I currently have a few pieces of iron sheets that I bought with transfers some time ago. My goal now is to build a new house, as my current one has become too small to accommodate me and my grandchildren. I am saving a portion of the transfers I receive each month to construct a one-room house, where I will move once it’s finished, leaving the old house for my grandchildren, who can comfortably live there. I trust that by next year, my savings will allow me to purchase the remaining materials needed to start construction on my new house. This will restore my dignity and provide me with the privacy I need, as well as that of my family members. I believe this will earn me the respect I desire.

When I received the money, I saved $20 as the first step in my project to build a new house in the near future. My current house is small and barely accommodates my entire family, including my grandchildren, with whom I live. This situation has caused me a lot of stress. Since I do not have enough money at hand, I thought that coming up with this strategy would help make my dream a reality soon. I believe that fulfilling this dream would allow me to accommodate all my family members and keep my belongings safe, bringing me peace of mind. Later on, I bought a mattress for $28, which I am now using. Initially, I was sleeping on the floor on mats, which was a very uncomfortable experience, causing me a lot of pain at night. I was exhausted, as this had become a daily routine. I had been yearning to own a laptop for quite some time, but since I don't work anymore, earning an income to support this purchase was a nightmare. Additionally, I used $54 from the transfers to buy food for my family, which lasted us a while. It serves as a reminder to my family that we now rarely go to bed with empty stomachs, which has helped us stay healthy and energetic.

My son's house recently collapsed due to heavy rains and strong winds. He is currently sleeping in a makeshift structure, enduring cold conditions at night. My goal for the coming year and beyond is to assist him financially in purchasing building materials so he can construct a new house. Additionally, I want to build a structure to house my 16 goats to prevent them from being stolen at night.I am grateful for the financial support, which allows me to support my family despite the financial struggles me and my son face.

Old age is fast catching up with me, and my health condition prevents me from working on labor-intensive jobs.This has made me heavily dependent on my son, who earns a living raising cattle for other people. Unfortunately, his income is very little and not enough to support both his family and me.Thanks to the financial transfers, I am now able to take care of my immediate needs without overburdening my son. I spent the entire $102 transfer on food, ensuring that my family of eight had enough to eat and never went hungry. Before being enrolled in the program, having regular meals was very difficult due to a lack of money for food. Now, we are assured of having meals every day. Additionally, my grandchildren can now attend school consistently without fail, unlike in the past when they would sometimes miss an entire week. I am very happy and appreciative of the support from the transfers, which have significantly improved our quality of life.

Looking ahead, my primary objective in the forthcoming months is to establish a sturdy shelter for our goats. Currently exposed to the elements, they face risks of predation and theft during the night. Establishing a secure structure will provide them with protection and ensure their safety. I remain deeply appreciative of the support provided by Give Directly, which has empowered me to generate wealth through strategic investments in livestock.

As an elderly woman, I find that the challenges of aging are increasingly apparent. Consequently, I am unable to continue labor-intensive activities such as charcoal production. Instead, I rely heavily on my son, who tends to livestock for others, earning a modest income to support our family of ten. Upon receiving my transfer, I frequently assist my son in procuring food to prevent hunger within our household, expending $61 for this purpose. Unfortunately, my health has recently deteriorated, marked by persistent breathlessness and severe coughing fits. Seeking medical intervention, I allocated $24 towards hospital expenses, endeavoring to ameliorate my condition. Additionally, I allotted funds to purchase new clothing, aiming to improve my appearance and boost my morale. With an eye toward securing our assets, I earmarked $10 to construct a safe shelter for our twelve goats, safeguarding them from potential theft or predation. I am immensely grateful for the financial assistance we've received, which has significantly enhanced our quality of life despite the absence of a steady income stream.

Having built a new house with the assistance of the transferred funds, I am overjoyed to have a roof over my head. The fear of homelessness no longer plagues me. My next objective is to install a door, which will enhance both my personal safety and the security of my belongings within the house. I am immensely thankful for the financial transfers that have provided me with such invaluable support.

