In August 2024, it was my turn to receive money from the merry-go-round, and I received $100. With this amount, I purchased three goats and five chickens. I now have nine goats and one cow. My goal is to have the goats multiply so I can sell them to cover my children’s school fees. Although I didn’t have the opportunity for a good education, I am determined to provide my children with a brighter future and ensure they succeed. I also plan to exchange some of the goats for dairy cows. I will milk the cows, selling the milk to my neighbors and using some for my children’s nourishment. Additionally, I currently sell and burn charcoal, and with the income from the milk, I aim to increase my earnings and provide a better life for my children.

As a mother of five children, four of whom are currently in school, I spent $12 on new school uniforms for two of them. Their old uniforms were worn out and outdated, so I bought new ones to boost their confidence. My husband and I decided that I would use my transfer to pay our solar bills so we wouldn’t be left in the dark. Each month, I contribute $10 towards these bills, and with the transfers, I have spent $30 to clear them. Additionally, I joined a merry-go-round group of twelve people after we started receiving transfers. Each month, I contribute $11 to this group, with the goal of saving for the purchase of goats and covering my children’s school expenses. With the transfer, I saved $33 in the merry-go-round for our future and my children’s future. With the remaining $24, I purchased food to ensure my children wouldn’t come home from school hungry.

With the savings from our savings group, I aim to purchase three goats, hoping they'll breed and increase in number. My plan is to eventually exchange them for cows down the line. When my children enter higher education, I may be able to sell the cows to finance their schooling.

I plan to become a livestock farmer, so I set aside some of my transfer money into a savings group to save up for buying goats in the future. I saved $30 toward this goal. Then, because we ran out of food, I spent $10 on groceries. Additionally, I spent $20 to repay a loan that I have been repaying for a solar panel that I took on credit. Later, I spent $10 on purchasing chickens, hoping they'll breed and increase in number. I further spent an additional $14 to buy school supplies and school uniform for my child. Finally, I wanted to get my children a more comfortable bed because they do not have a good bed to sleep in, so I spent $18 as a deposit for it.

Two significant goals occupy my thoughts currently: initiating livestock ownership and contributing to the construction of a new house for my family. Given the absence of a reliable income source other than cash transfers, I plan to venture into livestock keeping as a means of wealth creation. The vision is to secure a future where, even after the cash transfers end, I can sell the livestock to pay for my four children's school fees. Simultaneously, I aspire to build a new house. Recent heavy rains led to the collapse of our dwelling, compelling us to move in with my mother-in-law. I aim to regain our living space using savings accrued through a self-help group. These accumulated savings will be allocated to obtaining five goats, with additional funds directed toward purchasing iron sheets to prepare for the house construction.

As the primary provider for my family, my husband runs a small fruit-selling business in Mombasa. The modest income from this venture often makes it challenging for him to cover all our household needs. Fortunately, the cash transfers have allowed me to actively contribute to our family's well-being, easing the burden on him. Recently, we faced expenses related to our child's entry into junior high school, requiring uniform purchases amounting to $27, along with $7 for books for his three siblings still in primary school. Additionally, I allocated $34 for Christmas celebrations, covering food and new clothes for the children, bringing joy to the family. I also saved $10 through a self-help group, to accumulate enough to purchase at least three goats for rearing. This livestock venture aims to provide ongoing support for my family even after the cash transfers conclude. After spending $10 to pay for a solar lamp obtained on credit, the remaining funds were utilized to contribute to putting food on the table. I am happy that our lives are more manageable with the support of cash transfers, especially concerning school fees and food. I am immensely grateful for this assistance.

My greatest aspiration is to witness all of my children achieve their academic goals. Without the financial assistance, affording their education would have been a significant challenge for my husband and me. My husband works various casual jobs to support our family, and there have been times when this proved to be quite challenging, resulting in our children being sent home from school on occasion. Despite the financial hardships we face, I am grateful that my children are comfortable in their educational pursuits. My primary objective is to ensure that I can consistently pay their school fees on time to prevent any interruptions in their studies due to financial constraints. In addition, I am also planning to invest a portion of the money in acquiring livestock, particularly goats. My goal is to establish a sustainable goat-raising venture. As their numbers grow, they will serve as a financial safety net for my children's future education.

