Thanks to the financial transfers, I now have nine hens. My plan is to expand further by investing in more livestock. I am especially interested in purchasing goats with my upcoming transfers because they breed quickly. This will allow me to sell some in a short time and generate income. I'm deeply grateful for the support, which is helping me become more financially independent and capable of meeting my needs.

Farming is my primary source of livelihood, but the current hot and dry weather in our village presents a significant challenge. These conditions make it difficult to grow crops for both subsistence and sale. The financial support from the transfers has been a lifeline, helping me take care of my needs. I spent a large portion of $75 on food, ensuring I had enough to eat without missing a meal. I also purchased five hens for $13, and I am optimistic that they will multiply in the coming months, allowing me to sell some for a profit to meet my essential needs. After falling ill, I spent $4 on medicine, which has helped me recover. Additionally, I spent $5 to prepare my land for farming, as we are now receiving light showers with the possibility of more rain. Being ready for planting will increase my chances of a successful harvest. I also bought a new battery for my phone, which now allows me to stay in touch with friends and family. I am very grateful for the financial support, which has been crucial in helping me take care of myself and prepare for the future.

I am aware that the financial aid will soon end. My goal in the coming year and beyond is to use my subsequent transfers to invest in purchasing livestock. Livestock increase in value over time, making them a suitable investment that will provide me with income even after the financial aid ends. I am very happy with the financial transfers and how they have transformed my life for the better.

I spent a significant portion of my transfers on purchasing food for my family. I live with my daughter and three grandchildren, and we all depend on farming to earn a living. However, the persistent hot and dry weather has made it very challenging to grow and harvest anything from our farms. I spent $33 to buy food, which was enough to ensure our family never went a day without eating. Additionally, I invested $35 in purchasing three ducks and four hens. This is a future investment, as I am optimistic that they will multiply. Once they do, I plan to sell some and use the money to buy a goat, eventually working my way up to purchasing a dairy cow. I also spent $25 to prepare my two-acre land in the hope that the recent light showers will be followed by more rain. If it rains well, I expect to harvest enough maize, which will reduce the amount of money I need to spend on food in the future. After falling ill, I spent $9 on over-the-counter drugs. I am glad to report that my health has improved significantly. The money from the transfers has been a lifeline for my family and me, allowing us to access food consistently, unlike before when we would sometimes go without food for more than two days. Additionally, my three grandchildren are now consistently attending school, thanks to the financial support from the transfers. I am very grateful for this assistance.

Looking ahead, I have plans to utilize my subsequent transfers to purchase more hens. This step will enable me to realize my dream of establishing an alternative source of income, reducing my overreliance on farming alone. I am profoundly grateful for the support I have received, as it has played a significant role in helping me achieve my aspirations and goals.

A significant portion of my transfers, amounting to $58, was allocated towards the purchase of food. Being a peasant farmer, my livelihood heavily relies on crop farming. During periods of unfavorable climate conditions, I face significant challenges due to a lack of sufficient food. In addition to acquiring food, I also invested $5 in purchasing a Jembe, which plays a crucial role in my farming activities. With the heavy rains we are currently experiencing, the Jembe aids me in clearing the bushes and preparing my land for planting. Furthermore, I made a substantial investment in acquiring hens, viewing them as a future source of income. Once they multiply, I intend to sell them at a profit, thereby supporting my livelihood. I am genuinely pleased and contented with the financial support provided by Give Directly, as it has allowed me to live a dignified life.

It has been an extensive period since my house collapsed. The deep poverty my family endures, coupled with my limited income, has hindered any progress in constructing a new dwelling. As the year draws to a close, my objective is to accumulate sufficient funds that can be allocated toward purchasing building materials. This will enable me to embark on the journey of constructing a new house for myself.

Over the past few months, our village has experienced a significant increase in rainfall. This prompted me to invest in two Jembes, costing $8 each. The Jembes proved invaluable in assisting me with planting maize on my farm. As a result, I am highly optimistic that I will have an abundant food supply in the upcoming months. This will ultimately eliminate the need to purchase maize flour from the store, where prices are exorbitantly high. To sustain my family's needs, I acquired twelve packets of maize flour for $22, which lasted us nearly two weeks. I am genuinely grateful for these provisions as they ensured that my family and I never went to bed hungry.

