Since I’ve been struggling with life and was advised not to do any strenuous tasks, my situation has become very difficult. I have a plan to build rental shops on the plot my husband left behind before he passed away. This project aims to provide a stable income even after the financial assistance ends. Due to unpredictable climatic conditions, I can no longer harvest crops from my farm and sell the surplus, which has made it challenging to support myself financially. Once this project is complete, I’m confident it will help me achieve the financial stability I have always desired.

I have been experiencing health issues that have prevented me from continuing the charcoal business I used to operate. Now, I rely on farming activities. To improve my situation, I’ve been considering a strategy to generate some income. Since my late husband left behind a plot in the nearest town, I plan to make use of it by buying materials to build a rental house and stores. I recently joined a merry-go-round group for this purpose and have managed to save $50. I will continue saving each month to accumulate enough funds to start this project. I believe it will help alleviate the poverty affecting my household. Additionally, I have been using $52 to buy food, which has been sustaining us for a while. Currently, we are facing a severe drought in my region and have had no harvest.

I hope to accomplish my goal of building rental shops on my piece of land. This project will ensure a stable income even after the financial assistance ends. Due to unpredictable climatic conditions, I can no longer harvest crops from my farm and sell the surplus, making it challenging to support myself financially. I am grateful for the financial assistance I have received, which is helping me achieve the financial freedom I have always wanted.

I purchased a piece of land a long time ago, but I was unable to develop it due to financial challenges. My difficulties increased after my husband passed away, leaving me to rely on my son, who is a casual laborer. The burden of supporting both his own family and me was too much for him to bear. When I joined the program, I made it a priority to save enough money to build rental shops on my land, which would provide a steady monthly income. I saved $55 to buy sand, stones, and cement to start construction on the shops. I am pleased with the progress I have made toward becoming financially stable through this investment. Additionally, I supported my son, who is in college, by giving him $12 for his upkeep. After exhausting the food I harvested from my farm, I spent $35 on groceries to ensure we had enough to eat. I am grateful that we never went hungry. I deeply appreciate the financial support I have received so far, which has significantly improved my life.

I am currently planning to construct a rental house on my vacant piece of land in our trading center. Initially, my husband and I had planned to build on this plot; however, due to financial constraints, we were unable to realize our goal. With recent transfers, I have decided to revitalize this plan, and I am currently in the process of procuring the necessary building materials. By consistently saving around $20 each month, I have already purchased two truckloads of bricks and sand. My objective is to continue saving diligently to ensure the successful completion of this project, which promises a steady rental income. This income will provide a more stable financial foundation, enabling me to meet my financial needs more comfortably.

I own a piece of land that has been lying idle for years, but my husband and I plan to build a rental house on it. The location is ideal as it is close to a school and within our trading centre. To achieve this goal, I have been saving $20 to accumulate enough savings to eventually purchase the building materials. Recently, I managed to save up to $200 from transfers and personal savings. With this money, I purchased two trips of bricks and sand to facilitate the construction process. My ultimate goal is to finish the construction of the rental house and earn monthly income from it once it has tenants. In addition to this, I am also running a poultry project with over 20 birds. This has been an alternative source of income to help finance the construction of the rental house. When I received the transfers, I spent $15 on buying chicken feeds for the project. I am confident that I can sell these chickens to raise more money for the construction of the rental house since I do not have any other source of income besides this poultry project. Lastly, I used the remaining amount to purchase foodstuffs for my family and other household items that were lacking, including toiletries.

My current objective is to set aside a minimum of $20 from my transfers, with the intention of rebuilding a rental property that my late husband had left unfinished. Unfortunately, the structure had collapsed, rendering it unattractive to potential tenants. This rental property had previously been a valuable source of income for my family until its unfortunate deterioration. My primary focus now is on realizing the substantial goal of reconstructing this rental house. To accomplish this, I am diligently saving $20 from my transfers every month. The aim is to amass sufficient savings to facilitate the purchase of the necessary construction materials. My ultimate goal is to restore the rental property to a condition where it can once again appeal to tenants, thereby generating a consistent rental income for my family's benefit.

