Our current house is in a dilapidated state, which poses a serious safety concern for us. For this reason, I am determined to build a new house that will provide the security and space my family needs. My goal is to continue saving $10 each month in the savings group, allowing the funds to accumulate over time. Once I receive more transfers, I will combine the savings to begin building a spacious, secure home for my family. I’m truly thankful for the financial support, which is helping me work toward achieving my goals and improving our quality of life.

Both my husband and I work as casual laborers, making a living by selling charcoal. Unfortunately, our farm is no longer productive due to the hot, dry weather conditions in our village, leaving us with no choice but to rely on charcoal sales for income. However, selling charcoal earns us very little, making it difficult to meet all of our family’s needs. Recently, I spent $30 to purchase food for my family, ensuring that we had enough to eat. I'm relieved that we no longer go without meals, thanks to the support from the financial transfers.I also spent $30 on school fees for my six children, allowing them to stay in school without being sent home due to unpaid balances. It brings me great joy to see them continue their education without interruptions. In addition, I saved $42 in a savings group, with plans to use it toward building a new house for my family of eight. So far, I’m incredibly grateful for the financial assistance, which has improved our living conditions and helped me provide for my family.

My accomplishment in the coming year and beyond is to build a bigger, safer, and permanent house to accommodate all eight members of my family. With the help of my husband, we have already purchased twelve pieces of iron sheets. The next step is to save more from our subsequent transfers and purchase building poles, which are very expensive. I am hopeful that by the end of this year, if all goes to plan, the house will be ready for us to move in. I am very happy and appreciative of the financial support that will help make one of our dreams come true.

Both my husband and I are casual laborers earning a living by selling charcoal. The earnings from charcoal sales are very little and can barely take care of our family's immediate needs. Due to the lack of a stable income, my family of eight lives in a tiny, dilapidated grass-thatched house (Makuti). Living in this house is unsafe and insufficient to accommodate us all. Upon being enrolled in the cash program, I joined a savings group formed by relatives and close friends. Every month, I contribute $10 to savings. I am happy that I saved enough money to purchase twelve pieces of iron sheets. Recently, I saved $30, which I will use to purchase building poles. I plan to build a two-roomed house big enough to accommodate all eight members of my family. In addition to purchasing iron sheets, I spent $20 on school fees for my five children, ensuring they stay in school and continue their education. I also purchased food worth $52, ensuring my family has enough to eat. We recently planted maize, but the rains failed, and we harvested nothing. The financial support helps me purchase food, ensuring we never miss any meals. I am very appreciative of the financial support from Give Directly.

My current objective is to gather sufficient building materials, such as building poles and iron sheets, and begin constructing a new house. To achieve this, I've adopted a two-pronged approach. Firstly, I am purchasing some materials every month, steadily building up the resources needed for the construction, for now, I have 8 iron sheets. Additionally, I've joined a merry-go-round, contributing $10 regularly. This way, once I accumulate enough savings, I'll be able to purchase all the required materials to start the construction. In the coming year and beyond, my ultimate goal is to build a decent, spacious house where I and my children can comfortably live. The determination to provide a secure and stable home for my family drives me forward, and I eagerly anticipate the day that we can move into our new house.

With the quarterly transfers from GiveDirectly, I used $30 to save in a merry-go-round, hoping that when it's my turn I'll receive a lump sum to finish building my house. I've already started this saving plan, aiming to buy the necessary building materials and inch closer to my goal. Currently, I've managed to purchase 8 iron sheets out of the required 24. Additionally, I allocated $15 to pay school fees for my 3 children, ensuring they remain in school without the threat of being sent back home, which relieves my worries. The rest of the money went towards buying small household items and contributing $15 to my mother-in-law's burial ceremony. As a casual worker burning charcoal and a subsistence farmer, my earnings are meager, especially with the scarcity of trees for charcoal production limiting my income. Despite these challenges, the support from GiveDirectly has been invaluable in helping me work towards a better future for my family.

In the upcoming year, my primary objective is to replace the grass roof of my house with iron roofing sheets. The recent heavy rainfall led to severe leaks in the grass roof, causing damage to some of my household items. I have initiated savings towards achieving this goal and plan to purchase the iron roofing sheets in the coming year. The support provided has been immensely crucial to my family, and we are genuinely grateful for it.

I express my gratitude to this organization for its instrumental role in facilitating the purchase of essential items for my family and allowing me to set aside savings. My livelihood involves farming during the rainy season and selling charcoal during dry spells. With a total of eight children, six of whom are currently enrolled in school, I allocated $45 from the transfers to pay for their school fees, ensuring a smooth start to their new term. I set aside $30 to purchase iron roofing sheets, intending to replace the grass roof on my house. Another $27 was allocated for buying food, addressing the scarcity caused by a lack of work during the rainy season. The positive impact of being a beneficiary of this project brings me happiness and I am filled with gratitude.