My main objective for this year is to gather all the necessary materials and construct a home for myself. My house collapsed a year ago, and since then I have been unable to build another one because of a lack of money. My son, who has a job in town, was kind enough to let me use his house as he never comes home frequently. I'm going to start building my house with the money from the transfers after buying iron sheets, cement, stones, and building sand.

I work as a peasant farmer to support my family. The last three years as a farmer have been the hardest for me. I've been unable to grow anything on the farm or harvest anything because of the severe drought climate conditions that have persisted. I am now at a point where I have no choice but to sell charcoal in order to support myself. The weather has recently changed, and it appears likely that we will soon experience some significant rain. When I received my February transfers, I spent $10 on a plowing jembe. By doing this, I am better positioned to have the required working tools in case it starts to rain. For a total of $10, I bought five packets of maize flour. I have to buy the majority of my food from stores at exorbitant prices because there is nothing to harvest on the farms. The $14 is still in my possession, and I'm thinking of the best way to spend it.

I intended on doing renovations to my house especially since at the moment I had a roof which was grass thatched and was always in need of repair so it was costly. Therefore I decided to withdraw the funds I had received and I ended up depositing KES 2,000 into my savings account in preparation for later because I wanted to buy iron sheets. As for the balance of KES 1,000 that I was left with, I decided to spend it on nutrition by purchasing five packets of my maize flour because there was hardly any food in the house and I would have probably goneng to bed hungry that evening.

I started a business selling “Maandazi” with KES 500 with money from the transfer. Being a widow and with no permanent job, I failed several times to put ends meet. I worked as a casual laborer selling charcoal and digging other people's farms for over 20 years. The past few months were tough because I could not sell any bag of charcoal as many of my customers opted to use the cheaper fuel. I stopped working on people’s farms after the jobs became scarce because of the drought. Finally, I bought twelve packets of 2kg maize flour, 4kg of beans, and 1 kg of sugar. Buying food in large amounts will help me have plenty to eat as I keep growing the business I recently started.

GiveDirectly does well by helping the less fortunate in the society. Before the drought, we survived on food. we grew from the farm. It is very difficult for to survive with the current conditions. I am grateful that through the money, I can take care of the most pressing needs.

I spent half of my transfer of KSH 1500 on starting a business of selling Omena. Since I am not employed and do not have a job, I have struggled a lot to make ends meet. The hot and dry weather has hindered me from working on my farm, and the solution to that is to venture into business. I am happy that the business is picking well and I can cater to my basic needs. Besides starting the business, I also bought two ducks and one chicken at a total price of KSH 1150. I have always dreamt of owning livestock. Buy buying the ducks and the chicken, I fulfilled one of my life’s wishes. Once they multiply in numbers, I will sell some and buy another type of livestock. With the remaining amount, I bought three packets of maize flour to add to the dwindling stock food in my house.

When I received the funds, I felt relieved. At that time, I had taken a lunch break from work. I was also worried about how I will take my child back to school after he was sent home due to school fees arrears plus, I had no funds to buy food for my children. So immediately after I received the message confirming the receipt of the transfer, I advised my son to go and withdraw and we left for school. After which, I went to buy some food.

Digging out stumps for a living earns me very little. So, managing my bills has been very strenuous and I have been often behind with my bill settlements. Ever since I started receiving the funds, I have been able to support my children better and I believe with time, I will be debt-free. This will help me focus on progressing myself by buying a goat or two using the funds

I dig out stumps for a living. With my age, I find it too hard to do but I cannot quit as I do not have any alternative plus after my husband's demise, I am the only breadwinner of the family. I have 3 children in school, a class 7, 6, and 4. Managing their fees has been very hard and their current school fee arrears stand at KES2000 which I plan on clearing with my next transfer. On my first transfer, I used KES9550 to pay for their school fee arrears, and the remaining amount I used to buy two packets of maize flour that cost KES125 each. This was necessary at the time because I had run out of food and my child, who is in class 7 had been sent home due to school fee arrears. To avoid the other children following suit, I negotiated with the headteacher to allow me to pay in installments of two months which he agreed to.