In the coming years, my plan is to save a portion of my transfers to buy more goats. I hope that these goats will multiply, increasing in both number and value, allowing me to eventually trade some of them for milk-producing cows and sell some of them when in need . This will help me support my grandchildren's education, as their parent is disabled and unable to provide for them. I envision that these cows will produce enough milk to sustain my family, and I can sell some of the milk to cover our daily needs. With these animals, I see a sustainable source of income that will support my children's education and enhance our overall well-being long after this project concludes. I am optimistic that by diligently managing this opportunity, I can create a better future for my family and ensure we have the resources we need to thrive.

This year, our community has been battling with severe drought, which led us to harvest nothing from our farms. As a result, I have decided to allocate my transfers from GiveDirectly towards essential food purchases for my family so that we will not go hungry. I therefore spent $42 of my recent transfers from GiveDirectly to buy food to ensure we have enough to eat and maintain our health. Additionally, I used $30 to cover school fees for my grandchild, whose parent is disabled and unable to contribute financially. With the remaining $30, I decided to buy a goat, adding to what I already have, hoping they will breed and increase in number, providing me with the potential to trade them for milk-producing cows in the future. I am truly grateful for the support from GiveDirectly, especially during these challenging times.

In the coming year, my main aim is to use the upcoming transfers to expand my livestock holdings, particularly with more goats. These animals will not only help me meet my basic needs but also serve as an investment. My plan is to grow their numbers steadily so that in the future, I can exchange some for a cow, which will further secure my family's stability. With these animals, I envision a sustainable source of income that will support my children's education and our overall well-being long after this project concludes. I'm optimistic that by diligently managing this opportunity, I can provide a better future for my family and ensure we have the resources we need to thrive.

As soon as I received the transfers, I knew exactly where the money needed to go. My son's education was paramount, so I immediately allocated $15 to pay his Form 2 school fees. The days of worrying about him being sent home due to unpaid fees were over, thanks to GiveDirectly. Investing in his education felt like planting seeds for a brighter future, ensuring he could focus on his studies without interruption. Setting aside $35 in savings was the next logical step. I plan to expand my goat herd. With three goats already, I envision a larger herd that will not only sustain us but also generate income to support our household needs and further investments. With $54, I addressed our persistent food insecurity. My charcoal business, once a reliable source of income, had faltered, but now I could restock our pantry with ample supplies. Seeing my children enjoy meals with full stomachs brought tears of joy to my eyes. It's a luxury we've rarely experienced. The relief and gratitude I feel towards GiveDirectly are immense; their support has rejuvenated our lives, giving us hope and a renewed sense of stability. As I look ahead, I am determined to continue building a brighter future for my family, fueled by the opportunities these cash transfers have provided.

I don't have any new goals besides providing education for my two children, one in high school and the other in junior high school. My main source of income, which involves burning and selling charcoal, has not been effective in addressing my financial challenges. My husband does menial construction jobs, but they are not easy to come by, making it difficult to provide for our family since he is the breadwinner. This means that even paying for our children's school fees is a challenge. Therefore, in the coming year and beyond, my priority is to ensure that my children stay comfortably in school and avoid being kicked out due to non-payment of fees. I want to ensure that I pay their fees on time, so they can continue attending classes and achieve their education goals despite the financial challenges we face.

I used the recent transfer I received to pay for my two children's educational fees. They are currently studying at different academic levels, and I am pleased to see them doing well in their studies. By paying their fees on time, I have made sure that their learning is not interrupted. Besides the fees, I also spent $20 to buy a goat and expand my existing goat shed. I now have three goats, and my plan is to breed them so that we can have a sustainable source of income, especially for my children's education. The rest of the transfer was used to buy essential food items for my family. As a subsistence farmer, our income is quite low since my husband works in low-paying manual construction jobs. Despite the challenges we face, our family's well-being has improved, and I am grateful for the support provided by this program.

Currently, my primary focus is on acquiring a goat and repairing my house. I have already obtained two goats from previous cash transfers. I believe that owning goats will enable me to generate sufficient wealth even after the transfers end, ensuring I can continue supporting the education of my three grandchildren. Their mother, my daughter, is paralyzed in one leg and cannot engage in strenuous work to generate income. As a result, the children rely on me and my husband for their needs. Additionally, I aim to repair my house, which is on the brink of collapse due to damage from the recent rains. I plan to reinforce its foundation by building concrete pillars at each corner and replacing the old building poles with new ones. I hope that the cash transfers will help me achieve these goals.

