I am involved in burning and selling charcoal, which supports my family’s needs. Currently, I do not have any goats or cows, but I have set a goal to acquire at least two goats before the end of the year. My plan is to sell my twenty chickens once they mature and use the proceeds to purchase a goat. I believe investing in goats is a smart move because they reproduce quickly, allowing me to eventually sell them and save up for a cow. This cow will not only help me with land preparation but will also be hired out to my neighbors, providing an additional source of income for us that will eventually improve our living standards.

I am a father of five children: four who are currently in school and one who is not of school age yet. To ensure my children’s education remains uninterrupted and to prevent them from being sent home, I used $68 to cover their school fees. I believe investing in their education is crucial as it paves the way for a brighter future. I currently have twenty chickens, which I see as a valuable investment because they can multiply quickly. I can sell them to generate money to cover my children’s school fees. With the transfer, I spent $6 to buy two additional chickens, increasing my flock. I used the remaining $28 to purchase food for my family, ensuring we have enough to eat for the week.

In the coming year and beyond,I want to start a business of raising animals because I don't have a steady income. I think it will make me more money in the long run. So, I'm planning to save some of the money I get each month to reach my goal. Since my kids are in school, I can't get enough money all at once to buy a goat. But I can start by buying chickens. When I have enough of them, I'll sell them and use the money to buy a goat. I think this project will help me a lot in the future and keep me safe from any money problems.

GiveDirectly has made a big difference for my family. I work as a casual laborer, taking care of my five kids and making sure they have what they need like food, clothes, and school supplies. My jobs don't pay much and sometimes it's hard to find work. That's why I'm grateful for the financial support from GiveDirectly. Since my kids are in school, I used $34 from the recent money I got to pay for their school fees. This ensures they can keep going to school without any big problems. I also saved $20 to start building a new house. Our current one isn't very strong, and I worry it might fall down soon. With the rest of the money ($45), I split it between farming and buying chickens. I spent $30 on farming because it's really important for us. We depend on it for our livelihood, so I needed to buy seeds for planting. I also used $15 to buy seven little chickens. I like raising chickens because they multiply fast and they can be sold for money, which helps with our financial security.

With the assistance of the cash transfers, I intend to repair and bring my motorbike back into operation, using it for transport business. I believe that reviving this venture will not only provide means of livelihood for me but will also contribute to increasing our household income. I'm hopeful that with these things will work out and providing for my family will never be an issue. I'm happy for the support we are getting from Givedirectly.

Some time ago, affording school fees for our children was impossible due to our limited financial means. My small business generated little earnings, with just $8 earned over three days. Similarly, my wife's business yielded only $2, an amount insufficient to meet our household needs. However, a positive shift occurred when we began receiving Givedirectly transfers. Recently, I spent $45 towards paying school fees for my four children. I invested $14 in purchasing poultry, a move towards income generation. This created a sustainable source of income by selling the poultry and also exchanging them for goats. Recognizing the need for shelter, especially after our existing home was partially destroyed by wind, I allocated $33 to buy iron sheets for the construction of a new house. This has been a pressing concern as we've been living in a compromised space for almost three months. Lastly, I devoted $10 to buying food and essential household items. The impact of these transfers has been liberated us from debts and ushering in a positive change in our lives, for which we are grateful to Givedirectly.

My primary objective is to establish a chicken-rearing project with the intention of providing financial support for my children's education in the future. To realize this goal, my plan is to construct a chicken coop at the beginning of next month, in October, and initiate the process of acquiring chicken through the monthly transfers I'll be receiving and I plan to start with 2 chicken and increase as months go by.

I recently received support from GiveDirectly at a crucial time in my life. Four of my children had been sent home from school due to unpaid fees, and with my limited income, it was becoming increasingly challenging to send them back to school on time. However, when I received the transfers, I breathed a sigh of relief. I immediately used $20 to pay for my children's school fees, ensuring they could continue their education. Additionally, I allocated $8.70 to purchase much-needed food for my family, easing the burden of putting meals on the table. With the remaining $6, I treated myself to some new clothes as my old ones were worn out. This support from GiveDirectly has had a profound impact on my family's well-being, and I am immensely grateful for it.