I currently have three children who are enrolled in school, and it's the financial support I've received that has enabled them to continue their education. I am immensely grateful for this assistance because, without it, my children would often be sent home, causing them to miss valuable class time. My livelihood depends on income from selling charcoal, which is unpredictable and unreliable. Thanks to the financial assistance, I now have peace of mind knowing that my children's education is secure. To ensure my children's education remains uninterrupted, I recently paid $31 to cover their outstanding school fees, relieving them from the constant threat of being suspended from their studies. Furthermore, one of my three children is set to enter junior high school, which comes with higher expenses. To prepare for this, I've joined a savings group, contributing at least $10 every month. This savings fund will help cover the cost of tuition, stationery, and school uniforms, ensuring that I won't face challenges enrolling him in junior high school. The recent financial transfers also coincided with the planting season, and I'm happy that I had a successful harvest. This harvest has greatly contributed to food security in my household, relieving me of the burden of purchasing food. My children can now enjoy three meals a day, a luxury we couldn't afford before. Even buying a 1kg packet of flour was a challenge in the past, but now, we are in a much more stable and secure position.

Givedirectly has changed my life greatly since coming in. I took a solar powered system to light my home and now my children do not have to forego doing their homework due to oil insufficiencies. We used to use a oil lamp but the cost was so high and having a solar powered lamp has removed that cost from me. I however to the system on loan and so I am yet to pay the remaining $12 for the system. I hope to use Givedirectly transfers to reduce this debt and eventually become debt free as I enjoy the benefits of this system. I am also saving to get goats which for me will be an emergency fund especially for my children’s school.

I am a mother of five and my husband is our primary breadwinner. He sells merchandise in Mombasa to try make ends meet. My husband sends money from time to time but the funds are usually not sufficient to meet all needs and my business as a charcoal seller hasn’t been doing so well. I have been using my money to buy food, pay school fees and save in my local savings group. I have also been paying for my solar powered that I bought after receiving Givedirectly funds. I pay $10 daily for the solar powered system, I also pay $10 to my local savings grouo and in April I spent $10 to pay school fees for my children. I spend about $4 to $10 a month to get food as this is the most essential need.

My primary goal is to use a portion of my monthly transfers to pay my three children's school expenses as long as I continue to receive them. I always pay about $15 a month for their fees whenever I get my monthly transfer. I am happy that they can always concentrate on their studies. In addition, I have a goal of doing both poultry farming and raising livestock. I have one goat, but I aim to buy more this year. I have opted to invest in the same because they can help me when I have an emergency, and I will find it easier to support my children. Lastly, since my children do not have better bedding, my other goal is to buy them some better bedding. They have been using a sisal bed that has been inflicting them with pain.

Before the transfers were sent, my two daughters; Maurine and Chania had uncleared school fee arrears of $15. However, I had desired to clear their fee arrears to give me an easy time when the schools re-open. Fortunately, when I received my recent transfer, I cleared the outstanding balance, although the children were not in session. Moreover, I spent $14 on buying new clothes for the two daughters since it was the festive season. I am glad that they celebrated and enjoyed the festive season in a manner I least thought of. Lastly, I used the balance of $5 to buy them some foodstuff. I am indebted to GiveDirectly for its charitable works.

This money is a support system for me. It has enabled me to improve my life.

I sell charcoal for a living. The profit I get from the business helps me buy food for my family. I also have five goats and 1 cow at home and whenever I need school fees for my children, I can sell them. My husband owns a shop and most of the time he provides for our five children and me. I spent the last transfer to buy food for $3, paid school fees $19, and bought two chickens for rearing for $8.

I remember that day very vividly especially because it was in the evening and I was stressed out of my mind reasons being that we had already not eaten for three days and it looked like we were about to go for another day but lucky enough that money came and my spirits just went up instantly.

I was genuinely relieved when I could finally manage to afford a meal for me and my children because we had already been hungry for a couple of days and this is especially tough on them since they just kids and they can only handle so much.

The moment I realized I had received that money I decided that I was going too first look into nourishment especially since it had actually been three days since my children and I had a meal. Therefore I went ahead and used the KES 1,200 by purchasing five packets of maize flour, a kilogram of sugar, a kilogram of wheat flour, a litre of cookin and a kilogram of beans.