I am pleased that I have finally achieved my long-term goal of building an iron-roofed house. For years, I had been living in a grass-thatched hut. At my age, I am no longer able to engage in jobs that can help me take care of my needs. Therefore, I mainly rely solely on the transfers for my upkeep and some support from my son, who does casual jobs in town and has his own family to support. To reduce the financial burden, I have decided to invest in livestock, particularly goats. Goats are easy to take care of and breed and their multiplication rate is high. I currently own eight goats, and I plan to purchase more in the coming years. This will enable me to sell them and generate some cash whenever I need it.

I have been living in a grass-thatched hut for many years and never imagined that I would one day live in an iron-roofed house until GiveDirectly came. The grass thatch roof was only temporary, and I often had to replace it with new grass which was a tiresome job, especially for me as an elderly person. During the rainy season, I had to grapple with a leaking roof. My prayer was to one day build a new, spacious house with an iron roof. Building a new house seemed expensive, considering our poor financial status. However, when I began receiving the transfers from GiveDirectly, I resolved with my husband, who is also a beneficiary, to save the money to buy iron sheets and building poles. Despite facing other problems in our household, we managed to purchase the building materials in bits every month, and with the recent transfers, we were able to build the house. We saved up to $100 over the past few months and used it to pay for the labor cost, as well as purchasing the remaining materials. This would have taken us years to achieve, but I am grateful to GiveDirectly for coming through. Now, I am no longer facing the challenges I used to go through, and in our old age, my husband and I have a nice shelter to live in. I also spent the remaining transfers on buying foodstuffs such as cereals and sugar, as well as some toiletries that we needed in our household.

By the end of the year, my goal is to acquire the remaining three pieces of iron sheets and additional building poles. This will signify the green light to commence the construction of our new house. After enduring numerous challenges while residing in our current dwelling, I eagerly anticipate the prospect of moving into the new home. The realization of this long-cherished dream, which my husband and I had previously been unable to achieve due to the poverty we faced, is made possible through the invaluable support of the transfers. I cannot express enough happiness and gratitude for the assistance provided, as it has facilitated the transformation of our aspirations into a tangible reality.

Both my husband and I currently reside in a deteriorated house with a grass thatched roof. When it rains, we are forced to endure the inconvenience of water dripping into our living space due to the numerous openings in the roof. To address this issue, I utilized over $68 from the transfers to purchase building poles and iron sheets, which will be utilized in the construction of a new two-roomed house. I am thrilled to witness the gradual progress towards the realization of our new home. In the near future, we will have the privilege of residing in a larger, more spacious, and sturdier house. Additionally, I made a significant investment in August of this year by purchasing a goat valued at $36. I am delighted to share that the goat recently gave birth, and I am pleased to see the fruitful outcome of my initial investment. The financial support we have received thus far has played a crucial role in enabling my husband and me to attain the dream of owning a decent home. As a casual laborer heavily reliant on subsistence farming, achieving this milestone would have been exceedingly challenging without the monthly transfers. However, thanks to the ongoing financial assistance, the dream of owning a house is gradually becoming a reality for us.

Once I have secured the necessary building materials, such as iron sheets and building poles, I intend to build a new house with an iron roof. After years of living in a grass-thatched hut, my dream is to live in a respectable home with a sturdy iron roof. The hut's current deplorable condition, exacerbated by its susceptibility to leakage during rainfall, has made daily life a constant struggle. The need to replace the grass roofing on a regular basis has proven time-consuming and burdensome. I am happy that I have already procured 21 iron sheets, marking a substantial advancement towards realizing my objective of erecting the new house. This accomplishment was made possible through the accumulation of transfers alongside my spouse, who is also a recipient of this assistance. With these preparations in motion, I am eager to initiate the project at the earliest opportunity, aiming to provide our family with a respectable and comfortable residence, even at our current stage of life.

Over the course of several years, I have been sheltering in a grass-thatched hut, devoid of any prospects for improvement. I held onto the hope that my sons would eventually attain a level of prosperity that would enable them to provide me with a better dwelling. However, the harsh reality is that they are unable to meet even the most basic needs of their own families. As a result, I have found myself enduring the difficulties of living in a leaky hut, constantly replacing the thatched roof with fresh grass. The hope of realizing my dream of buying a new home was rekindled when I received invaluable assistance from GiveDirectly. Both my husband and I have been recipients of this assistance. Despite the significant financial demands on our family, we agreed to set aside a portion of our monthly resources. This endeavor is geared toward gradually amassing the necessary materials, particularly iron sheets and building poles. We intend to buy 24 iron sheets, and so far I have managed to buy 21. Alongside this significant achievement, the funds received have also facilitated the purchase of essential foodstuffs, including maize flour, ensuring that our family's nutritional requirements are adequately met.

