With a son in school, my greatest priority for the coming year and beyond is to ensure that he completes his education and I am very much committed to supporting his studies. To achieve this, I plan to continue dedicating a portion of my transfers from GiveDirectly to paying his school fees. Unfortunately, my husband and I have been unwell for some time, and managing our health has become a significant challenge due to financial constraints. To address this, I will use a portion of my transfers to purchase the monthly medicines we need to improve our well-being and lead a normal life just like our fellows in our community. Additionally, the drought in our region has been so bad, bringing hunger and uncertainty into our lives. To ensure my family has enough to eat, I intend to continue using part of the transfers to buy food until the rains come and we are able to harvest enough to sustain ourselves. Also, looking ahead, I am determined to build a more sustainable future. Once we receive rain and are able to secure enough food to last us for a longer period, I plan to save a larger portion of the transfers and invest in purchasing more goats, with the hope that they will multiply and grow in value. This approach is my way of securing a reliable and lasting source of income for the future, especially when this program eventually comes to an end. I am deeply grateful for the cash support from GiveDirectly.

As a parent with one child in school, I cannot overstate how invaluable the support from GiveDirectly has been in shaping our lives and giving us hope for the future. Ensuring my son’s education remains my top priority, and with the recent transfers, I spent $30 to pay his school fees, guaranteeing he continues with his studies uninterrupted. Beyond education, I have always dreamed of securing my family’s financial stability. To bring this dream closer to reality, I chose to invest in livestock, which I believe holds the promise of sustainability and growth. I saved another $15 from the transfers in our merry-go-round group, eagerly anticipating receiving my pooled funds and using them to purchase more goats. However, the devastating drought in our region has brought severe hunger. Ensuring my family has food has been a major concern as my husband and I are also unwell and cannot go without food because of the medicine that we take. I, therefore, used the remaining $57 of the transfers to buy food, ensuring we do not go hungry during these trying times. This support from GiveDirectly has truly been a lifeline, and I am filled with gratitude. It has provided me with the strength to navigate these challenges and given my family the hope of brighter days ahead.

My current top priority is addressing my health condition. I plan to use some of my transfers to continue the monthly treatment I require. Once my health is fully restored, I will shift my focus to saving more of my transfers in our local savings group. When the savings mature, I intend to use the funds to purchase goats. I'm hopeful that the goats will multiply and increase in number over time. Eventually, I can sell the goats and use the proceeds to support my son's transition to higher education. Having this financial security is crucial, especially as this project comes to an end. I'm optimistic that these plans will come to fruition, as they will provide me with the means to care for my family and invest in my son's future.

I have a health condition that has been making my life uncomfortable for almost two years now, and I was unsure of how I would handle it. However, GiveDirectly was a lifesaver for me, and with its transfers, I was able to start my medication. I therefore spent $42 of my recent transfers to continue with my medication. I am glad that I am now doing better and can live comfortably without much irritation. Also, due to the drought and hunger in our region and the depletion of food in our stores, I spent another $30 of the transfers to buy food for my family so that they would not go hungry. Additionally, I spent another $15 to pay school fees, ensuring that my child would not be returned home to collect fees and could continue with their studies uninterrupted. Finally, I saved the remaining $15 in our local savings group with the aim of buying goats when the savings mature. I hope the goats will multiply and increase in number so that I can sell them in the future and use the proceeds to take care of my family.

I have been saving $15 per month for a few months now in a local savings group, and I plan to continue for the coming year and beyond. My goal is to prepare myself financially for when my son joins high school. He is currently in class six, and I believe that my savings will be enough to take him through high school. Additionally, I plan to buy some goats that I can keep and allow them to multiply. I currently have two goats, but I intend to purchase more so that even when the program comes to an end, I will have some assets that I can sell to cater for my needs.

I have been consistently saving my transfers with the aim of financing my son's education. Before then, saving was not possible for me due to financial constraints. I had to rely on menial jobs to earn a living, and most of my earnings went to support the household in terms of food alone. Unfortunately, my financial situation was so dire that I could not afford to take one of my sons to high school. However, receiving the money has empowered me to be consistent in saving because I have another son who will soon be joining high school. He is currently in primary school and will soon be joining junior high school, which I know will require a lot of money for admission and fees. To prepare adequately for this, I joined our local savings group where I have been saving for some time now. With the recent money that I received for the past three months, I managed to save $15 every month, and I have accumulated $45. My goal is to be financially prepared when my son joins junior high school, so that I can cover his tuition and other expenses. In addition, I used $20 from the recent transfer to clear his outstanding fee arrears for this term. He is now comfortable in school, having paid for his fees on time. I also used $20 to pay for my medical expenses. I fell sick and needed treatment, but I was able to get the best treatment I needed and I am now recovering well. Finally, I used the remaining amount to buy foodstuffs that ensured my family was well-fed, and never lacked food.

My son, Said, completed primary school last year with good grades to go to secondary school. However, throughout this year, sending him to high school has been difficult. Despite receiving cash transfers, most of it went to food needs and supporting the education of his three siblings. Only recently, a month ago, did I start saving some of the money through a self-help group to buy livestock. My husband used to support the kids in their education, but since he fell ill, he can no longer work. The burden has fallen on me, but with financial constraints, I haven't been able to send Karisa to high school. I hope to enroll him in school next year so that he won't lag in his studies. Also, while saving to buy goats, I believe that when I finally acquire the livestock, it will build sufficient wealth to support the education of my children in the future.

