In the upcoming year and beyond, my goal is to secure additional funds to pursue subsistence farming. Despite residing in an Arid and Semi-Arid Land, I aspire to lease land in a more favorable region, such as the adjacent highlands of Muchongoi. The early months of next year seem ideal for this endeavor, coinciding with my ongoing involvement in an informal savings group where I contribute $35 monthly. This group not only grants access to loans but also provides dividends at the conclusion of a six-month cycle, which I am appreciative of.

GiveDirectly's impact on our society has been remarkable, evident through positive transformations such as new house construction and increased availability of food supplies for families, which were previously nonexistent. The cash transfer approach was the most effective solution to address our multifaceted challenges that were fundamentally monetary in nature. I appreciate the transparency of the process and commend the officers for their commitment to thoroughness, ensuring clarity through meetings and discussions in a language we could comprehend. I admire the organization for its impartiality, providing equal opportunities and the same disbursement amount to everyone without bias. However, there's room for improvement in terms of extending support to other aspects of life beyond housing and food, such as education or skills training, to further empower individuals for a sustainable future.

Before receiving the initial transfer, I had already committed to acquiring a motorcycle on credit from a seller, agreeing to a weekly payment of $34. This arrangement was viable as I had identified an opportunity to provide transportation services for schoolchildren and teachers, resulting in consistent earnings from roundtrip journeys five days a week. With the third and final transfer, I wisely placed a lump sum deposit of $250 to cover expenses over the upcoming seven weeks, considering the potential disruption due to school closures affecting my weekly payments. Over the past few weeks, I have diligently maintained timely payments, cleared the debt, and obtained both a logbook and a new license plate. Presently generating at least $6 daily, I am effectively managing my projects, accumulating savings, and aiming to initiate further profitable ventures for my family of four. Allocating $48, I secured two months' worth of daily milk by prepaying for a liter each day, acknowledging the challenges of dairy farming amid the ongoing drought. I also invested $105 in acquiring three goats, supplementing our existing herd that I intend to sell in the future to support household expenses. I express my gratitude for GiveDirectly's generous support, which has fostered significant positive change within the village.

In the coming year and beyond, I would like to run a retail shop in my village. This is after sitting down with my spouse and having a deep conversation about how we are going to support each other in raising our two children. Therefore, this will be an additional source of income that will be enough to sustain our basic needs. Being the sole breadwinner has been quite tough for me, and it reached a point where I was giving up. I am so grateful to God for bringing GiveDirectly into my village and impacting my life positively. 

In my opinion, GiveDirectly did well by supporting us financially, which has led to the growth of my village. As of now, a higher percentage of us own numerous assets, such as pieces of land and livestock, and we can send our children to school. Therefore, I do not see any need for them to change as they move to the next village. 

I spent part of my recent transfer on purchasing barbed wire, nails, and building poles for a total of $100. I had intended to protect my compound by putting up a fence. Initially, I used to experience damages and losses to my properties since there was no security. I had always lived with the fear that I would someday lose all my belongings. I am now feeling great for having finally been able to put all my properties in order and make them much safer. To add to that, I managed to settle a loan of $150 that I had borrowed to uplift my taxi business earlier. At least I now have peace of mind since I have been frustrated for so long, which was embarrassing at times. This is because I had failed to keep the promise, which was all about the financial situation that I was in. I will forever be thankful to GiveDirectly for finally restoring my joy in life. Also, since we are approaching the rainy season, I opted to hire someone to prepare my farm earlier than usual. I am therefore confident that this season I will harvest plenty of farm products, thereby covering the issue of food security. With the remaining amount, I bought food for my three family members, which took us almost three weeks. My children are now healthier and more energetic than before.

I can vividly recall it was around 4 pm while at my workplace. I didn't hear my phone ring. As I was perusing through, I was amazed and utterly in shock to see a notification message showing I had received a sum of $200 from Segovia Technologies. I felt immense joy because God had answered my prayers. I knew finally, I'd execute my plans. I embarked on a plan for how I would utilize this money diligently.

The greatest difference now is the fact that I'll get to buy barbed wire to fence my land and avoid trespassing by intruders. I wasn't able to fence before due to a lack of money, and I'm excited that I finally I've achieved this dream. I'm glad too that I managed to pay for my motorcycle. I'm forever indebted for the amazing gift from GiveDirectly.

Depending on a rented motorbike as a source of income whereas required to raise $3 a day to reimburse the owner, is a struggle more so in these tough economic times. Sometimes I'd return home empty-handed. I'm married and got two kids. This says I have a family to raise. Upon receipt of my cash transfers, I opted to rent a motorbike on hire purchase and paid a downpayment of $5. I'm happy I was able to realize my dream. This hadn't been possible to meet before because what I earned was enough to meet my family's basic needs. I used $110 of the transfers to buy barbed wire to fence my land. The remainder of the cash was saved to cater for our foodstuff. This is a one-in-a-million initiative and I'm happy for the support.