Being a widow and the sole caretaker of my children has always been challenging. I've long dreamed of renovating my house by replacing the mud walls, which are full of holes and let in the wind, making nights cold, with durable building stones. This renovation will enhance our home's safety and stability and ensure its longevity for years to come. By investing in these improvements, I am prioritizing my family's security and comfort. Since I am not currently financially stable, I plan to use the monthly transfers I receive and my small savings from selling wood to make this dream a reality.

Being a widow with three children, fending for my family's needs has been quite a challenge, as I have relied on selling firewood for a living. When my daughter, who is in junior high school, was likely to miss a crucial exam due to arrears of $20, I was very worried since I didn’t have the money. Fortunately, GiveDirectly came into my life. I am happy that she is now settled in school without any issues that could hinder her performance.Additionally, I bought an iron sheet for $10, which I plan to design into a door for my son's house. His house has been wide open, lacking security. I also saved $40 for my daughter's education, believing that once I have enough savings, I will no longer struggle to pay her tuition fees, which will motivate her to excel in class. I bought two wooden chairs as well, since I have always had to borrow chairs from relatives whenever I had visitors. This has been a great relief and has improved my self-esteem. I also bought a small goat and four chickens for $21, which I am now keeping at home as assets. At least now I have something to rely on in case of an emergency. With the remaining $17, I bought food that has sustained my family for a while, as we did not harvest any crops due to the drought.

In the upcoming year and beyond, my primary goal is to achieve two significant milestones for myself and my family. Firstly, I aim to purchase a mattress that will provide me with much-needed comfort and improve the quality of my sleep. This investment in my personal well-being is crucial for maintaining my health and vitality. Secondly, I plan to undertake a complete renovation of my house. My intention is to replace the existing mud walls with durable building stones. This renovation not only promises to enhance the safety and stability of our home but also ensures its longevity for years to come. By investing in these improvements, I am prioritizing the security and comfort of my family. I am deeply grateful for the financial assistance provided by the transfers, which has significantly alleviated the burden I carried in supporting my family. This support has empowered me to pursue these goals and improve our living conditions, marking a positive step forward in our journey towards a better quality of life.

As a widow and the sole provider for my family of three, I rely on selling firewood and occasional farm labor to make ends meet. However, the income from these endeavors is often insufficient to cover our basic needs, including food and school fees for my children. Life was particularly challenging before I enrolled in the cash program, with days passing without enough to eat and my children facing the risk of being sent home from school due to unpaid fees. Since joining the cash program, there has been a positive change in our circumstances. I allocated $14 to clear school fees for my two children, ensuring their uninterrupted education. With the rainy season approaching, I invested $20 to prepare my land for farming, a crucial step in securing our food supply. Additionally, I purchased $10 worth of maize to bolster our food reserves. Recognizing the importance of building financial stability, I invested $20 in purchasing two young goats, hoping that they will multiply in the future and provide a reliable source of income during emergencies. Furthermore, I allocated $10 to purchase an iron sheet, intending to construct a cooking area for improved convenience and safety. Finally, I prioritized my own comfort and well-being by setting aside $28 for a mattress, which will contribute to better sleep quality. I am grateful for the financial assistance provided by the transfers, which has alleviated the hardships we faced before and brought positive changes to our lives.

In the upcoming year, my aim is to construct a new house to replace the current old and deteriorating one. I hope to utilize the financial assistance to acquire the necessary building materials and establish a new home before my current residence deteriorates further, potentially leaving me homeless. I am extremely grateful for the financial support and remain hopeful that I will soon realize my dream of owning a new house.

As a casual laborer, I primarily support myself by selling firewood and working on other people's farms. The income from these sporadic jobs totals to $5, supplemented by monthly transfers from Give Directly. This combined support allows me to provide for my family's needs. I allocated $61 for my two children's school fees; my elder child attends secondary school while the younger one is in primary school. I am grateful that their education has been uninterrupted. Additionally, I spent $22 on food for my family during the festive season. Furthermore, I repaid a $ debt to a friend who assisted me during a period of financial hardship. The assistance from Give Directly has greatly contributed to my ability to care for my family, and for that, I am truly thankful.

Despite the financial challenges I am currently facing, my determination to ensure my children's success in life remains unwavering. I am committed to financing their education and creating a conducive environment for their growth. To achieve this goal, I intend to utilize the monthly stipend and explore avenues to invest in livestock, eventually venturing into the livestock-selling business. This strategic move will not only generate additional income but also enable me to support my family effectively.

As a widow, I find myself as the sole provider for my family of three. My oldest son is currently attending secondary school, while my youngest is in primary school. Financing their education has been a constant struggle due to the limited income I earn from various odd jobs. These jobs primarily include working on other people's farms for pay and selling charcoal and firewood. When I received my July transfers, I immediately used $10 to partially pay off my two sons' school debts, which amounted to $25. Thankfully, after three days of being unable to attend school, they were allowed to continue their studies. Additionally, I allocated $10 to purchase a single piece of iron sheet. Unfortunately, my cooking structure collapsed, leaving me to face difficulties cooking outdoors during this rainy season. I am slowly acquiring the iron sheets needed to rebuild the structure. With the remaining $14, I bought food to ensure my family's sustenance. As we wait for the harvest from the farm, this food is crucial in preventing my family from going hungry. Despite the challenges, I am determined to make ends meet and provide the best for my children's education and well-being.

