This coming year, I hope to buy some goats to rare. These goats will serve as an investment for the future, providing offspring that I can sell to support our needs. I envision a future where my children never have to worry about school fees or necessities. I see myself tending to a growing herd, each goat a symbol of our progress and hope. With each passing year, as my herd multiplies, I'll be building a stable and sustainable source of income. This will not only lift us out of poverty but also empower me to give back to my community. The journey won't be easy, but with determination and the support from GiveDirectly, I believe in a brighter future for my family and beyond.

I am a widow with four children, and my eldest son works tirelessly at casual jobs to help provide for our family. Unfortunately, my health condition is not stable, and I have to seek medication every month. When I received my three recent transfers, totaling $102, I knew exactly how to prioritize our needs. I used $42 for medication because my health is crucial for my family. I am glad to say that I am now recovering. This has given me hope and strength to keep going despite the challenges we face. Knowing how much my son struggles to make ends meet, I wanted to ease his burden a little. I spent $40 on food so that he wouldn’t have to work so hard just to put meals on our table. This has allowed him to rest more and regain his strength, which is so important for his well-being. With the remaining $20, I made a small but significant investment in buying a goat. This goat increased our herd to five, which is a step towards a more secure future. The goats are an asset that will grow over time, providing us with offspring and possibly more income in the future.

I aspire to purchase a new mattress. The current one has served me for many years, but it has deteriorated over time, leading to discomfort during sleep. Investing in a new mattress will provide me with a comfortable resting space at night. Besides that, I intend to continue my mission of acquiring goats. With the support of the transfers, I now own six goats, and I am determined to expand my herd further. Given my advancing age and chest complications, engaging in active work may become increasingly challenging. However, I firmly believe that I can accumulate sufficient wealth through goat rearing. Even after the transfers cease, I can rely on selling goats to meet my needs, including medical expenses. This will not only reduce my dependence on my son but also allow him to provide for his children without additional burden.

For the past three months, I've invested the entire $102 I received into purchasing three goats. The consistent support from the transfers has reinforced my decision to prioritize acquiring goats. With plans for the future in mind, I anticipate that as these goats reproduce and expand the herd, I can rely on them as a source of income when needed. Goat rearing has been a longstanding tradition in my family, dating back to my great-grandfathers, and it served as a reliable financial support system for them. As I advance in age and become less able to actively generate income, I've increasingly relied on my son, who earns his livelihood through casual work that provides enough to put food on the table each day. The transfers have significantly reduced my dependence on him, allowing me greater autonomy, particularly during times of illness when I can sell the livestock to cover medical expenses. I could never be more grateful.

With the recent harvest that ensured my household will have enough food for the coming few months, my goal is to continue building on the positive momentum towards rearing livestock. Specifically, I aim to expand my goat herd further. Having already acquired two goats, I aspire to gradually increase the herd size to at least ten goats. The cash transfers have brought a significant positive change to my life, and I am truly grateful for the support they've provided.

Currently, my son serves as the main provider for the family, relying on the sale of chickens and eggs. However, the income generated is just sufficient to meet our food needs and nothing more. I am extremely happy that I recently used $68 from the cash transfers to purchase two goats. The timing was ideal as we had already harvested our crops, and concerns about food were alleviated. I am grateful that this happened because financial constraints had hindered me from buying goats before. I aim to rear these goats and create enough wealth through them that I could use in the future to generate funds for my family's basic needs. Additionally, I invested $20 in buying building poles to repair a wall of my house that had collapsed due to the rains. Thanks to the cash transfers, my house is now fully repaired, and the living space is more stable. The remaining funds were utilized to buy essential household items, including food, to lighten the burden on my son's shoulders.

A reliable source of income for my family is something I would dearly love to have. I want to accomplish this by expanding my cattle business in the upcoming days. A stable income will enable my family to live comfortably.

For as long as I can remember,I have lived in a run-down home that was partially infested by insects. I have been gradually refurbishing the house and I am delighetd to say that I'm almost done. I spent $14 on constructing logs and will hire local repairmen as soon as I receive additional transfers. I then spent $30 to get my land ready for farming since I want to grow maize for consumption. Additionally, I spent $30 for a goat that I hope to raise and eventually sell if it has kids. We were experiencing a protracted drought in my area, so I used $28 to purchase food for my family.

Toward the end of the year, I wish to have repaired the wall in my house that crumbled. To accomplish the renovation, I already acquired the building poles through previous transfers. Currently, am working on saving enough money to hire someone who will complete the exercise. After that is achieved, I plan on buying goats for rearing. I believe owning livestock will help me raise funds for my family’s needs in the future when I sell them. 

When I received the recent ash transfer, I was unwell and needed immediate medical attention. My son, who I mostly depend on, had not earned enough from his casual tasks to take me to the hospital. So I spent $12 on my treatment. Am happy that my health is gradually going back to normal. Given that there the household had run out of food, and there was no money to secure more, I spent the rest to buy maize flour. From January’s cash, I acquired three chickens using $15 for rearing purposes. When the flock grows, I could sell them to support the needs of my family. I spent the remaining $19 on building poles, for repairing a wall in my house that collapsed from infestation by ants. In December, I spent $13 on more building poles, and the remaining $21 on food. Am grateful that hunger has become less of a problem in my household because of the transfers. Unlike before, we rarely miss meals or sleep hungry. 

Getting enrolled in a monthly cash program that will last for the next five years was something I had not dreamt of and this is the uniqueness of GiveDirectly from other organizations. The cash transfers enabled most of us to think about the exact areas everyone saw a need for to up their living standards.

When I received the money, the season we were in was a drought season. Water and food were scarce. Therefore, I opted to use $25 in buying some foodstuff and water, and for the remaining $5, I bought a hen to start with as I plan to do poultry farming in the coming days. I discovered that poultry farming using the local breed of chicken is not demanding and it is cheap to do.

I was outside my house relaxing in the shade of a tree when my phone rang with a text message. I quickly handed the phone to my helper who was nearby washing some utensils. She read the message to me and exclaimed, "I got my first transfer!" I jumped up and down in ecstasy as tears of joy streamed down my cheeks because I could not believe it. My grandchildren and other family members noticed me ululating in excitement and began to question me about why I was so happy. I shared the good news with everyone, and we all rejoiced.

Prior to getting the transfers from Give Directly, it was extremely difficult for me to make ends meet. I could only buy one meal with the meager $2 per day I made selling charcoal. I have to spend a significant portion of my income buying water at extremely high prices as a result of the negative effects of the drought. I am thankful for the unconditional transfers I received, which allowed me to have plenty of food to eat at home. The biggest difference in my life since the transfer has been that I no longer experience hunger.

I make a living by offering firewood for sale in the community. The only other option I had after losing my primary source of income from working on the farm was to sell firewood. Having a secondary source of income is very important given the three-year drought we have been experiencing. I am unable to fully meet my needs because I make a very small amount of money from my new source of income. I frequently fetch water for pay for other people to increase my income. I spent a significant portion of my initial transfer on purchasing food. I was forced to go to bed hungry and make do with what I could survive on because times were tough and I couldn't raise enough money to buy food. I'm glad the food I bought lasted for more than two weeks hence I was able to save the money I made from selling firewood to buy food in the future. Along with purchasing food, I also spent $4 on a hen. Having my own livestock has long been a dream of mine, and purchasing the hen is the first step toward making that dream a reality.