Now that I have accomplished this year's goal of improving my house, I am eager to achieve my next goal for the coming years and beyond. I want to grow my herd of goats; currently, I have six, and my aim is to increase that number to ten. This is a long-term investment that will help me meet other needs without worry. I plan to sell some goats to pay for my children's school fees. I believe that with the next transfer from GiveDirectly, I can make this goal a reality. This support will provide sustainability, allowing me to meet my needs even after the transfers end. The thought of this fills me with joy and gratitude.

GiveDirectly has done a great job helping vulnerable people through their unconditional cash transfers. What stood out to me about their program was how easy it was to connect with their officers; they were always friendly and supportive. Moving forward, I hope they can reach more locations and enroll as many people as possible so that others can uplift their lives just as we have. This support can truly make a difference for many families.

Recently, I received $450 from GiveDirectly, and I had already planned how to use it. I spent $162 on construction materials, such as iron sheets and frames, to improve my house. Previously, I lived in a one-room house, which was not enough for my family of six. Now, I have added an extra room, making it more comfortable for all of us. I also bought a sofa for $50, which has improved the look of my home and provided comfort for my family. We now have a nice place to sit together. To ensure we had enough food, I spent $30 on groceries, and I am grateful that my family now has enough food on the table. Additionally, I spent $200 to buy a cow. I came up with this idea by observing my neighbors who owned cows and saw how they didn't struggle to buy milk. I wanted to enjoy the same benefits. I plan to take care of the cow, benefit from the milk, and when it has calves, I can sell some to cover other household needs and school fees.

Around 3 PM, while I was looking after my sheep at the Perkerra Irrigation Scheme, I received a notification message from M-Pesa. When I confirmed it was the money from GiveDirectly, I felt a wave of happiness. Knowing that some of my challenges would now be addressed was a great relief. The first thing that came to my mind was to buy a new mattress. For a long time, I had been sleeping on a small, old mattress that made my sleep uncomfortable and caused me to feel the hard wood of the bed frame. Now, I am very happy and sleep comfortably. I am deeply grateful to GiveDirectly for their help and support.

I have been very stressed about where to get enough money to start farming. But since I started getting money from GiveDirectly, I feel hopeful for a better future. With enough money, I can focus on farming, which is the best job here. Even though I have been a farmer, not having enough money has slowed me down. Now, with food at home, we can stop doing casual jobs to get food and start working more on our own farm. My children are very happy, enjoying the food from GiveDirectly and wearing nice clothes. Our lives have gotten much better. We can now run our projects without the stress of finding money. I really appreciate GiveDirectly's help. Thank you so much.

I am a father of three children with one wife. Our primary work is looking after our animals and working on our farm. We often come home very tired, needing a comfortable bed to sleep on, but we couldn't afford a mattress until now. I used $50 to buy a mattress so we can sleep comfortably. Noticing that we were spending a lot on buying milk from the shop, I decided to use $30 to purchase an additional sheep, bringing our total to seven. My plan is that when they give birth, we'll have sufficient milk at home, eliminating the need to buy it from shops, and ensuring my kids have milk to drink.Additionally, I spent $50 on modernized iron sheets. When I receive my second transfer, I plan to use it to buy more iron sheets to build a bigger and better house, as our current one is too small and has old iron sheets. This will give my children a better place to sleep.With the remaining $50, I bought clothes for my children worth $20 and used $30 for food. We often rely on casual jobs, working for others to get food and clothes. I balance this by working on my own farm on alternate days. My wife also does house chores and casual jobs to support us.Now, I can testify that I have seen positive changes in my life compared to the past, where affording almost everything was a challenge.