In the coming year and beyond, my main objective is to use my income and any additional funds to work towards the construction of our dream house. My spouse works as a motorcycle taxi driver and is diligently providing for our family's basic needs, especially while I am unable to work due to my health. To supplement our income, we've decided that I will invest a portion of my earnings into poultry farming by purchasing chickens and turkeys for domestic breeding. Our plan is for them to multiply, and when the time comes to build our house, we will sell some to contribute to our goal. Our current house is in poor condition, with a grass roof that leaks significantly during the rainy season. Therefore, I am keen to replace it with iron sheets to permanently resolve this issue.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to GiveDirectly for the recent financial support. This assistance came at a crucial time when my family and I were facing significant challenges. Due to being diagnosed with a blood disease, I am currently unable to work and support my family, so we depend on my spouse's income from a motorbike taxi business. Unfortunately, the motorbike broke down and I had to use part of the recent transfer $34 for repairs. I am relieved that the issue has been resolved, and my spouse can now resume work. The breakdown of the motorbike caused me a lot of stress as it is our primary source of income. In addition to GiveDirectly transfers, this business also covers our children's fees. I allocated the remaining $68 to cover my medical expenses related to my illness.

My husband was was responsible for brining finances home and he was always able to do this as he had a motorcycle which would help him earn this income. In March he contracted pneumoniae which forced him out of work. He had to hire someone else to continue with the motorcycle business which reduced our earnings greatly. We were forced to use the animals that I had bought to rear and later sell to get cash to construct our house, to get food. This remained the case until I got a job our of the village where I currently am working as a casual staff in a hotel. This has allowed my family to get food as well as other basic needs they may have including my husband's medication. My hope is to start buying more chicken again with the transfers to increase the number of animals which can later be sold to help me achieve the dream of building our house.

The rains have been such a blessing to us. We have been able to plant and harvest crop for usage. I have used my transfers to prepare the land for planting as well as weeding and tilling right after the plants had started sprouting and this cost me $60. As we waited for the plants to grow enough for harvesting we still had to buy food and I spent $17 buying maize flour for my family. I also bought some clothes for my children using the transfers for $17.

Through the transfers I receive, I was able to assist my husband in purchasing a second-hand motorcycle, which he now uses for a taxi business, a move that significantly boosted our household income. I achieved this by investing part of the monthly transfers, approximately $15 into poultry farming by buying chicks at a lower price, raising them for a few months, and then selling them at a profit. Since this strategy has proven successful before, I plan to use it again to raise enough money to expand our house. Currently, our house has only two rooms, and we need an additional room for our two growing children. I aim to accomplish this by the end of this year, as next year, the added expense of our eldest child starting school may make it more challenging to undertake such a project. Furthermore, considering my parents' financial constraints in supporting my sister's education, I will allocate part of the transfers for this cause. I plan to set aside at least $15 for her school fees and $10 for the poultry project, and use the remaining amount for other household needs.

Previously, my transfers were mainly used to buy food and meet other household needs, helping to supplement our income. However, starting from January, when my younger sister enrolled in secondary school, I had to step in to support her. With my parents lacking income, they could not afford all the necessary requirements for her to start high school. So, I combined my transfers($68) with some of my own savings to cover part of her fees and purchase essential items like school uniforms and stationery. Despite the limited income from my small business, the transfers have allowed me to assist my sister. Without this financial support, she would not have had the opportunity to attend high school, as my parents would not have been able to afford her school fees.

Looking ahead to the coming years and beyond, I have a dream of building a new house for our family. Our current living space is a small, one-room structure where my husband, our two children, and I share the same space for sleeping and storing household items. It feels cramped and challenging, particularly when we have guests, as we must seek shelter for them with relatives, which is not very convenient. I aspire to use some of the funds from the cash transfers to build a more spacious house with three rooms, constructed with mud walls and a tin roof. This new house would provide us with the space we need, including separate rooms for our children and guests. My husband will also contribute some of the earnings he makes as a motorcycle taxi rider toward this construction project.