Before we harvested our maize crops recently, my household had been grappling with hunger for the past three months. My husband, as the main breadwinner, often struggled to secure construction jobs to provide for us. Although I occasionally made and sold charcoal to buy food, it would run out quickly. Fortunately, the cash transfers played a crucial role in ensuring we had daily meals on the table. I spent $72 on food items to alleviate our hunger. There was also a period when one of my grandchildren stayed home for a week due to unpaid school fees. I used $20 from the transfer funds to clear the balance, ensuring he was not pulled out of school ever again. Also, I put a $10 deposit on a goat, which I plan to purchase with the next transfer. I believe that raising goats is a reliable way to build wealth and support my grandchildren's education.

My objective for the upcoming year and beyond is to invest a portion of our monthly funds in purchasing and raising livestock to supplement both my husband's and my income. As the livestock herd expands, I plan to sell a portion of the animals, using the proceeds to support my two grandchildren's education even after the cash program concludes.

I work as a peasant farmer, while my husband earns a living as a mason. Both of our income sources are meager, so we face difficulties in meeting our family's needs. One of the essential requirements is paying school fees for my two grandchildren, whom we take care of. My daughter, who is the mother of my two grandchildren, is disabled and unable to care for them. Unfortunately, my two grandchildren have accumulated significant school fee debts, resulting in frequent dismissals from school until the fees are paid. This situation has caused them to miss important classes and negatively impact their academic performance. I managed to pay off a portion of the outstanding school fee debt with $15. Although I still have a remaining balance of $5, I am pleased that my grandchildren can continue their education. It brings me happiness and relief. With the remaining $19, I bought food. Previously, we had experienced nights of hunger due to a lack of funds to purchase food. The monthly stipend now provides us with a financial boost, ensuring that we never go to sleep on an empty stomach again. I am grateful to the organization for their assistance and encourage them to continue helping people, especially during these times when the prices of essential food items like sugar and maize flour have skyrocketed.

My three children count on their father and me to support their education until they graduate from college. As we speak, one of them is already in college, one is in high school and the other is set to join secondary school next week. I would be happy if they would study without being constantly pulled out of class to collect tuition fees. My greatest accomplishment would be funding their education to college without having them miss any classes. 

My husband works in house construction to provide for our three children and me. However, his jobs rarely come by as not many people can afford to build houses in our region given the tough economic conditions.  Not to entirely depend on him, I sometimes make and sell charcoal to raise money for the family’s needs. But this is still not enough as the household keeps running out of food, forcing us to sleep hungry sometimes, and our children miss days of school following unpaid tuition balances. In fact, one of my children was supposed to join high school last week but we had to postpone to a later date in the month to accumulate his admission fees. This is why I direct most of my cash transfers toward food and the education of our children. I spent $23 from the recent cash on maize flour and $5 on buying clean tap water. I spent the remaining $6 to secure three chickens to start rearing. From each of the cash I received in November and December, I saved $20 in preparation for my son’s high school admission which is set to happen next week. The remaining $14 went towards food. 

I am really grateful for the generosity that the Organisation has shown us, because before we came into contact with it, we were living in very terrible conditions. We barely had any food and hardly any money to take our kids to school, but now the situation is definitely better.

I was really excited to realize I had received a nation and this is because my grandchildren has been out of two weeks since my daughter who is single parent had failed to pay for them. Therefore after withdrawing the money I ended up paying KES 800 for the both of them. Afterwards I decided to use KES 900 and bought three hens because I was planning to invest in poultry farming for commercial benefit. The balance left was KES 1,300 which I saw fit to spend on nutrition because I barely had any food left, so I ended up purchasing seven packets of maize flour and two kilograms of beans.

I was preparing porridge for my school-age children's breakfast when my phone rang with a text message. I skimmed the message and was delighted to see that I had already received my first transfer. I leaped up and down and ululated at the top of my voice, my heart bursting with delight. After breakfast, I withdrew the money, drove my kids to school, and partially paid the back school fees.

Particularly in the lives of my children, the transfer had a profound impact. They valued the exams highly, and failing them would have sapped their morale. I'm happy that the money was a big assistance in getting them to take the tests, and I'm pleased that they did well on them.

My two kids owed their school a combined amount of KES 800 in unpaid school fees. Before they could take their end-of-term exams, the head teacher insisted that the arrears be paid. Since my husband and I lacked the funds to pay off the school fee debt, I was under a lot of stress and lacked peace of mind. While I make a living selling charcoal, my husband is a mason. My husband has been trying to find work for more than three weeks, while I have not been successful in selling any bags of charcoal. The family has been forced to sleep on an empty stomach as a result on numerous occasions. As a result, when I got my transfer, I bought enough food to feed the family for a week for KES 700. Along with purchasing food, I paid off a portion of the KES 500 debt my children owed their school so they may take their exam.