Looking into the next year, I purpose to have successfully enrolled my son in high school. He recently completed grade eight and is set to join secondary education, but financial constraints are burdening me. After he is settled, I plan to construct a concrete pillar around the mud walls of my house to reinforce them. This will prevent the house from collapsing from adverse weather. 

My casual hustles of splitting firewood and working on people's farms for money hardly afford enough food for the family, which leaves us starving most of the time. As we speak, we are hungry as we have not had anything to eat since yesterday. More so, I have no idea where am going to get money for food. That is why when I receive cash transfers, my priority is food. I directed $14 and $5 from last month's and this month's transfers toward food. Also, there was a school fees debt for my two children that were carried from last year, and I used $10 to settle it. Next, I spent $10 on my treatment after I was involved in a motorcycle accident that injured my arm. Am glad that I have started recovering. I used $10 from December’s transfer as the final payment for my new bed that I had longed to own for a long time. Lastly, I saved $20 from both cash transfers. Am hoping for these savings to help me during emergencies. 

I am a widow with five children who fully depend on me to cater to their needs. A week before receiving my transfer, I fell very ill and was admitted to the hospital. When I receive my transfer, I spent KES 1000 to pay the medical bill I incurred in the hospital. I paid school fees for my five children who had spent an entire week at home without going to school because of school fee arrears. I used KES 500 to clear the payment for a bed I ordered in April. Finally, I bought food (two packets of 2 kg maize flour and ¼ kg of sugar). Spending an entire week in the hospital meant that I did not have money to buy food for my children. Receiving the transfer was a tremendous boost in helping me take care of my needs.

I am the sole breadwinner of my family of two children. I earn a living by selling building poles. Since the drought started, it has been very difficult to find poles as all the trees dried up. I opted to work on people’s farms for pay earn very little (KES 200 per day) and buy food for my children. Jobs working on people's farms are scarce, making it hard to work daily. Therefore, when I received my transfer, I spent KES 1000 to buy food. Because of the unstable income, I had challenges providing for my children, forcing us to sleep hungry on some days (three days a week). Besides buying the food, I spent KES 1000 to pay off a school fee debt for my two children to be admitted back and continue with their education. Finally, I spent the remaining KES 1000 to pay for a bed that I had purchased on hire purchase. For the last 15 years, I slept on a makeshift bed made of carton boxes and which was uncomfortable.

Lack of money makes me sleep on the floor using sacks as beddings, which is uncomfortable and painful. Since I started benefiting from the cash program, I was inspired to acquire a decent bed and cozy mattress. So I spent most of my three recent transfers to put up a deposit for a bed and I have so far paid 4,500 KES to the carpenter. Also, I used 800 KES to settle my hospital bill, where I had obtained stomach ulcers treatment. On the other hand, I sought to clear the fee deficit at the school my children attend and I defrayed an amount of 2,000 KES. Lastly, I decided to use the rest of the money, 2200 KES, on food since the house had run out of meals for almost a week and we were starving.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well in terms of giving us unconditional cash. This has helped us improve the status of our life and plan how best we can utilize the money. I am grateful for the help that has enabled me to finish and also start up the dream projects that I had.

I am very happy that I was enrolled in this program. I can tell you for sure that since I was a small girl I have never slept on top of a bed. As I am talking to you I have a new bed and a mattress that I am currently sleeping on. I have been sleeping on the floor using mats all my life. This has made me have sleepless nights at times. Due to sleeping on the mat, I developed back problems and I have ever since been in and out of the hospital seeking medication. I will now comfortably sleep well and hope that the back pains I have experienced for some time now will soon go away. The amount I spent purchasing the bed was KSH 2000. The remaining KSH 1000 I spent in paying school fees for my 2 grandchildren who are still in school. They had been sent home severally due to school fee balances.

During the morning hours while still at my home place, some friends of mine passed by and delivered the good news that they had received cash from GiveDirectly. I did not have my phone at that moment since I had taken it to a nearby shop where it was charging. I became very eager to find out if I had received mine too. When I picked my phone from the charging place I too confirmed that I had received the money. I was very happy.

I see a big difference in my life in that. I have been sleeping down on the flow since my husband left us. I can now smile that I have a bed where I can sleep on. My kids are back in school courtesy of money from GiveDirectly. I am grateful and with the other cash, I am going to receive I know it’s going to help rebuild my life once again.

My life to say the least has been on a downward spiral since the time my husband died and left me alone with my kids. My husband was the only family member that had a permanent job at that time and sole provider for the family. With the premature death of my husband, I had a lot to take in as a mother. I had to take care of my kids. I started doing manual jobs and through that, we have been surviving for the past few days. With the bad economic conditions as of now, life has become very hard and unbearable. When I received the money from GiveDirectly I was happy and relieved. I used KSH500 in making a bed for myself. I also spent KSH 400 on paying school fees for my two kids and spent the other KSH 270 on buying foodstuffs for my family.