My current objective is to gather sufficient building materials, such as building poles and iron sheets, and begin constructing a new house. To achieve this, I've adopted a two-pronged approach. Firstly, I am purchasing some materials every month, steadily building up the resources needed for the construction. Additionally, I've joined a merry-go-round, contributing $10 regularly. This way, once I accumulate enough savings, I'll be able to purchase all the required materials to start the construction. In the coming year and beyond, my ultimate goal is to build a decent, spacious house where I and my children can comfortably live. The determination to provide a secure and stable home for my family drives me forward, and I eagerly anticipate the day when we can move into our new home

I have been utilizing my funds primarily for purchasing food and covering my children's school fees, while also saving a portion of it. I've been setting aside $10 in a local savings group with 10 members, aiming to accumulate enough savings to construct a new, more stable house. My previous house was built with grass and collapsed during the recent rains, leaving us with a temporary shelter. Currently, I am in the process of acquiring building poles and iron sheets to build a decent house. So far, I've managed to purchase four iron sheets and plan to buy 24 more. Additionally, I have secured my children's education by paying their fees and clearing any outstanding arrears. With the remaining amount, I invested in sufficient food for my family. Previously, it was challenging to put enough food on the table due to reliance on subsistence farming, which was adversely affected by prolonged drought. Thanks to the funds, we are now enjoying three meals a day, and it brings me great joy to see my family well-fed and nourished.

I highly believe that the rainy season is fast approaching. It would break my heart if my husband and I would not complete our new house construction project by then. I fear that our current one-room shelter may not survive the rains, which could leave my family at the mercy of cold nights and a dampened space. As I have been saving for this project since last year, I plan to continue doing the same until I accumulate enough funds. Building a two-room house made with mud walls and a tin roof will be the relief I so much yearn for currently.  

There is no difference between life in my area and life in town because our sustenance mainly depends on cash; we buy food and water and pay tuition for our children. Without a reliable source of income, things become harder by the day. I see my husband struggle every day to make ends meet from his charcoal-making hustle, which does not go a long way given the scant earnings. Therefore, every time I receive my transfer, I usually save $10 through a self-help group, spend $10 on my three children’s school fees, and the remaining on food and water. I plan to use my savings to help my husband in building a more spacious house for the family. The one-room structure we currently occupy does not provide enough space and privacy for everyone, therefore the need for at least a two-room house. I believe that the hardships in my household, which greatly stem from lack of money, will alleviate over time through Give Directly’s cash transfers.  

I would like to have constructed a new home for my family over the course of the year. My "Makuti" house's tiny roof is made of grass and is in poor shape; it's almost falling off. I worry that while I am in bed with my kids, the house will collapse due to the severe roof leak. I want to save enough cash to buy iron sheets, construct poles, and pay labor costs. I will be able to fit all of my family members in my two-room home with a veranda.

I spent my most recent transfers mainly on fees for my children, savings in our local merry go round and food. I have three children in school and for them to be allowed to continue with their studies without interruptions, I was paying Ksh, 2000 every month to clear the fee arrears. This has been my plan ever since I began receiving the transfers and I am happy that they have never been sent home for fees, unlike before when they could stay for weeks before I could raise the required fees. Also, I used to save little money in our merry go round but I thank GiveDirectly because I can now save up to Ksh 1000 in a month. I am planning to use this money to start a good project once I have enough savings. Burning and selling charcoal is not enough to sustain us, thus having some savings is a good initiative that will ensure I am able to start a good income generating activity. Using the remaining amount, I bought maize flour, which also ensured that food is available in plenty in my household.

I rely entirely on charcoal burning to provide for my family. I did not have any money at the time the transfer was sent, and my three school-age children had been sent home because I had not paid their school fee arrears. As a result, I spent KES 1500 to pay off their school fees, allowing them to resume their studies. Furthermore, we never had food, and due to the increase in food prices, I was unable to get some items on credit from my neighboring shop. I was able to buy food with the remaining KES 1,500 from the transfer. We have had enough food for the past week as a family. I am extremely grateful to GiveDirectly for the support.

The unconditional transfers from GiveDirectly have helped me take care of my family's needs, which I could not provide due to a lack of a stable income. I would like the organization to put more emphasis on the disbursements of the transfers. Delays affect our planning on the funds.

As a farmer, I depend on working on the farm to earn a living and support my family. The persistent drought conditions in our area have rendered me jobless and unable to take care of my family's needs (buying food. Clothes and paying school fees). My husband, who is also a farmer, is jobless too. Together with my husband, we sell charcoal and the earnings from the sales are not enough to cater to the family's needs. Upon receiving my transfer, I spent KES 1000 to pay off the school fee debt so that my children would go back to school and continue with their education. Besides clearing school fees arrears, I spent KES 1000 to buy food for my family, which had spent two days with nothing to eat because of a lack of money to purchase the food. Finally, I spent the remaining KES 1000 on the burial contribution for my niece, who passed away after being involved in an accident.

It was around 9 am while I was in the field cutting tree stumps when I received an M-PESA notification. On checking the message, I realised it was my first transfer from GiveDirectly. The amount of joy that filled my heart, at that moment, is unmeasurable. I had already planned on the expenditure of the transfer, that was paying my children's school fees.

The first transfer did not mark a significant difference in my daily life. Whereas it helped me keep my children in school and put food on my table for a couple of days, I believe greater impact is yet to be achieved through the coming monthly payments. I am confident that my livelihood will improve as long as I receive constant transfers.

I spent most of my transfer on supporting my children's education and buying food. I paid KES 600 to the school where my two standard 5 children attend, to settle outstanding arrears. I channeled the remaining balance of KES 500 towards acquiring 4 packets of maize flour for family consumption.