I want to thank GiveDirectly for the financial support, it has truly helped me support my family without the financial strain I experienced before. I really do not want to return to the level of poverty I was in before GiveDirectly came to our rescue. That's why I want to invest in a business, so that when my transfer comes to an end, I can be financially stable and have a continuous income to support my family. I have started a grocery business and I want to expand it by adding more small fish for my customers who love them. In the coming year and beyond, I plan to invest part of my transfer into boosting this business to achieve good returns. I know that if it picks up well and I maintain my customers, I will be in a better position to meet my family's needs with greater ease.

After receiving my transfers from GiveDirectly, I decided to use some of the funds to start a small grocery . With each transfer, I've been able to gradually expand my it. This business generates a small income, which is essential for buying basic necessities for my family, so I'm dedicated to keeping it running. I’m proud to serve my neighbors, making it easier for them to find what they need without having to travel far. When I received my latest transfers I managed to save $60 within our merry-go-round group for future investment in my business when it’s my turn. I also spend $14 on food for family consumption, as we had nothing at home. Finally, I allocated the remaining $28 to cover my children's school fees. I am truly thankful for this financial assistance.

Currently, I am at home taking care of my livestock, as I don’t have any other business. I want to start a vegetable and small fish selling business, targeting my local villagers. They will pay me for the produce, providing a steady income. I plan to save enough from my transfers to fund this venture. I need $50 to start the business, which I believe will significantly improve our lives and benefit my children’s future.

As a mother of six, my priority is to ensure my children's lives are as bright and stable as possible. I recently spent $30 to pay their school fees because I want to make sure their education continues without interruption. I have invested in goats because they are a good investment; they can reproduce and be sold if needed, helping to cover future school fees. I spent $60 on buying a new goat because I believe it’s a valuable asset that can support my family financially. With the remaining $12, I bought food for my family to make sure we are well-nourished and our basic needs are met.

Relying on one person for financial support is quite challenging. Currently, I receive income from GiveDirectly to help provide for our family, but these transfers will soon come to an end. Therefore, I'm considering starting a fish business to generate additional income. In order to achieve this goal, I plan to save half of my monthly transfer to accumulate enough funds to get started. I've discussed this with my spouse, and he has promised to support me in reaching this goal, as it will also ease his own long-standing financial pressures.

Before GiveDirectly arrived in our area, life was very challenging. We heavily relied on farming to meet our family's basic needs, such as paying fees. However, unpredictable weather resulted in low crop yields, making it difficult to support our family and causing us to skip meals at times. Thanks to GiveDirectly, we can now stock up on food, pay fees, and even improve our diet when we receive this transfer. Recently, I received my most recent transfers and used $68 to buy two goats. Goats multiply very quickly, and I plan to sell them in the future to pay for my children's fees as they progress to upper classes. With the remaining $34, I paid fees for my six school-going children, ensuring they are not sent home due to outstanding balances and providing them with ample time to study.

The condition of my residence is deteriorating, with the mud walls beginning to collapse. It is imperative for me to prioritize the essential repairs to prevent the complete collapse of the house. To facilitate this, my primary objective is to diligently save adequate funds for procuring new building poles and reinforcing the walls with sturdier materials. The invaluable financial assistance from the transfers has not only supported my children's education but also ensured that I could provide food for them, for which I am deeply grateful.

With my eldest son's transition to junior secondary school scheduled for January, I diligently saved up funds to procure the necessary school uniforms and stationery required to support his educational journey. The total expenditure for these essential items amounted to $68. I am grateful for the pivotal role played by the transferred funds in enabling me to acquire these necessities. In addition to this, I made the strategic decision to invest in a goat, envisioning its potential to multiply and provide a source of income through the eventual sale of offspring. The invaluable support from the transfers has significantly contributed to addressing my essential needs, for which I am deeply appreciative.

My goal moving forward is to continue expanding my livestock holdings, especially with goats. I believe that goats are more resilient to the harsh climatic conditions in our region compared to cattle. As I continue buying these animals, I am confident that even after the cash transfers have ceased, the livestock I've acquired with the funds will provide ongoing financial support for my six children’s education.

I have six children, one of whom is in the university. As a housewife, I rely on my husband's income from his job as a house help to provide for the needs of the children. Having no source of income, I'm grateful for the progress I've made since I started receiving the cash transfers in terms of owning livestock. With each transfer, I usually set aside $20 to save for buying livestock, especially goats. The remaining amount, which is usually around $14, is used for various purposes like contributing to my children's education or buying food. I am happy that so far, I have purchased five goats, and three of them have given birth to kids, increasing the total number to eight goats. I am also grateful that the cash transfers have allowed me to contribute to my children's educational needs, ensuring they never miss school. I'm even happier to have livestock now.

