Before my sickness developed and got to the point of making life impossible for me, I had had a plan of setting up a business which I did. I now have a grocery stall from where I sell vegetables to my neighbours. My plan is now to go back to focusing on building this business to generate good profits. I believe with increase in my profit margins I will be able to join a village savings group and even pursue bigger ambitions since this groups allow one to take loans to invest.

Had it not been for the transfers I receive from Givedirectly, my health would have suffered tremendously. I had been struggling with undiagnosed goitre and since the inflammation on my neck could only be diagnosed by X-ray which is quite pricey I was able to use $25 from my November transfers to get diagnosed. I was then directed to the government hospital at Malindi where I spent $30 on my surgery to take out the growth. My father added to my remaining transfers and paid for our transport to Malindi. I am glad that now I no longer have the inflammation nor do I have to endure the pain that made my life unbearable from the inflamed area. I had gotten some goats at $40 in October with a boost of $6 from my father. I also got some clothes for the festivities before I had pursued treatment as I had hoped I would be in good health to enjoy the holidays at $6.

My father is our family’s main provider, engaged in trading livestock during market days. However, the income he generates from this endeavor falls short of covering the financial demands of our family, particularly the tuition fees for my six siblings and me. Given these circumstances, I am determined to establish a foundation of wealth that can assist both my family and me, especially during times of financial hardship. My goal is to initiate a livestock-rearing venture, starting with chickens. By allowing them to breed, I aim to eventually sell them to acquire goats and cows, steadily expanding my wealth. Looking ahead, I envision using these livestock sales to fund the start of a vegetable-selling business. I believe this business could also significantly contribute to meeting the various needs of my family.

When I received the money, I was dealing with a painful swelling inside my neck, which required medical attention. So, I used $15 to cover my medical bills. Thanks to the cash transfers, I have fully recovered now, and I am immensely grateful to GiveDirectly for their support. Following that, I allocated $15 towards providing food for my family. We had gone hungry the previous night due to financial constraints, so the funds came as a relief. My father, who is involved in trading livestock, had not made any sales recently, leaving us without enough money for food. Contributing to our food ensured that we had enough to eat for the next three weeks. With the remaining $4, I purchased two chickens for rearing. My goal is to allow these chickens to reproduce and expand the flock. Eventually, I plan to trade them for a goat, which will mark the beginning of my journey to grow wealth through livestock keeping.

I want to grow my finances as a person and this for me means having an investment. I plan to buy more animals for myself. Animals are such a good investment as they grow and in turn, reproduce, and the bigger the number the more the opportunity for the flocks to increase. I also want to start a business. I want to open a general shop outlet which will be my main source of income. I have not done any research on how much I may need to achieve this but I hope that the transfers I get this year and the animals can provide sufficient capital for the business.

GD transfers have changed my health for good. I had a growth on my neck that has gone untreated since 2018. I had wanted to seek treatment for this, but the financial cost was too high for my family to bear. My father raises and sells livestock while my mother is a stay-at-home mother. Their earnings were not enough for my treatment. In 2022 my parents began receiving transfers from GD and that was the first time I sought treatment. I have received treatment and my growth has significantly gone down. In January I spent all my transfers on my treatment and medicine. I bought a goat in February at $30 and used the rest of the transfers to buy flour at $4. In March we had so many days where we did not have food, we decided to use the money to buy a bundle of flour at $25 and the $9 left we used for vegetables.

GiveDirectly, in my opinion, does an excellent job of providing financial assistance to improve our standard of living. As a result, we have been relieved of the extreme difficulty we were experiencing prior to enrolling in the program. Some have started businesses, while others have re-enrolled their children in school. These strategies are likely to be beneficial in the long run. Furthermore, it performs well in terms of constant follow-up, which helps us to gain confidence in the program. The program contains no favoritism. I believe that the organization should continue its good work.

I used my entire first transfer to start up a new business. I had wished to start one, however, I could not do so due to a lack of funds. Throughout, I have been a housewife and depended on my mother for support. I was always at home because I had no economic activity to engage in since I had no source of income. I am relieved that I can make $10 in sales every day. It has improved our living standard because I can now support my jobless parents. As a result, they can support a large family of 12 members more easily. Thank you for using GiveDirectly.

I saw the transfer notification in the evening when I was in process of preparing my supper. I had left my phone somewhere in the house until my brother informed me that my phone had a Mpesa message. I was not expecting to receive money from anyone. I was greatly overjoyed when I realized it was my first transfer from GiveDirectly and that I could finally pay for my medical expenses after failing to get support from friends.

I have been going through some health issues since 2018, which even made me drop out of school. My parents, who could not meet the medical expenses, since they do not have stable sources of income tried their best, unfortunately, the burden of meeting other basic needs made it impossible for them to cater for my medication. I am sometimes required to attend medical checkups which cost a lot of money. I am grateful to GiveDirectly because, I am now at peace, knowing that the monthly transfers will help me cater for my medication, this is so far the biggest difference in my daily life.

I want to thank GiveDirectly for sending my transfer at the very moment that I needed financial help. I was hospitalized after falling ill and I had spent all my savings until I had to borrow some money from friends. This could have sunk me into debt, but luckily the transfer came on time. I spent the whole of KES 1200 on paying for the medical expenses. I am happy that I was attended to, and given the necessary medication and I am now recuperating well.