We used to own a rental house in our local trading center that my spouse managed. It had successfully attracted tenants for a while, but unfortunately, it eventually suffered a structural collapse on one side. This incident made it impossible to attract new tenants, and matters became more challenging when my husband passed away. I found myself unable to single-handedly undertake the necessary renovations, and as a result, the rental property was no longer generating any income. My primary goal was to revitalize this project, but the financial burden left behind by my spouse, coupled with the challenging economic conditions, made it impossible for me to afford the materials required for the renovation. However, I am grateful that, following a successful harvest, I no longer face significant expenses for food, which has opened up an opportunity for me to save $20 each month in our local merry-go-round savings group. My plan is to use these savings to purchase essential building materials like cement and bricks to reconstruct the house. Given my current lack of employment, having a stable source of income will not only ensure my children's education but also provide financial security for our family. In addition to my savings, I also allocated $15 towards my son's school fees, ensuring that he could continue his education.

After my husband passed away, he left me a parcel of land. I have long desired to develop this piece of land and generate additional income by constructing rental houses. However, my limited income has posed a significant obstacle to this dream. Fortunately, now that I receive monthly transfers, I can finally invest wisely and fulfill my long-standing aspiration of building the rental houses I have always wanted.

I am a widow responsible for supporting my small family. Historically, I have made a living as a crop farmer, but due to unfavorable weather conditions, our harvests have been consistently poor. To improve our situation, I decided to venture into poultry farming after being accepted into a program. Today, I am delighted to have over 30 hens, which are gradually increasing in number as they reproduce each month. I invested $18.5 in purchasing animal feed for the hens. Once they reach maturity, I sell them at a profit in the market, using the proceeds to pay for my son's secondary school fees since he started this year. Besides acquiring the animal feed, I also bought provisions for our household, including three packets of maize flour, one kilogram of beans, one kilogram of sugar, and water. The recent heavy rains have encouraged us to return to our fields and try our luck, hoping for a successful harvest this time. I allocated $5 for land preparation, which involved clearing the land and removing bushes and thickets from the farm.

I have always wished to reduce my dependence on my son. Though the monthly cash transfers have allowed me to settle some needs by myself, am worried that capacity may stop when the cash program ends in five years' time. To ensure I have a reliable source of income by then, my plan is to build a six-room rental structure made of brick walls and a tin roof on the piece of land I own near my trade center. 

Since I lack a source of income, my eldest son, who is an electrician, mostly helps me in paying for his two siblings’ school fees. There are times when he is unable to provide the money as his income is highly unpredictable. I am glad because the cash transfers have played a huge role in paying for my sons’ tuition fees whenever am stuck. From the recent transfer, I directed $9 towards settling debt at the institution where my youngest son completed his primary education so that he could obtain his certificate. I spent $19 on food and water as the household had run out of maize flour and water the previous day. Since I own a flock of at least 30 chickens, I directed the remaining amount toward buying feeds. In December, I spent the entire amount on Christmas shopping, particularly food and my children made merry. 

GiveDirectly does well in that it has enabled most of the people in the community to provide food and other basic needs for their families, This was not easy before due to a lack of sources of income. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.

I spent $4 on paying school fees for my children in primary school. They are now studying well without being sent home. Besides that, I spent $10 on purchasing food and other household items that we were missing at home not forgetting the $2 that I used to buy water. Due to the prolonged drought in our area, we do not have water hence we buy from vendors which are so costly. The remaining amount of money I spent on purchasing chicken feeds and medication since I was not feeling well. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards.

I only realized I had received the money after I got back my phone from charging that evening at around four and I was filled with so much happiness just because I needed the money and to be honest it was completely unexpected and a pleasant surprise.

My son's education was definitely the most vital thing that happened with this donation because were it not for me receiving the money when I did, he was about to get kicked out of school and God knows how long it would take before he was in the class again.

when I finally realized that the organization has sent out the transfers I decided to ensure that my family and I could at least have a meal because it has been challenging so I ended up buying two and a half kilograms of maize flour and groceries which I spent KES 330 and then I bought a kilogram of sugar at KES 140. I also decided to use KES 400 to pay school fees for my boy who was still in primary school because he had an outstanding debt. Lastly I used the remaining KES 200 to seek medical attention because I fell ill.