My goal in the coming year and beyond is to focus on purchasing more hens with a significant portion of my subsequent transfers. As they multiply, I plan to sell some, providing an alternative source of income. The profits from selling chickens are much better compared to what I earn from making charcoal, and raising chickens is less labor-intensive. Additionally, I want to ensure I have enough food for my own consumption since my farm doesn't currently provide sufficient yield. The transfers will help me secure enough food and meet my needs. I am deeply appreciative of the financial support from the transfers, which is helping me improve my life.

Living alone, I depend on myself to provide for my needs. During the farming season, I grow crops, mostly for subsistence, with a portion sold for income. In the dry season, I make and sell charcoal, but it doesn't earn much, making it difficult to meet my needs. Thanks to the financial support from GiveDirectly, I've been able to manage better. I spent $68 on food, ensuring I had enough to last the month without lacking. I also spent $6 on second-hand clothes to replace my worn-out ones. Additionally, I purchased six hens for $28 with the plan to rear them and sell them once they multiply for future profit. I'm very happy and appreciative of this support, which helps me take care of my personal needs.

My goal in the coming year and beyond is to use my subsequent transfers to purchase food. My two-acre farm has not been productive, so I need to buy food to ensure my survival. Additionally, I plan to purchase more livestock to build a substantial herd. In the future, selling some of the livestock will provide me with income to support my needs. I am very happy and deeply appreciate the financial support from Give Directly, which has significantly improved my life.

I invested a significant portion of my transfers in purchasing livestock, spending $25 on five hens and $30 on a goat. I chose to invest in livestock because they offer better returns compared to farming, especially given the adverse effects of climate change. The hot and dry weather conditions have devastated my main source of income, farming, making it difficult to grow and harvest crops. I am optimistic that once the livestock multiply and grow into a larger herd, I will be able to sell some and earn a steady income. In addition to purchasing livestock, I spent $47 on food. Thanks to the financial support, I have been able to buy food and avoid going hungry. The transfers have been a lifeline, helping me take care of myself despite currently lacking a stable income stream. I am grateful for the support, which has significantly improved my quality of life.

I plan to allocate my transfers towards acquiring livestock, particularly goats and chickens, as I lack a stable source of income. Currently, I own two goats that I am diligently caring for, recognizing them as a reliable support system in times of need. The assistance from my children is limited due to their large families and engagement in manual labor. I see building my own assets, such as livestock, as a crucial safety net to address any future financial challenges that may arise.

I spent $30 from my recent transfers on acquiring a new mattress, replacing my worn-out bedding. The old mattress had deprived me of comfortable sleep for too long, but now I find solace in having a decent place to rest. In addition to the mattress, I allocated $20 to purchase five chickens for a poultry project. With old age hindering my ability to work, this initiative aims to generate income through selling the chickens. Another $10 was utilized to cover medical expenses, ensuring proper treatment during an illness, and and I am now in good health. Lastly, I spent the remaining part of the funds on buying adequate foodstuffs for my household.This was particularly crucial as I had been under medication for nearly three months, necessitating a balanced diet as advised by my doctor. Access to these funds not only facilitated these essential needs but also prevented any delay in my medical treatment.

Looking ahead, my plan is to venture into livestock investments by purchasing goats. I firmly believe that this investment will yield returns as the goats multiply over time. By selling some of the offspring, I will be able to address various needs that are crucial to me, such as acquiring food and providing education for my grandchildren. The potential financial benefits that will arise from this investment bring me great satisfaction. I am immensely grateful for the support I have received through the transfer of funds, as it has played a vital role in ensuring the well-being of my family. Without this financial assistance, life would undoubtedly be much more challenging for us. The aid we have received has alleviated some of the burdens we face, allowing us to meet our basic needs and provide for our loved ones. The impact of this support is truly significant and has made a tangible difference in our lives.

With my August transfers, I made the decision to invest in a goat. Being a farmer, I have encountered significant challenges in my agricultural endeavors over the past six years. Despite dedicating extensive effort to my farm for the past three months, the crops I cultivated ultimately withered just as they began to pollinate. This disheartening outcome has left me with no choice but to continue purchasing food at inflated prices from local shops. This series of setbacks has prompted a pivotal shift in my perspective and financial decisions moving forward. Recognizing the importance of diversifying my investments, I consider the acquisition of a goat to be a shrewd move. Its potential for multiplication in the coming months presents an opportunity to not only recoup my initial investment of $30 but also to generate additional wealth. This strategic investment provides a glimmer of hope amidst the challenges brought about by prolonged drought and its accompanying hardships. I am filled with gratitude for the financial assistance I have received during this trying period. It has proven invaluable in helping me navigate the severe impact of drought and the ensuing challenges. The support I have received has been a lifeline, ensuring that I can sustain myself during these difficult times.