Typically, when I don't have significant financial responsibilities for the month, especially school fees, I save a substantial portion of the cash transfers using a self-help group. My goal is to accumulate enough funds to buy a goat, following the same approach that allowed me to obtain one goat already. The aim is to build a herd that, when grown, can be sold to support my four children. Since my husband fell ill a couple of years ago and is unable to work, the burden of providing for the family has fallen on me. Making charcoal has been my go-to source of income to put food on the table and pay school fees. I am grateful for the cash transfers, which have become a lifeline, enabling me to provide for my family and acquire livestock. From the recent cash transfers, I saved $40, and the remaining amount went towards buying food to ensure my family wouldn't go hungry. As my only source of income, the cash transfers have significantly alleviated hardships like hunger in my family. Not only is hunger less of a concern now, but I also no longer have to borrow money from friends or neighbors. The cash transfers have helped me reduce debt.

My enduring aspiration has been to achieve financial independence and provide for my family's needs. I am confident that through wise investments in monthly stipends, I can now turn this long-term dream into reality. As we are about to harvest next month, ensuring an abundance of food, I intend to allocate a portion of the transfer money towards acquiring livestock, particularly goats. These animals multiply rapidly and offer a promising investment opportunity for the future.

In January of this year, my husband fell ill, and unfortunately, the disease caused paralysis in his left arm. Consequently, he faced difficulties in performing his work, and the responsibility of providing for the family fell on me. To earn a living, I engage in charcoal sales, and during the rainy season, I also take up farming to ensure an adequate food supply. The recent July transfers provided a significant financial boost, with $10 being spent on food for the family. This was a crucial relief, as our food reserves had almost run out, and we were on the brink of missing meals due to financial constraints. Out of the $18 received in July, a substantial portion was allocated to purchasing blankets and warm clothing for my son and me. The chilly weather had taken a toll on our health, necessitating warm clothing to counter its effects. Additionally, I utilized part of the funds to clear my son's school fees arrears at Bengoni Primary School, ensuring his education can continue without interruption.

Right now, my priority is to support the education of my son, who is currently in primary school. I would be heartbroken if he ended up like his three siblings who were not able to proceed to high school due to financial difficulties. Keeping livestock is the best chance to fund both his elementary and secondary education. As I have been saving part of previous cash transfers to buy goats, I plan to carry the same spirit. Besides, am hopeful that the wealth I could accumulate through livestock will help to enroll my other three children in college. Although I failed to take them to high school, it is not too late to support their further education. 

Ever since I started receiving my cash transfers, I have been saving $10 every month through a self-help group. The aim is to accumulate at least $80 and use it to obtain two goats with the purpose to rear them. Am confident that owning these goats will give me some financial security especially in times of emergencies, as I could sell them to raise money. Besides, as they grow and multiply, so as my wealth accumulates. Currently, the little I earn from charcoal burning hardly fulfills essential needs like school fees and food. After deducting the saving amount, I used $5 to settle a school fee balance for my son, who am glad will never miss classes for the rest of the term. Lastly, repaid an $8 debt at the shop where I had acquired food on credit and bought more food using the remaining $11. I was happy that my four children and I enjoyed regular meals for the next few days after buying the maize flour. 

I am the second wife of a polygamous man I am married to. The first wife has eight children, whilst I have four. Our husband works the occasional jobs that are available in the area, but he is too elderly to do much. Therefore, it is my responsibility to see to it that my kids have their basic needs met. My source of income is charcoal burning, which dominates the local economy. My weekly salary maximum is $6, which is insufficient to meet our necessities. Due to this, two of my kids, who are currently in primary school, had $37 in tuition arrears. I'm happy that I was able to pay the arrears with the transfers I received in the past three months. I feel less stressed and more proud knowing that I won't have any debt when the schools reopen the following year. The remaining $57 I used to buy food to feed my kids. I hope to fund my children's secondary education by setting up $10 each month for their tuition.

I appreciate that the organization is helping the less fortunate in society by giving out unconditional transfers. The funds play a big role in empowering and uplifting our lives from the jaws of poverty. I would recommend the organization to enroll more people coming from poor villages.

Three weeks ago my children were sent home because of school fee arrears. As a casual laborer selling charcoal, I had no money to send them back to school. I acquired a loan of KES 2000 from the “Chama” to pay school fees arrears for my children. When I received my transfer, I repaid the loan that I took and raised my credit status. I bought food worth KES 1000 with the remaining amount. For an entire month, I could not sell any bag of charcoal I had because of the low demand. My previous customers are opting to use cheaper fuels because of the tough economy.

I was sitting outside my house chatting with my son. He was sad that his colleagues were in school while he was at home because of school fees arrears. While conversing with him, I received a text message on my phone. My son broke the good news to me that I had received my first transfer. I smiled from ear to ear and hugged my son with excitement. I murmured a short thanksgiving prayer to the Lord thanking Him for the miracle.

Paying school fees arrears for my children is the biggest difference that the transfer made in my life. My children were at home and could not sit for their end-of-term exams because of the arrears. I was poor financially and could not clear off the school fees arrears. I am glad my children went back to school, and sat for their exams and passed well.

I paid school fees arrears worth KES 500 for my two children who are in class 8 and class 4. The school head teacher threatened to send them home and exempt them from sitting for their end-of-term exams. I was stressed since both my husband and I did not have any money to pay the arrears. As a casual laborer, I failed to sell the bags of charcoal because of the hard economic situation which prompted most of my customers to use alternative cheaper fuels e.g. firewood. My husband who works in casual jobs such as building houses failed to secure any job for the past three weeks because of the scarcity of jobs in our village. I bought two packets of 2kg maize flour and 2 kg of beans worth KES 660. We hardly had any food left in the house. The food helped a lot in ensuring that my family did not starve.