My foremost goal is to initiate a new venture focused on buying and selling chickens, with a planned launch by February. The crucial capital for this endeavor will be sourced from my merry-go-round savings. The primary objective behind delving into entrepreneurship is to secure a steady stream of income that can be dedicated to funding my children's educational journey until they successfully graduate. It's not just about creating a business; it's about laying the financial foundation for my family's future and ensuring that my children have the necessary support for their education. As February approaches, I am filled with a mix of excitement and determination, envisioning a business that not only sustains itself but becomes a cornerstone for the academic aspirations of my beloved children.

With the first installment of $30, my mind was fixated on building a brighter future. I chose to invest in iron sheets, slowly accumulating them to construct a spacious home. One by one, they stacked up, and now I have five out of the twenty-six needed. The current dwelling, a cramped one-room house, became unbearable for my family of six. With the remaining $4.7, I ensured there was food on the table, temporarily alleviating the persistent hunger. However, life's twists took an unexpected turn when my daughter fell seriously ill with pneumonia. The looming medical bills threatened to swallow any hope generated by the cash transfer. Undeterred, I dedicated a significant portion, a whopping $34.7, to clear the mounting medical expenses. Every penny was worth the relief that washed over me when her health began to improve. The remaining $19.7 became a lifeline for my children's education. $15 went into purchasing a school uniform for my daughter, and the rest covered the fees for the five kids attending primary school. My meat-selling business, although yielding a modest profit of $4, still struggles to fully support the family. Yet, the unconditional cash transfer sparked a transformation, steering us toward stability and hope.

My most cherished aspiration is to provide a comfortable and spacious home for my family. My current house simply cannot accommodate all of my children, who have had to share limited space at their elder brother's place for far too long. Come February next year, I am determined to kickstart the construction of a new home, a place where my entire family can live together under one roof. This project is not just about bricks and mortar; it's about creating a warm and nurturing environment where my children can grow and thrive.

For years, my house had served multiple purposes, and it was high time to change that. With the entire transfer, I decided to invest in finishing the construction of a dedicated kitchen and granary. Previously, I had been cooking in a cramped, makeshift structure that couldn't accommodate all my cooking equipment and food supplies. It was a constant struggle, and my belongings were often exposed to the elements. My husband, the breadwinner in our family of 12, makes a meager $30 weekly from buying and selling goats. Unfortunately, this income couldn't cover the cost of the building materials we needed. Now, with the kitchen and granary completed, I finally feel a sense of security. Our property is safe, our food supplies are protected, and our daily lives have become more manageable. The unconditional cash transfer not only improved our living conditions but also reduced the burden on my husband, who can now focus more on his goat business without worrying about the construction expenses.

For a while, I lived in a small house. I wanted to build a bigger house, but I lacked the funds to do so. However, as soon as I started receiving the transfers, my desire to construct the new home was rekindled. As a result, I made the decision to buy one iron sheet each month, and since my husband is also a beneficiary, he also does the same. My goal is to purchase 26 pieces of iron sheets, which will be sufficient to build the new house. As of right now, we have only been able to purchase seven pieces of iron sheet, but I believe we will soon reach our goal.

My life has changed significantly as a result of being a part of this program, and I have reached levels I never thought possible. My biggest struggle was having to pay for all six of my children's tuition while living in a small house with no chance of upgrading to a better one. Since I don't have a reliable source of income to cover their costs, raising fees for them has been difficult. I, therefore, used my most recent transfers to pay my six children's school expenses. I'm happy that they are all in school and that their education has not been halted due to late fees. My small house, where I've been residing for years, is too small to house all of my children, especially the young ones. When I first started getting the money, I made a commitment to set aside Ksh. 1150 a month to buy building supplies so that I could construct a large house. My husband does the same because he is a beneficiary as well. To start off with 26 pieces of iron sheets, our financial goal is to save enough money to buy them all. Through my monthly savings, I have so far been able to purchase seven iron sheets. This will make it possible for us to construct a decent home where my children and I can live.

My current house is in disrepair. If it begins to rain, it may collapse because a portion of its roofing has been blown away by the wind. As a result, with my 2023 monthly transfers, I intend to build not only a new but also a spacious house. I plan to use some of my monthly transfers to purchase building materials such as round poles and iron sheets in bits in preparation for building a new house. It will be beneficial to me. Lastly, I shall be spending some transfers on paying school fees for my six school-going children. I long to see them succeed in their academic pursuit.

We are living in an extreme situation as a result of a prolonged drought. As a result, we are experiencing famine, but my income is insufficient to help my family cope up with it. However, I thank God for GiveDirectly's monthly transfers. With my recent cash transfer, I spent $14 on food that lasted a few days because we are a large family of sixteen members. The remaining $20 went on paying school fees for my six children, who are currently in primary school. The transfers for October, November, and December, on the other hand, aided me in acquiring new iron sheets. I am planning to build a new house because the current one is a relatively small, twelve-iron sheets roofed house. We always squeeze ourselves in it.

Upon receiving my recent transfer I spent $15 on settling the fees arrears for my five children who are in primary schools. They had recently been sent home because of the arrears which would make them not sit for the exams which were around the corner. I was so worried about this since it would affect my children's performance. The charcoal business we have been depending on was not lucrative hence sometimes we would go without meals, this clearly shows that it would be so difficult for me to pay the fees timely. I am currently happy and thankful to GiveDirectly for this huge empowerment. With the remaining amount, I purchased food for the family which is comprised of eight members.

I loved the service administered by the staff from Give Directly. The politeness, humbleness, and patience of the staff are something that I commend for them to continue doing. I urge the organization to increase the monthly stipend now that the prices of essential food items have shot up in recent months. This will help us cope and plan for the transfer in a better way.

My husband earns a living selling livestock in the market while I am a casual laborer making and selling charcoal. Both my husband and I have faced serious challenges working our jobs. The drought that we have faced in our area affected the livestock business. The low prices of the livestock have dropped the profit margins, hence earning very little unlike before. My business selling charcoal is not doing well owing to the lack of customers and low demand for charcoal. The last three months have hit our family hard because we have struggled to earn an income. As a result, we reduced the number of meals we take from 3 to 2 meals a day. They sent my four children back home at the beginning of the month and have since stayed home for the last two weeks. When I received my transfer, I spent all my transfers of KES 3000 to pay the school fees for them to go back and continue with their education. 

I received the transfers at around ten in the night when I was just about to fall asleep. I was genuinely very excited and happy because I was not expecting the funds at all. It was a pleasant surprise and considering at that time I was going through financial hardship.

You can imagine I was sick, in distress and discomfort for about two weeks due to feeling sick and yet I could not get medical attention because I lacked the funds. The transfers could not have come at a better time if you ask me. I was very grateful till date because my health has drastically improved from then till now.

Before receiving the money I had fallen quite ill, I kept experiencing severe abdominal pain and headaches constantly. I had reached out to seek medical attention but unfortunately due to lack of funds they could not treat me. So as soon as I received the funds from GiveDirectly I immediately rushed to the hospital to finally get the assistance I required. It was around a fortnight constant ailment but after visiting the hospital I was relieved. I used KES 460 for the medication and use KES 200 as fare to and fro. Apart from that, schools just recently opened and my kids needed some stationery so I bought six books three for each ams finished the KES 510 that I was left remaining with.