I am now able to adequately provide for my family because of the transfers. Since I do not have a source of income to depend on or someone to support me, the transfers are my only hope. I am now cultivating and I believe that when I successfully get a good harvest, which will ensure I have adequate food in my household, I will be able to invest the money in other avenues, like buying livestock.

The transfers have greatly helped me to effectively fend for my family especially right now that prices of basic commodities like food are high. It would be a huge challenge for me but thanks to the transfers. I could not afford to buy daily food at my own cost.I used to engage in subsistence farming that ensured I had enough food for my family but currently it doesn't do well. I rely solely on the transfers for my household's basic needs. On the recent transfers, I purchased enough foodstuffs which include maize flour and daily vegetables. In addition to the foodstuffs, I also managed to buy 5 chickens that I am currently keeping in my homestead. Owning livestock is one of the best investment that I can venture into, since upon multiplying, I can readily sell and earn some money. Also, in case of a financial challenge, at least I will have some assets that I can rely on. My goal is to keep these chickens, let them reproduce and later on sell them and buy some goats.

Since I stay alone in the household, I have to fend for myself through charcoal burning, an exercise that hardly covers food costs. The best I can earn in a week is $4, which does not procure much food given the rising commodity prices. Although securing food is my main concern right now, I wish to acquire at least two goats in one year’s time. The plan is to rear these goats so that when they reproduce in the future, I could easily sell them to afford my needs. Besides, I would be glad if I stopped enduring the struggles of charcoal making.

Selling charcoal is how I make a life. This job is really tedious and pays very little, thus it cannot support my necessities. I frequently have to go to bed without eating since I don't have enough money to do so. As a result, I want to use $10 from the transfer as part of my food budget. This will guarantee that I have enough food to last for more than two weeks. I can concentrate on selling more charcoal and increasing my savings if I have enough food. In addition to purchasing food, I intend to purchase water and constructing poles with the $20 that is left. Water will be necessary to mix the mud and clay soil that will be used to build the walls of the house. After construction is complete, I am eager to move into the new home.

After I received the transfers I decided to use KES 1,000 and invest on buying timber because I finally wanted to build my own house after sharing a house with my co-wife for over a decade. That is why I decided to buy timber as a start for eventually building and living in my own house. Then I went on to use KES 1,000 from the balance and decided to cater for nutrition because I barely had any food left in the house and I was too old to even go ahead and work to cater for my needs. Lastly I used the KES 1,000 I was left with and decided to buy three hens because I wanted to invest in poultry farming to help me financially.

GiveDirectly is a savior from heaven. I am happy that they came through when my world was tumbling. I survived on one meal a day and on bad days, I would go the whole day having nothing to eat. With the funds, I can eat and thanks to GiveDirectly for the gracious gesture.

I am happy that after very many years I can sleep comfortably in a bed. Lying on the ground for those years affected my health. Back pains and chest pains are some of the health effects that affected me during that period. For the few days that I have slept in the bed, I feel much better. The chest pains are slowly going away and I hope I will soon be in good health. Besides buying the bed, I bought two chickens to start the poultry project that I have always wanted to have. I then spent the remaining amount of money in buying food and water. Because of the drought, finding water has become very hard. We have to buy water at very high prices. Food prices are very high and with nothing coming out of our farms, we have to buy the food or else we starve to death.

I was doing a job in someone's farm that day, just doing some clearing for them when I found out that GiveDirectly had come through with its promise through the program they had introduced to us in our village. To be honest this all seemed like a joke when we got enrolled because we were thinking who in their right mind would give us money with no strings attached to elevate our living conditions? It was unseen of and unheard of, but I guess there is a first time for everything and that is why I was so happy because receiving the money had preceded my expectations and all the propaganda that had happened previously.

As mentioned prior, when I received the funds I was working in a farm owned by someone else. This happens to be the way I earn a living to sustain myself with the little pay I receive because I have no permanent job and my age would not allow to work anyway. Yet even the jobs I get are also hard to find because there is no rain. Therefore this funds have managed to help not to go hungry as much as I was before because the jobs are unreliable. But now I still receive money even without the jobs and I can afford a meal.

Over the past years there has been great climate change especially in my area which has always been known for its warm temperatures but nevertheless we used to have rain unlike the past two years where if it rains it drizzles and never enough for people like me who were consistent subsistence farmers to gain any harvest. In turn this situation has worsened our ways of putting food on the table and that is why after I received the money, I immediately went ahead and got three packets of maize flour which cost me KES 250, a hen that I planned on rearing for both domestic and economic purposes for KES 150 and a pair of slippers for KES 100 since the ones I had were completely worn out and walking barefoot was the order of the day. Apart from that I also decided to go to the market and buy some second hand clothes because most times I was dressed in torn outfits and because I had no money I could not manage to dress well, and even when I did get money I had to prioritise on my nourishment rather than dressing. As for what was left I bought salt and sugar which cost me KES 150.