I am a father with one child and currently live in a one-room house. As our family grows, I want to expand our living space. My plan is to build a larger two-room house. Whether it will be made of metal sheets or stone will depend on how much money I have available. I joined a merry-go-round to save enough money for this house construction project. As a driver, I believe that with my earnings and the contributions from the merry-go-round, I will be able to reach my goal. I have also started purchasing metal sheets, and I currently have fifteen. I am confident that this new house will provide the comfort and happiness that my family deserves.

Last year, in 2023, I joined a merry-go-round where we each save $20 a month. So far, I have saved $60 from my transfers. I joined this group to save enough money to start building my own two-room house. As a driver, I believe that with my regular savings and the contributions from the merry-go-round, I will be able to achieve my goal and provide a better life for my children. With the remaining $42, I bought food to make sure my family is well-fed and that we have enough to eat.

Looking forward to the upcoming year and beyond, my main priority is to acquire land. Growing up in a polygamous family, suitable land is scarce, which has fueled my determination to secure a plot for my family's future settlement. Establishing a stable home for my loved ones is of utmost importance to me, and owning land would offer the stability and security necessary for our future endeavors. Therefore, my objective is to diligently save and invest my income towards purchasing land, ensuring a strong foundation for my family's well-being and prosperity in the years ahead.

As a motorbike taxi operator hailing from a polygamous family, land ownership has been a challenge due to the large number of siblings and limited resources. However, upon receiving my latest transfer, I took a step towards realizing my dream of owning an acre of land by saving $90 in our merry-go-round group. This strategic saving is a crucial step towards securing a plot where I can establish a stable foundation for my family's future. With the remaining $12, I ensured my family's immediate needs were met by purchasing food, demonstrating a balance between long-term planning and immediate responsibilities. Through careful financial management and determination, I aim to overcome barriers to land ownership and provide a secure future for my family.

My aspiration for this year is to build a bigger and better house for my family of 3. I will be able to live comfortably with an inevitably growing family.

Being a festive season, last month's transfer couldn't have found us at a better time. I spent my entire transfer of 3400 KES to buy some food for Christmas. My siblings and I pulled resources together to make this day a success.It was the best time to share with family, having not been with some of them throughout last year. This program made the reunion memorable for our family of 13.

I mentioned earlier I am now part of a savings groups to which I save $20 monthly. I provide motorcycle rides to earn a living, my wife has no current source of income. I felt that it would be a good Idea for me to save up and start a small general retail shop for my wife to ensure that she also is able to make some money monthly which in turn ensures that our family will not experience lack especially in cases where I am unable to make much.

I am so glad that I am one of those that benefitted from the Givedirctly program. Myself and many others in our villages have joined savings group s as a result od benefitting from this transfer. I make a $20 monthly contribution to my savings group monthly. In July the $14 left helped service my motorcycle and buy food for my family. In August this money went into the purchase of food as well as toiletries. In September I received my transfers while at the mechanic since my motorcycle had had issues and so I spent $14 with an additional amount that I had on me to repair it.

My ultimate goal as a husband and father is to provide my wife and daughter with a better quality of life where necessities such as food, housing, and clothing are not a concern. Currently, my focus is on relocating from my paternal compound and acquiring a piece of land. This would allow me to build a decent home for my family. I believe that living separately from my extended family would help avoid conflicts and encourage personal growth and development.

I usually allocate the cash transfers I receive towards purchasing livestock and covering various household expenses such as food and clothing. The income generated from my small business, which involves hawking household items door-to-door, is often insufficient to meet these basic needs for my wife and daughter. Therefore, I am grateful for the assistance provided by the cash transfers, which prove to be very helpful. However, when I received the recent transfer, I was facing a challenging situation when my daughter was hospitalized for four days due to a severe fever. At that time, my business had not generated enough income to settle the medical bill. As a result, I used the entire $34 cash transfer to clear the bill, and I am thankful that she was discharged after experiencing a significant recovery. I am deeply grateful to Give Directly for providing these funds.

I recently opened a business where I sell plastic equipment in Malindi. The business has been doing great; I get $7 a day in profit from it. I send $2 a day to my wife, who is in Kilifi, to buy food for the family. My child is young, and hopefully, by the time we enroll her in school, I will be able to do so without strain. We stay on my father's land, and my long-term goal is to save at least $2 a day for two years and buy land, for which I am currently in talks with the owner.

To support my three-member family, I run a motorcycle taxi service. My wife, Phoebe, on the other hand, is unemployed and spends the majority of her time at home caring for our young daughter. I prioritized buying food for my family worth $23 as soon as I received my transfer. As a result, I spent $6 on two more chicks to expand my poultry farm. The remaining $5, I gave it out to my wife to help her with some basic family needs. I have noticed a positive change in my life since I began receiving the transfer, and I am grateful to GiveDirectly.

I am a motorcycle taxi, and we live as a family of three members. My wife is jobless and is always at home looking after my daughter. In our area, there is an extreme famine, and the motorcycle business is no longer performing well owing to the rise in fuel costs. From my latest transfer, I spent $10.8 on food. I also bought five chicks for $15. I long to initiate poultry farming, and I am optimistic it will help me take care of my children. The rest I spent on buying some items for my youngest daughter, who is one year and six months old.

I hold an opinion that GiveDirectly as an NGO is good in giving unconditional cash transfers. It does this irrespective of our individual's affiliation to any religion or social background. Moreover, GiveDirectly does well in conducting prompt follow-up with all the beneficiaries of its program. Through the follow-ups, we can learn more about the projects the community members undertake as we strive to better our lives. So far, I have not yet noticed what GiveDirectly does not do well.

Last year when I was unable to raise some money to support my family, I sold all the livestock I had then, chicken. I do a motorcycle taxi business, a sector that has been poorly performing since the beginning of this year. With the transfer, I was able to spend KES 1,750 on buying 5 chickens. I am glad that I have begun to revive this venture and it will definitely enable me to earn additional income by the end of the year. As my poultry farm grows, I shall be able to buy and start raising goats. Lastly, I spent KES 1,000 on buying food for my family.

It was around 10pm and I was dropping one of my client in a nearby hospital.On arrival the message tone is what made me check my phone .As soon as I set my eyes on the screen and saw the mpesa message I was filled with joy and all I could think of is calling my wife and sharing the good news.My wife couldn't believe me at first so I rushed home and showed her the message. The house felt warm due to the laughter and joy that filled the air that night.

My goal is to be financially stable.My plan is to buy five chicken every month for atleast the next three months .I believe if I raise 15 chicken it will be a step closer to trading some for goats as they multiply.Trading both chicken and goats will be one way for me to raise enough funds to start building a three roomed house and a verandah which is bigger than my current house that is small (one roomed).

I am self-employed working as a motorcycle rider. I bought the motorcycle on credit and am expected to offset my debt on daily basis. Business has been on the low and with paycut of KES 371 every day as part of my motorcycle payment have not been able to meet all the basic needs of my family.I spent KES 1600 on food and used the rest KES 1200 for my wife to buy a pair of shoes and clothes for herself and my baby.I also gave her KES 200 for her personal use.I was content am able to provide for my family the way I did.