Other than ensuring my husband and I have enough meals in the house, am also focused on building a decent house. The decaying grass thatches on my roof not only lets it rainwater but also harbors dangerous insects. Besides, the mud walls of the house could crumble from strong winds or heavy rains. I believe that building a new house, especially with a tin roof becomes costly by the day. At my age, I cannot work to raise enough money for the project. I intend on saving half of each monthly cash transfer, with support from my husband, to establish a more stable structure.

For a long, I have lived in fear that my grass-thatch-roofed house would collapse and leave my husband and me with no shelter over our heads. Since we are both advanced in age with a lack of sources of income, constructing a new house has been challenging as we cannot raise the required funds. Also, counting on our sons to fund the project is not an option because they rely on casual house construction jobs with low pay. Sometimes they request financial assistance from us. I am happy that the cash transfers allow me to accumulate finances for the new house as well as put food on the table. After receiving the money, I usually spend $19 on two iron sheets and the remaining $15 on food.

I was thrilled to hear that I had been chosen as one of the beneficiaries since it meant that my dream of building a new home would finally come true. My spouse and I are both elderly, and at the time, charcoal burning was our primary source of income. We can no longer dig the logs for burning charcoal because of our advanced age, thus we were unable to get anything from it. We are grateful that the monthly payments, which are now our only source of income, have arrived. Right now, I want to make our living situation better. We live in a small, grass-thatched house with deteriorated walls, so it is essentially the same as sleeping outside. We have so far bought ten iron sheets, and we still need to buy another 18 so that we may begin building a new house. By the end of the year, we hope to accomplish this

I have been living in a traditional grass-thatched hut for many years though my dream was to live in an iron-roofed house like my fellow villagers. Burning and selling charcoal was my only source of livelihood, and I could not save enough money to enable me to build a decent house. The little money I got from selling the charcoal went to food and other household needs. Currently, I no longer do this casual job due to my old age. I am grateful to GiveDirectly because their transfers have revived my dream of building a new house once again. I decided to buy two iron sheets for every monthly transfer I receive. My target is to buy 20 iron sheets and building poles and start the construction. I thus spent my most recent transfers on buying the iron sheets, and the remainder on food for my family. I thank GiveDirectly for enabling me to fulfill this dream of building a decent house since the hut was not stable and was leaking uncontrollably whenever it rains.

Sending monthly cash transfers is what Give Directly does best.  The organization's guaranteed monthly cash flow saved me from the charcoal burning practice that was causing me chest complications. With this money, I am able to meet my household's needs, such as food, as well as purchase livestock for rearing. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with how Give Directly works.

Since the drought began, charcoal burning became my primary source of income. Over time, the physical demands and strenuous nature of the practice caused me to develop chest pains. Thankfully, the cash transfers from Give Directly provided a viable alternative to the charcoal-burning hustle. My plan is to invest the funds in a less strenuous venture, such as livestock keeping. When I sell these animals after they multiply, the proceeds will help me meet my household expenses. That is why I used the transfer to buy a goat worth KES 2,500. I used the remaining funds to purchase a solar lamp. This is due to the fact that I had been using a torch globe powered by cell batteries for lighting in my house, and it was not achieving my demands.

My grandchild broke the good news that I had received my first transfer. I jumped out of bed and I ululated at the top of my voice. It thrilled me and I could not hide the joy I felt as tears flowed freely down my cheeks. I knelt beside my bed and murmured a brief prayer, thanking the lord for the miracle.

The money from the transfer helped my son go back to school. I was very stressed when I could not get money to pay his school fees. I am happy that he is back in school and will do well and a have a bright future.

My youngest son had spent two weeks at home after they sent him home from school due to school fee arrears. I did not have money because I had sold no charcoal for the past week. Upon receiving the money from the transfer, I gave him KES 500 to pay school fees and resume his studies in school. Besides paying school fees, I bought half a sack of maize as food for my family. The sharp increase in food prices has affected me because I cannot buy food in bulk for my family. As a family, we survive on one meal a day so that the food does not finish up quickly.