In the coming year and beyond, I plan to purchase additional goats as well as renovate my kitchen. Because I do not have a source of income, owning livestock is a good investment for me. Having them will also help me save for my five children's education in the future. They are currently in primary school, and raising their fees may be difficult if I do not have any income. So far, I have been saving $20 every two months to purchase a goat. I am glad that I now own ten goats. I know that as they reproduce and multiply in number, I can easily sell them if I need money to settle my expenses, like fees. Apart from that, I intend to renovate my kitchen, which has been in bad shape, nearly collapsing, with weak walls and a grass-thatched roof. When it rains, it becomes uninhabitable, and I have to find another place to cook my meals. For this purpose, I intend to purchase 12 pieces of iron sheets and building poles to rebuild the kitchen.

I appreciate the assistance that GiveDirectly has provided because my five children are now enrolled in school as a result of the transfers. They were sometimes sent home, and because I couldn't pay their fees on time, they could stay there for weeks before I finally took them back. I've been paying around $10 per month in advance through the transfer, which has allowed them to continue their education. Aside from that, I managed to save at least $20 per month, and my goal was to buy a goat every two months, once I had saved enough money. I now have ten goats, which are valuable assets I can rely on in the event of a financial crisis. Furthermore, as my children's studies progress, I am confident that I will be able to educate them to achieve their academic goals. I know they'll be in high school soon, so I don't want to go through the trouble of raising the required fees. Finally, my household had enough food after I purchased enough maize flour and cereal to last us several weeks. I'm relieved that my family hasn't gone hungry in the last few months.

My husband's salary as a house manager is barely enough to provide a month's worth food for our six children and I. Not to be a burden to him, I started rearing livestock as a source of income that will help generate funds for the household needs in future. Right now, I own a herd of 13 goats. By the end of the year, I hope to have grown this herd by five more goats. I pray this happens through the cash transfers since I have no any other income stream.

When I started receiving the cash transfers, my goal was to buy a goat every month for rearing. However, due to other financial obligations like food, and lack of a reliable source of income to meet them, I find myself budgeting the cash transfer to meet these needs as well. This leaves me saving at most $20 from each transfer for the goat project. This is exactly the amount I saved from the recent cash. I spent the remaining $14 to buy books for my six school going children. Since the schools had just resumed, my husband, who works as a housemaid, was already burdened with the tuition fees needs. It was a relief to support him in buying the books. I spent December transfer to do food shopping for Christmas festivities and my family enjoyed. In November, I also saved $20 for the goat, and spent $14 on food and water.

My husband who is the main income earner in our household works in a given company in Mombasa town as a casual laborer. He complains that the work is not stable and the income can not sustain our needs because he is not permanently employed. We have nine children who are all in school. To support my spouse, I burn charcoal for sale but still we strain and in most cases, we only afford a meal per day. To improve our household income, I bought a goat worth KES 4000 for rearing, hoping to benefit from it in the future after it will reproduce. I paid KES 3000 in school so that I could reduce the arrears they owed the school. The remaining KES 2000 I spent on food for our family. Thanks to GiveDirectly. These would not have been possible without the support.

Give Directly staff were very good and accommodative, making the registration process smooth. I would like to suggest that the organization conduct physical follow-ups. This will help assess the positive impacts the unconditional transfer has had on the life of the villagers.  

My husband works as a grounds person in Mombasa while I earn a living selling charcoal. The major challenge that I face in my line of work is the slow rate at which I sell the charcoal due to the low demand. As a result, I earn very little (KES 350 per week) which is not enough to buy food for my family. My husband earns KES 4000 per month. He also faces challenges of late payments from his employers, which affects his capability in taking care of the family needs. When I received my second transfer, I spent KES 2500 to pay school fees for my children, who were at home after being chased away from school due to school fees arrears. My husband had not received his salary, and I opted to pay to salvage the situation. Besides paying school fees, I spent KES 500 on buying food for the family to avoid my children sleeping on an empty stomach after exhausting all the food stock in the house.

The notification informing me that the funds had been sent arrived at about nine in the night. I cannot read so I asked my oldest son for assiatan. Soon after he confirmed that GiveDirectly had kept it's word and promises. I was overjoyed since I was completely broke and had used my last finances for the meal that night. I definitely went to bed with a huge smile on my face.

The finances really helped me ensure that my family never lacked a meal the days that came after especially considering I had spent my last penny that evening.iam grateful for this opportunity because were it not for the funds we receive my family and I would starve.

Drought had really affected us back in the village especially our nutrition because most of us are subsistence farmers and rely on the harvest to feed ourselves and our families. But it barely rains anymore and even when it does it is hardly enough rain to enable the crops to grow. That is why as soon as I got the funds I went on to purchase five packets of maize flour for KES 650, two kilograms of sugar for KES 280 and used the remaining balance which was KES 270 to buy sardines and airtime for phone. Luckily the funds came when they did because I had absolutely nothing to feed my family the following day.