Three months ago, a tragic incident occurred when my house collapsed during the night. Miraculously, both my two grandchildren and I managed to escape with our lives. To rebuild, I used $40 to purchase four pieces of iron sheets, which served as the foundation for constructing a new house. In preparation for the upcoming rains, I also allocated $10 to prepare my land for farming. A successful harvest will secure an abundance of food for us. Unfortunately, my daughter fell ill, and I incurred $18 in travel expenses as I journeyed to and from her location to purchase necessary medication. Thankfully, her health has improved significantly, and she is now doing well. With the remaining $34, I purchased food to sustain my family of six members. I am truly grateful for the financial support I have received thus far, as it has enabled me to rebuild a new house following the collapse of the previous one.

I want to utilize the following transfer to fix a door to my house for security reasons now that I have finished restoring my collapsed house, which was a huge issue. I will then be relieved to focus on establishing a goat and chicken-rearing business. I regard these endeavors as potential sources of money because I do not have anybody else to rely on for support. I may raise money by selling the cattle as they grow and use the proceeds to cater to my multiple needs and expenses, mainly food. I will have a more reliable source of income and financial freedom thanks to this project.

Since my husband passed away years ago, I have had no one to rely on for support. I used to make charcoal, but it caused me chest pains, so I had to stop. Occasionally, my son who rarely does casual jobs provides some assistance, although he doesn't have a stable source of income. Due to this, my household hardly enjoys regular meals. The previous week before the transfer had challenges in putting some meals on the table, most days I slept hungrily. So I spent $16 from the transfer to buy food and sugar, ensuring that my family has at least some sustenance. Also, due to the ongoing rains, my house collapsed, leaving me in a difficult housing situation. To address this, I have been saving $20 for the last five months and I managed to build another one. Using the recent transfer, I used $18 to pay the remaining balance of the contractor. I am relieved that the repairs have been completed successfully and the only part remaining is to fix a door.

My current priority is making sure I build a new house by the end of the year. The one in use right now is only one room, however it is outdated and has holes all over the roof. The walls are also in poor condition, and I am concerned that if I do not take the appropriate steps, the house may collapse and harm me in the event of a strong downpour. I've already purchased five iron sheets, so I'm confident I'll reach my goal before the end of the year.

In addition to living in a hardship region, I'm also old and without a steady source of income. I mainly rely on my son, but he was unable to raise the funds necessary to build a new house since in addition to me, he now has to meet the needs of a family of seven. Therefore, I gave buying building supplies to enable me to build a new house a priority with the transfers during the last three months. I have so far purchased five pieces of iron sheets worth $50. In addition, I spent $52 to get enough food to last me for a while. We do not take for granted that the transfers have made it easier to meet the most basic needs.

In my opinion, Givedirectly did well in sending direct cash transfers to individuals living in poverty. Moreover, the enrollment was open and fair and every person was enrolled without any exclusion based on tribal, political or even religion. Through the money, I am confident that the dream of owning a house will be true.

Despite being an old widow, I am still forced to do casual activities to provide for myself. For many years, I have desired to own a decent shelter for myself and my two grandchildren. The house I currently own is very small, grass-thatched, and leaking during the rainy season. Additionally, It is about to collapse. I spent $9.5 to purchase one iron sheet, the aim is to construct one roomed iron roofed house for myself. Moreover, I used 3 to purchase one hen to start poultry rearing a future investment for myself. With the remaining amount, I bought food for me and my grandchildren.

After going to the field to prepare charcoal for sale, I returned home. I jumped on my bed and passed out, worn out and fatigued. I was awakened by the loud ring of my phone. The fact that I had received my first transfer was beyond my comprehension. As I sprang out of the bed, I let out a loud, ecstatic scream. I told my kid the good news as I left the house to go withdraw the money, and he was overjoyed.

The biggest change in my life since receiving the transfer has been paying off my debts. Having accrued debt and being unable to pay them, I felt frightened wandering through the village. Some locals created untrue accusations about me withholding payment on my debts, but this was untrue. I'm happy the transfer enabled me to restore my reputation after it had been wrongly tarnished. After paying off all of my debts, I can now move around the village fearlessly.

I used some of my KES 900 transfer to pay off obligations I had accrued throughout the month. Every time I was reminded to pay back but I didn't have the money, I felt quite stressed out and uneasy. My income was impacted by the drought since I was unable to plant anything on the farm. I generally purchased my food on credit, which resulted in debt that I did not pay back on schedule. For the majority of the days, we got by on only one supper. When things were awful, we had to go to bed empty-handed. I purchased foodstuffs costing KES 2100 for the household in addition to paying the loan. When we realized we had a lot of food, my family was really happy.