded to spend KES 1,400 on nutrition by buying six packets of maize flour because I barely had any food in my house at the time and I was probably going to bed hungry that evening were it not for receiving the funds when I did.

I am the father of three children and I always struggle to pay their school fees. They were sent home for school fee collection as soon as they resumed school just after the Kenyan general election. I was in financial difficulty at the time and had no way out. Fortunately, I received my transfer the next day, which greatly aided me in paying off the fee arrears. I spent KES 2,000 on clearing their fees, and they can now study comfortably with minimal distractions. The remaining KES 1,000 helped me buy food for my family.

We never expected that an organization like GiveDirectly would come to our rescue in our state of poverty. Most of us are without formal jobs and mainly depend on subsistence farming. When the harvest was good, we could pay fees for our children. But it's been a year now without doing farming due to the drought that struck us. Even providing the most important basic needs was a challenge and since we were spending a lot on food only, our children were constantly sent home for fees. Giving us unconditional transfers has empowered us to face these challenges and we are now able to meet our basic needs like food with ease.

My children had stayed at home for some days because I was unable to pay their fees on time. When I received the transfer, I cleared the arrears and they were allowed to continue studying. It would have taken a long time to raise the money had I not received the transfer. In addition to this, I also bought a new mattress to replace the old beddings that I have been using for years. They were old and worn out and could not offer a good sleep. I am happy that I can now afford to sleep comfortably on my new mattress.

I was sitting outside my compound, eagerly waiting for my husband, who had gone out to get food for the family as we had slept hungry the previous night. My phone rung loudly and I checked it out and found out that I had received my first transfer. I was thrilled and jumped up and down. I called my husband to inform him about the good news. He told me he had also received his transfer and was coming home with the food and I paid school fees with my transfer.

The money has made a big difference. Skipping meals has always been the norm within our family because of the little we earn. I am happy that since we received the transfer; we bought plenty of food and missing meals is a thing of the past as we plan accordingly for the transfer.

Gd-1823334 With my husband struggling to put food on the table for our family due to low income, I have always wanted to help him out, but my health has been an obstacle to that. I cannot work because of constant chest pains. Immediately I received the funds, I was thrilled because I knew the money would shoulder out part of the burden that my husband had been struggling with for so long. I spent KSH 1000 to pay school fees for my 3 children who are in primary school. Three days before receiving the transfer, the children were sent home to pick school fees, but because of the bad financial state, we could not give them money to go back to school. Paying part of the debt we owed to the school was the key priority, so that they would continue with their learning. With the remaining KSH 150, I bought some washing detergents so that I could wash school uniforms and other clothes for my family members. My children were putting on the same clothes twice because I had washing detergents to wash their uniforms.