Being a farmer, I always work hard to improve my farming to increase my returns. I practice mixed farming and in the next four months, my new goal is to expand my poultry farming by buying more chickens to add to what I have. I prefer this since they are cheaper and they take a shorter time to lay eggs that I will use for both household consumption and sales. This will cut off my daily household expenditure.

I majorly depend on subsistence farming to earning a living and support my family. I practiced old methods of farming since I had no resources to mechanized it. This had always put my family at risk of food shortage year in year out due to subsequent low yields. I felt demoralized of this but couldn't do anything to improve. In the last four months preceding my current transfer, the biggest difference in my daily life is that I have been empowered to mechanize my farming. I employed the use of a tractor during land preparation, used hybrid seeds and artificial fertilizer that has greatly changed my crops. I was able to plan on time and I had a good harvest that has assured us of enough food. Than you GiveDirectly.

In the next six months, I expect a happier life since I will have expanded my poultry farming. I will have a better income through egg sales thus meeting my daily household needs will be easier. With the better yields that I had out of my improved farming methods, I expect my family will be having enough food in our store thus will not be spending much on food like before.

My life is currently different from how it was four months ago in that I have enough food for my family's consumption because I have time to work on my own farm. For instance, I no longer do much of the casual jobs in the village like before because the transfers are assisting in supplementing my income making it easier to cater for my family's needs most especially paying school fees for my children on time.

My new additional goals for the next four months is to save the transfers and start horticultural farming because I have realized it's a lucrative business where the income is more as compared to the loses and it takes a shorter period of time to harvest after planting them.

My main occupation is working as a casual worker in my village and the income make is meager that can barely sustain us in terms of either getting basic household needs or paying fees at the same time. Therefore, before my children stayed at home for a few days after being sent home for fees while I look for money and this was affecting their performance in school. I felt demoralized because my struggles were not adding up to make my children stay in school. The biggest difference in my daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer is that I have adapted culture of paying school fees for my children on time and now they spend most of their time studying. This has lowered their rates of absenteeism due to prompt paying of school fees arrears which as attributed to improvement in their performance. I'm so happy because nowadays I have time to bond with my family and devote time on my farm that has to lead to an increased harvest.

I expect my life to change in the next six month in that I will have saved the money from the casual jobs and my transfers as well to buy a dairy cow that will initiate the commencement of my dairy keeping project which I have always longed for. I am hopeful that my family will get enough milk for consumption purposes after purchasing the dairy cow.

Currently, I am paying school fees on time. Before, I used to strain a lot looking for money by doing a lot of casual jobs whenever yields from my farm are low. Because of this transfers, it has enabled me to maintain my farm well thus I get high yields. This high yields usually increased my income making the payment of school has been unstressful like before the transfers.

My new goals in the next four months are to improve crop farming and dairy farming. I will achieve these goals of mine from the savings I have in table banking and transfers that I receive. This will assist in future to be paying school fees for my children on time.

The biggest difference in my daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer is that I no longer have a lot of worries in payment of school fees for my children in time. Before, I used to depend on my farm produces. Due to bad weather and poor maintenance, I did not manage to harvest any from my farm. This was my only source of income, so payment of school fees for my children was becoming difficult for me. Thanks to GiveDirectly for this financial assistance, now I am to pay arrears on time. I am a happy parent seeing my children getting the best education.

I expect in the next six to have to have upgraded my dairy farming to zero grazing. Now I have upgraded the dairy cows I have by fertilizing them with improved breeds through Artificial insemination. I will achieve this plan by selling the calves and some of the savings I have in table banking.

My life is currently different because I can now access what I could not before.

I am planning to make sure I pay school fees.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that these transfer have boosted my school fees.

I expect my kids to have completed school successfully and increased maize production.

The only extra goal I have currently is to try and start a shop business in future. This would at least expand and may be in some days later i would be having a more bigger business.

At least at the moment I am connected and can communicate through the phone which I received from Give Directly. This is something which I never had before and were it not for the program then I am sure I would not be having a phone to date.

I would have increased my farming in terms of size of cultivation and also I hope that by then I would have obtained a dairy cow in my field.

It really boosted the planting process which it would have delayed for a longer time since before the transfer came I had no money at all.