My husband has been the main breadwinner for our family, working as a motorcycle rider to provide for me and our two children. I used to run a small business selling vegetables, but I took a break from it three months ago after giving birth to our newborn daughter. During this period, it became challenging for my husband to meet all our needs. He relied on his friends to lend him a motorbike but his commission for each ride was only about $0.2. This was not enough to cover our daily expenses. Recognizing the importance of securing a more stable income for our family, we decided to take action. We had a conversation about buying our motorbike, which would provide my husband with the means to generate a more substantial income. To achieve this goal, I began saving $30 every month. Our determination paid off, and we were delighted to find that we had saved enough to purchase a motorbike worth $300. This allowed my husband to work independently. He can now make at least $4 per day, which enables us to meet our daily needs, including providing food and clothing. We are filled with happiness and gratitude for this positive change in our lives.

Previously, I worked as a vegetable seller, but due to the recent rainfall, everyone has started planting their own vegetables. In light of this shift, I am considering a new venture: opening a petrol station. To start small, I intend to purchase petrol in a jerrican and sell it to customers. To fund this endeavor, I will utilize the money I earn from my merry-go-round savings group. This gradual approach allows me to embark on my entrepreneurial journey while managing financial risks. With determination and careful planning, I aspire to build my petrol business into a successful enterprise.

During my pregnancy, I have encountered challenges, but I remain determined. Recently, I allocated my transfer wisely. I spent $5 on a scan for my unborn child's well-being and $5 for transportation to the hospital. Together, we eagerly await the arrival of our little one, knowing we have taken the necessary steps to nurture a healthy and thriving family. With the remaining $24, I purchased enough nutritious food to sustain my family. Despite the hurdles, I approach this journey with resilience, prioritizing our health and creating a supportive environment.

Since I already do leafy vegetable vending, I aim to put up a structure where I will be selling instead of moving from house to house. The tendency of moving is limiting me in carrying huge luggage as well as different grocery items. By having the structure, it will give me room of selling different goods in addition to the leafy veggies with the likes of fruits and berries

Upon getting the transfer, I was undergoing a hard time as far as hunger was concerned. Our area was affected by drought and we hardly find anything to eat. When I received the money I saw some light at the end of the tunnel. Since I rely on vegetable vending for survival I opted to use the whole amount for the family's upkeep. I bought some food for $24 and for the remaining amount which was $10 I bought some personal effects for my infant baby.

I am a mother of one working as a subsistence farmer while my husband is a motorcycle taxi driver. Meeting our basic needs is the biggest challenge we usually face because my husband's income that we rely on is unsustainable. In the last three months, I used a portion of my transfers to buy building materials worth KES 1400 that I intend to use to expand my house. We live in a small house that does not grant us the luxury of enjoying spacious and comfortable accommodation making us experience low self-esteem whenever we have visitors. I also bought enough food worth KES 4000 for the family which cushioned us against hunger.

Based on how the GiveDirectly staff conducts their business, I believe they do a good job of maintaining professionalism. The staff showed a great deal of respect for everyone who was enrolled in the program. Furthermore, the NGO does a good job of providing cash assistance to less fortunate people like us. Giving such assistance without any strings attached is beneficial because it allows us to prioritize where we spend our money. In contrast, there is nothing it does not do well.

As a peasant farmer, I always prepare a small parcel of land for farming, so the harvest I get is always insufficient to sustain my family for an extended period of time. When I received my recent transfer, I spent KES 1,500 preparing an additional farm for planting activities. I am so glad the crops I planted there are doing well. In addition, I spent KES 1,400 on food because I did not have any at the time. We had depleted our food supply as a family, and my husband was struggling financially due to his inability to work. His motorcycle was damaged mechanically. As a result, we felt a great sense of relief, and we are extremely grateful to GiveDirectly.

I was asleep when I had a message alert. I woke up to check and to my surprise, I saw I got funds from give directly. This excited me and I was certain we would not sleep hungry the next day as we did that day. So, despite the outcome of my husband's earnings as a motorcyclist, our food security was guaranteed as I now had the means to buy some food for my family.

My life has been uncertain when it came to financial matters. One day we will be lucky and the next my husband, who works as a motorcyclist, will come home empty-handed. Even so, we had to struggle to ensure we met some if not all of our needs. This has changed. Now that I'm receiving these funds, I feel there is a great difference in my life. Through it, I am certain of my family's food security and I also plan on opening a grocery store business to help boost our earnings.

With the high cost of living, things have been hard for us, especially with the little inconsistent earnings my husband gets as a motorcyclist. For a while now, we have been struggling to put food on the table. Therefore, I chose to use the funds to purchase eight packets of maize flour to help sustain us so we may avoid going to bed on an empty stomach as we had previously.