I am fortunate to have incredible support from my spouse as we embark on our project of building our own home. We've already secured a piece of land, where we plan to build our dream house. To make this goal a reality, I've joined a savings group where I contribute $20 from each transfer every month, specifically for purchasing building materials. Our current one-room living situation isn't accommodating our growing family, and when we have visitors, I often have to rely on the kindness of our neighbors to provide a place for them to sleep. I'm truly grateful for GiveDirectly support, as I wouldn't have been able to change my situation without them. In addition to our housing project, I am committed to ensuring that I promptly pay my children's school fees, as I want to avoid any situations where they might be sent home due to outstanding balances, which would negatively impact their academic performance.

I would like to express my gratitude to GiveDirectly for the financial support they have provided. Thanks to this initiative, I am optimistic that I will soon achieve my goal of building a house for my family. As a small-scale farmer, my spouse and I often rely on casual jobs that are not always reliable. These transfers have supported us in consistently providing for our three children. With the most recent transfer, I used $29 to pay the school fees for my two school-going children, which has greatly relieved the financial burden of paying their fees without delays. Since GiveDirectly began providing support in our area, we have experienced a significant reduction in financial stress. This support has given us hope that we will receive income from GiveDirectly every month. As a result, my children are no longer at risk of being sent home due to outstanding fee balances. I also used part of the transfer, $5, to buy food for our family. With the remaining $64, I decided to save it through a monthly contribution in a merry-go-round. This savings plan will help me achieve my goal of building a better, more spacious house for my family.

My goal is to save part of my transfer in our savings group and accumulate enough funds to purchase land, liberating my family from over two years of reliance on my uncle's hospitality. He had provided us with land, but now he requests that we either buy it or vacate. Once we secure the land, we'll construct a home, providing stability and security for my family. I also plan to ensure my children can attend school without the burden of school fees. I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity the GiveDirectly transfers have provided us.

The current house is in poor condition, with weakened mud walls and corroded iron sheets that let in water whenever it rains, making the space damp. To build a better home, I have started saving in our merry-go-round group. When I received my most recent transfer, I spent $34 on my chama contribution to help me reach my goal. Additionally, I spent $34 to pay fees for my school-going children, ensuring they are not sent home for fee balances and have ample time to study. Finally, I spent $34 to buy food for my family, ensuring my children have something to eat.

My biggest concern is building a new house. The current house is in poor condition, and it has been damaged over time. The mud walls have weakened, and the iron sheets have corroded, letting in water whenever it rains, making the space damp. I have been saving some funds from the transfers for this purpose, and I hope I will have achieved a substantial amount in a year. I have also started rearing chickens, and I hope they will have grown a bigger flock in one year so that I can sell them to support the house construction.

By the time I received the cash transfers, two of my kids were in debt for a total of $30 in school fees for this term. I had not yet paid because I did not have the funds to cover their fees. Their father had not earned anything from his job as a casual laborer at a sugar factory. To avoid the risk of them being sent from school, I settled this balance, and I am happy that they have remained in school to date. I also saved $56 through a savings group in my community. I aim to accumulate enough funds to build a new house. The current house is dilapidated and on the verge of collapsing as the mud walls have weakened over time. Once I withdraw the saved funds in the next year, I plan to start buying building materials like iron sheets and building poles to construct another house. Additionally, I bought four chickens using $12 to rear. Since they are still young, I anticipate that they will mature and breed. It is then that I can sell them to top up the funds I am saving to build the house. The remaining $4 went towards buying food so that my children could have something to eat that day.

Looking ahead, my goal is to build a completely new house. The current house dates back ten years, and as it has mud walls, it is susceptible to destruction from heavy rains. Currently, I had to repair one of the walls that collapsed due to the ongoing rains. I plan to construct a new house with mud walls but change the structure to make it less vulnerable to rain damage. To achieve this, I plan to save some of the cash transfers until I accumulate enough funds to buy building materials like iron sheets and building poles first.

I utilized part of the cash transfers to cover school fees for my children. One of them was about to take the national primary school examination, and there were pending debts at his school. Constantly being sent home for tuition balances, I used $25 to settle the debt, ensuring that he sat for his exams without interruptions. Additionally, the ongoing rains had damaged one wall of my house, creating a hole. I spent $34 to buy building poles and compensate the person repairing the wall. I'm pleased that the house is now in better shape. With $34, I also bought a goat, adding to a total of three. My goal is to rear these goats, allowing them to reproduce so that I can sell them in the future to pay for my three children's school fees. The remaining $9 was spent on food. They primarily depend on their father, who works as a casual laborer, mostly carrying luggage. His earnings are mainly allocated to buying food and paying school fees, and I have always felt the need to support him whenever I get the chance. I am grateful that the cash transfers have allowed me to actively contribute to my family’s needs.