To supplement the income that I earn from buying and selling charcoal, I have a goal of starting a kiosk business. With five children to take care of, four of whom are currently in primary school, it can be challenging to meet their educational and household needs with my limited earnings. Establishing a kiosk business would provide additional income and help support their education and cover household expenses more easily. Furthermore, I intend to replace the old and corroded iron sheets on the roof of my house, ensuring a safer and more comfortable living environment for my family.

Due to the rainy season in my region, we have a renewed sense of hope for successful harvests after many years. Before I received the recent funds, I was unable to prepare my land as I couldn't afford to hire an ox-plow. However, with $10 deducted from the transfer, I managed to prepare about half an acre of land for planting maize. I am delighted to see the crops growing well, and I eagerly anticipate the upcoming harvest in a few months, which will give us food and alleviate the hunger in my household. Additionally, I allocated $10 to settle unpaid tuition fees for my four children who are attending primary school. This has prevented them from missing classes due to outstanding balances, and I couldn't be happier about that. The remaining $14 was used to purchase food for my family until I could generate more funds through my charcoal-burning business.

I would like to be a farmer, cultivate crops and rear livestock, and later sell at the market. Currently, I feel like the green vegetable are scarce and no one in the village is cultivating if I can get a good supply of water I can accomplish this, and I will be sure to make profits and help my family.

Before receiving GiveDirectly money, I was living in a tiny house, one part of the roof had holes, and my family would get rained on during the rainy season. My children would not get enough sleep because we would usually get up and move all the house items to a corner that is not raining. I would get complaints from their teacher that they are dozing a lot in class and they are behind in their studies. This tormented me for years until I received my transfer and I started saving for iron sheets. Because of other bills, I cannot afford to use all the money on the iron sheet but I try my best to save a little so that I can repair the whole roof. I used the recent transfer to pay school fees that cost $8, an iron sheet for $8, and bought food for $18.

The support that we got from the organization uplifted our living standards amazingly. I comfortably paid school fees for my children, unlike before, when they would be sent home to collect school fees. I have not seen things that need to be corrected.

I work as a charcoal vendor, married and blessed with Five children. Since I started receiving money from GiveDirectly, my life has changed into a better one. My children no longer go to bed on empty stomach. Therefore, when I received my money, I used $15 0n pay the school fees for my children and thereafter used the remaining $15 on buying foodstuffs. This was not possible before, but I am forever grateful for the support that positively impacted my life.

I felt a lot of joy to learn that I had received my transfer. I was on my way to the market to sell charcoal at 3 p.m. Because our market is often flooded with charcoal because it is a ready opportunity for our people, I was concerned that I might not be able to make sales because I was late. Receiving the transfer on the way changed my mood dramatically; my worries vanished, and I began to reflect on what a blessed day it had been. I was confident that I would be able to buy the two iron sheets I was in need of. I am grateful for GiveDirectly's assistance.

The biggest difference in my life is seeing a positive stride in my goal of completing the process of building a new house. It had begun but because all my savings were used up, I was not in a position to buy two iron sheets that were urgently needed. However, with the transfer, I was able to buy them and the roofing part of the house was completed. I am so happy that currently I have a better house and am no longer subjected to extreme weather conditions should it begin to rain this month.

Before receiving my transfer, I had begun building a new house although I did not have sufficient money. Immediately after I received the transfer, I spent KES 1,700 on buying two additional iron sheets. The items helped me to continue with the process of building. Without that support, I would have had a setback in the building process I was undertaking. I am so happy that currently, I have a relatively better house than before since the previous one had been weakened by rain and could not last any longer. In addition, I spent an additional KES 1,000 on paying school fees for my four children in primary school. The rest of KES 300 helped to buy food for a family of seven members. That was timely since I could hardly raise additional money from my business of selling charcoal after spending all my savings I had.