For years, I've faced the challenge of providing for my family while relying on low-paying construction jobs. One of the reasons for this struggle is my inability to engage in timely farming due to the high cost of hiring oxen. Opting for a tractor was equally expensive, and I had to make do with inferior farming tools, resulting in delayed cultivation. To address these issues, I am contemplating the purchase of a pair of oxen. Having my own oxen will not only facilitate timely cultivation but also lead to a more fruitful harvest as I can efficiently utilize my entire acreage. Currently, I possess one ox and eagerly anticipate acquiring the second to enhance my farming capabilities.

I've been relying on low-paying jobs to make ends meet, particularly in the construction sector, where securing work can take up to a week. This situation, combined with the numerous financial obligations in my household, has been personally challenging. My high school-aged son often faced the risk of being sent home due to unpaid fees, as I struggled to gather the necessary funds on time. Despite these difficulties, the assurance of receiving a consistent monthly transfer provides me with some peace of mind. In the most recent financial transfers, I spent a significant portion to cover my son's school fees, ensuring that his education remains uninterrupted. The ability to support his academic journey is my primary goal as a parent. Even when I encounter difficulties in securing employment, knowing that he can continue his studies brings me a sense of relief. Additionally, a part of the funds was used to address my medical expenses, which cost me $10 as I fell ill. I am thankful for the financial support, as covering the costs of medication would have otherwise been a considerable challenge. I also spent $10 of the transfer to purchase essential food items, ensuring that my family remained well-fed.

My aspiration is to acquire livestock, which I consider the most valuable asset as a subsistence farmer. Given my lack of alternative employment opportunities that would allow me to invest in assets other than goats, my focus has shifted towards obtaining goats. Fortunately, I have successfully addressed food scarcity in my household, which has created an opportunity for me to direct my resources toward acquiring goats. With reduced food-related expenses, procuring goats has become my primary goal. To date, I have purchased two goats, and I have plans to acquire more in the upcoming months. Owning goats holds a two-fold significance for me. It serves as a means of saving for my children's education in the future while also providing a valuable resource for addressing my other financial needs as they arise.

It has long been my aspiration to acquire livestock, particularly goats, but my limited financial resources make this dream seem out of reach. I relied heavily on sporadic employment, and the meager income I earned was insufficient to adequately support my family. Consequently, the prospect of purchasing goats remained a distant hope. I'm elated to share that, despite numerous financial challenges, I was able to set aside $72, which allowed me to purchase two goats. My plan is to raise and breed them, relying on their offspring to meet my future financial needs. Notably, I also received this financial boost at a critical time when I was unwell and required immediate medical attention. I thus spent $10 to cover my medical expenses, and I received the necessary treatment. Additionally, I have three children currently attending school, one in high school and the others in primary school. To ensure their education continued without interruption due to the lack of school fees, I paid $20 to settle their fees. This has provided me with peace of mind, considering my challenging financial situation. Lastly, I invested $20 in hiring a tractor to plow my farm during the planting season. I'm delighted that this timely farming effort yielded a bountiful harvest, ensuring a consistent food supply for my household.

The best investment I can think of making at my age is purchasing some livestock. Since I have spent the majority of my life relying on temporary employment, I am slowly catching up with my years and have no reliable assets. Since it's difficult to find even the occasional construction jobs I used to work, I intend to try my hand at purchasing and raising livestock, such as goats and, if funds allow, cows. I currently have three goats that I got from the transfer. I intend to save up over the coming months and at the very least purchase a goat. Due to the fact that I do not have a reliable source of income, my goal is to establish a herd and be able to meet my financial needs through the livestock.

I hired laborers to work on my four-acre farm with $20 from my most recent transfers. We haven't successfully farmed or gotten a good harvest in a very long time. I had to rely on construction jobs to make a living because the rain hasn't been consistent in the last three years. I may go for a week without finding work because the opportunities are unpredictable. Due to this, I found it challenging to support my family and pay my debts. Recent rains prompted me to decide to prepare my four acres for planting and harvesting. I am confident that I will have enough food for my family if the harvest is good. My meagre earnings from side jobs can go toward paying for my children's school expenses and other needs. In addition to farming, I spent $30 on a goat, and now I have three. I'm glad I expanded my goat shed, and I intend to buy more. I raise these goats for their reproductive potential, so I can sell them when they become more numerous to meet my financial obligations. My high school-aged child's tuition was once more paid in order for him to be able to continue his studies. I'm glad that he has never been sent home, unlike before when he would stay at home due to a lack of fees, despite the difficulties of being unable to find a casual job. Last but not least, I made sure to shop for enough food items, including cereal and maize flour, to ensure that my family had enough to eat.

I am quite grateful to the organization for the donations that we keep receiving monthly because they have brought a positive change into my life and the lives of many people back in the village. Personally, I intend to invest money in my farm this year by showing that a couple of goats and purchasing them. This is in preparation for any financial tribulations that I may face later, so I can be prepared to sort it out. Apart from that, I also intend on using the money to pay for tuition since I still have one child who is still studying. Most importantly, I would really feel happy if I could manage to finally build a better home for me and my family since the one we occupy is quite small, and since it is a mud house, whenever there is heavy rainfall, I am always scared that it might collapse.

I was hospitalized for two weeks at the time of my recent transfer because I was ill. The total hospital bill was $30. I used $15 of the transfer to pay the remaining payment because my brother covered the other half of the cost. I spent $23 buying enough food to feed my family for a while because I am the only income earner and spent two weeks in the hospital. In addition, my kids were denied permission to take their end-of-year exams because they owed $30 in unpaid school fees. I'm happy that I was able to pay the arrears thanks to the assistance from GiveDirectly, and that they were eventually able to take their final exams. Regarding the money for this month, I intend to buy a goat to raise with it. They make excellent investments, and once they have given birth, I will be able to sell some of them to obtain funds for our household expenses. I perform sporadic work at construction sites, but they are unreliable, and occasionally I have to wait weeks before I get a job.

I am grateful because it helps a lot with my family, I can save and pay other bills such as food and water. Having someone that gives you money monthly and you have not worked for it is such a blessing.

Before receiving transfers, I was employed as a welder and when Covid 19 hit the country the owner closed down. Since then I have not gotten a permanent job. Getting a stable job has been hard and once a week I work as a casual worker at a construction site and get a pay of $5 a day which I use to buy food and water for my family on that particular day. Most of the days that I do not work my family sleeps hungry. My wife is a stay-at-home mum. I have three children, two are in school in grades three and six. the firstborn dropped out of school because of a lack of money. Receiving this money has helped me pay school fees for my two children and buy food for my family.

I became so excited until I started laughing loudly despite being alone when I saw the Mpesa message confirming receipt of the transfer. Those who were outside came running wondering what I was celebrating. That was when I shared with them the good news, and they were equally happy to know that I had received what I would use in transforming my life.

The biggest difference in my daily life is the hope I now have in life and the confidence of having bought a goat. This is the greatest achievement after losing all my goats due to the droughts. They are helpful because their demand is high and there is always a ready market whenever one needs to sell them.

When I received my transfer, I bought a goat for rearing worth KES 3000. I had goats before unfortunately, they all succumbed due to drought early last year. They used to come through especially in paying school fees for my children. Life has not been easy since then because no one was willing to lend me a loan for fear of not getting it back. It is a female goat and I believe once it gives birth I will have more over a short period. This is an investment that comes in handy especially when facing financial challenges.