I have a desire to construct a new house to replace my current damaged structure. The condition of the dwelling is concerning, as the building poles have rotten and can no longer support the weight of the mud walls. I need to have a safe and secure shelter for my family, one that can withstand the strong weather elements and provide a comfortable living environment. To fulfill this goal, I intend to allocate a portion of the cash transfers I receive toward saving for the construction of a new house. I am determined to work towards this goal and use the cash transfers as a stepping stone towards achieving it.

I engage in charcoal burning to help provide for the needs of my family, while my husband works as a casual carrier at the port. At the time I received the cash transfer, my husband had not been paid, and we were facing financial difficulties as a result. During that time, my three children were sent home from school and missed two days of classes due to unpaid fees. Recognizing the importance of education, I used $32 from the cash transfer to cover the outstanding debt and ensure that my children could resume their studies. Clearing the school fees brought me great joy, as it allowed them to return to school without any further interruptions. If it were not for the cash transfers, my children would still be at home. With the remaining amount, I secured more food for my family. Our stock had been depleted, and it was important to ensure that we had enough to sustain us until my husband's payment arrived. The cash transfers have been a crucial support for our family, enabling us to meet important expenses and provide for our basic needs, and for that, I will be eternally grateful.

By early next year, I hope to have repaired the roof of my house, which is corroded and almost collapsing from one side. To achieve this, I plan to save some amount from the cash transfers to buy roofing materials like iron sheets and nails, then hire a builder to renovate the roof. I would also be happy if I bought a new mattress because the old one is worn out, which gives me uncomfortable sleep at night. 

When I first received my transfers, I started building a one-room house for my three children, who had been sharing space with me in the main house. The new structure would provide them with enough space and leave room for the storage of household items in the old house. Funding this project would not have been possible before, since the little my husband and I made from our casual jobs hardly covered the basics like food and school fees. So, I spent $25 and $32 from December’s and February’s transfers to buy 7 pieces of iron sheets to complete the roof. As we speak, only the roof cappings are pending to bring the entire house to completion; am grateful. I bought food with the remaining cash to serve my family until we raised money for more. Next, I spent the entire January’s transfer,$34, to secure a goat, which increased my herd to 18 goats. Given the unreliability of my spouse’s and my sources of income, owning livestock is the surest investment that will help raise my children’s school fees. 

I have felt relief since enrolling in GiveDirectly's program, even though I have only received the transfers twice. The transfer has played an important role in promoting economic growth among our community members. It excels at providing unconditional cash transfers, allowing us to prioritize our needs with the transfer. The employees are also professional and adhere to ethical standards at work. I haven't noticed anything GiveDirectly does not do well.

Throughout, I have concentrated on livestock raising. Before my recent transfer, I had ten goats, one sheep, and six cows. However, because I do not have any other options for work, I spent $30 on another goat. This has increased the size of my flock, and I am always happy to look after them. It reminds me of the kindness shown to us by GiveDirectly. I prefer livestock because they are valuable, and I can sell them for a profit. I intend to sell some of them when I need to raise school fees for my three school-age children, Pili, Katana, and Kitsao.

I am not conversant with phone operations, so I usually leave my phone at home. One of the evenings, when I had just arrived home from taking care of our cows my son, informed me that we had received our first transfer. I was happy and thankful. We did not have any foodstuff in the house, and I was worried about how I could raise money for our dinner. I could not wait any longer, I sent him to withdraw it so that he could buy some food for our dinner.

The biggest difference in my daily life is the joy and pride of having bought enough stock of corn flour to sustain my family for quite a good number of days. This has given me enough time to raise money for more so that my children do not go hungry.

I bought 18 kg of corn flour for my family at KES 1000. We had nothing in the house and raising money for food has been a challenge because we do not have a reliable source of income. My spouse work as a casual laborer(loading trucks with luggage) which earns him little money. Moreover, there are times the work is not available which translates to sleeping hungry or skipping meals. Besides buying corn for the family, I bought a chick for rearing worth 100 KES. It is the first one I'm rearing hoping to purchase more whenever I will receive my transfers.