My goal is to invest in livestock, particularly goats, which I can rely on to meet my financial needs. As an elderly person who spends most of my time at home, I don't have any source of income. My son, who has been the breadwinner, is already struggling to provide for his own family, so I'm not counting on him for financial assistance. I believe that buying goats is a good investment for me, and I plan on increasing my herd. Currently, I own four goats, and my goal is to breed them and sell their offspring to generate income for myself.

My husband and I are elderly and spend most of our time at home, engaged in subsistence farming. However, due to our age, farming has become increasingly difficult for us. Additionally, my husband is sick, so I spend most of my time taking care of him. Although we have four grandchildren who are mostly in school, we get minimal support from our son, who is our only support system. I am grateful for GiveDirectly because their transfers have been a lifeline for us in our old age. During the last planting season, I didn't have enough resources to fully cultivate my three-acre farm. I only managed to plant one acre, but unfortunately, the rains were too heavy, and my maize crops were destroyed, leaving me with just a handful of harvest. Without the transfers, my household could have lacked food after depleting the little harvest that I had. With the recent transfers, I was able to buy enough food to sustain us, including bales of maize flour, beans, and sugar. I spent almost $85 on shopping for foodstuffs. Additionally, I also spent $10 to buy new clothes, which have improved my well-being. Finally, with the remaining amount, I purchased a goat, adding to my herd of four goats. Although I had six goats, I lost two, but I'm not discouraged from keeping them. I'm happy with the four goats, and I'm rearing them to multiply. Since I don't have any source of income, I can rely on them to generate some money when I am in financial distress.

My primary goal is to expand my livelihood by acquiring more goats. Beyond the immediate joy of tending to these animals, my strategic intent lies in securing a financial safety net for the unpredictable future. Recognizing the goats not only as a source of companionship but also as valuable assets, I aim to build a robust foundation that can withstand potential financial crises. As these goats multiply, so does my sense of security, knowing that their value can be a lifeline in times of economic uncertainty. It's a simple yet profound plan: a commitment to ensuring stability and resilience for myself and my family, fostering a sense of security that extends beyond the traditional bounds of financial planning.

Using part of my recent unconditional cash transfer, I allocated $10 to hire someone to plough my farm. As age catches up with me, tilling the land has become an arduous task, and in the past, I struggled to utilize the entire farm, resulting in low yields. The assistance I received ensures that this season will be different—a season of plenty. The anticipation of a bountiful harvest brings a sense of joy and relief, knowing that my efforts will not be in vain. With the remaining $24.7, I made sure to purchase food supplies for my family, consisting of my spouse and three beloved grandchildren. We heavily rely on subsistence farming for our daily sustenance, but the prolonged drought has made it exceptionally tough for my spouse to meet our needs. This added strain had been a worry, and the cash transfer came as a timely relief, ensuring we have enough food to sustain ourselves through these difficult times. Though temporary, these challenges have made us appreciate every bit of support we receive to keep our family nourished and cared for during these trying periods.

Currently, my primary objective is to attain financial stability, and I believe that investing in livestock offers the most promising path to achieve this goal. Initially, I utilized funds from various transfers to purchase four goats. Subsequently, I made the decision to sell these goats and reinvested the proceeds in acquiring a young dairy cow. This accomplishment fills me with immense pride, and I am eager to soon begin selling milk in the village, which I anticipate will generate a substantial income to meet my needs.

Throughout July, I devoted my entire transfer to purchasing food for my family, consisting of six members. Among them are my four grandchildren, whom I live with and support in their daily needs. Unfortunately, my son, their father, is unemployed and incapable of providing for them. Additionally, my elderly husband is no longer able to work, leaving me as the sole provider for the family. As a peasant farmer, I focus on maximizing food production during the rainy season to sustain my family. However, this leaves me with limited opportunities for additional income through casual jobs during the dry season. Thankfully, the monthly transfers I have been receiving have been a great help in providing for my family during these challenging times. Now, I am glad to see that my family members no longer go to bed hungry as we did before receiving this financial support. Their happiness and well-being are of utmost importance to me, and these transfers have made a significant difference in our lives.

My goal currently is to ensure that, through the transfers, my household doesn't lack food. A food shortage has been my biggest challenge due to the prevailing harsh climatic conditions that have made it impossible for me to practice farming. I do not have an income and no one to rely on. I'm just relying on the monthly transfers for my basic needs, such as food. I am also planning to save a portion of the money every month to buy more goats. The goats can also help me to meet my future financial needs as they reproduce and increase in number.

I have been saving a portion of my transfers for the last four months to buy a goat. I am grateful that I finally purchased the goat for Ksh 3,000. I now own four goats, which are valuable assets on which I can rely for my financial needs. I can readily sell the goats to settle my financial needs, even as they reproduce and increase in number. In addition to the goats, the transfers also enabled me to buy enough foodstuffs for my family. It's been overwhelmingly expensive, even to buy a 2 kg packet of maize flour. If I were to buy foodstuffs at my own cost in these harsh economic conditions, then it would have been an uphill task. I would have gone some days without food. I do not have any financial support from anyone and am relying on transfers for the provision of food. Additionally, I am weak, and I no longer engage in casual jobs like burning and selling charcoal, which for long has been my source of income. I appreciate GiveDirectly because, through the transfers, I did not lack food in my household for weeks.

My aim is to purchase more livestock, particularly goats, and then sell them so I can purchase dairy cows. My son, a construction worker, is my primary source of support. He has a very heavy responsibility to look after his family, which consists of his wife, seven kids, and me. I wish I could contribute to paying some of the family's expenses, but I am unable to do so due to my advanced age. By purchasing livestock, I hope to create a source of income that will enable me to contribute to my son's family's financial needs.

As a consequence of drought starvation has literally been our biggest problem back in the village especially since most of us relied on the harvest to feed our families and survive. Therefore I was quite elated when I received the transfers at the time since I was sure that evening we were going to sleep hungry were it not for the money. I ended up spending KES 3,120 by purchasing a bag of maize flour which contained a dozen packets and then I also bought two kilograms of beans and sugar and cooking oil. Lastly I spent the balance of KES 280 by purchasing laundry detergent and body oil.

After I received the transfers, I decided to first deal with my biggest priority which was nutrition especially since there was barely any food in the house and I could not rely on making money from working since I was quite old. So after the donation arrived, I used KES 2,000 and bought a bag of maize flour that contained a dozen packets. This would last me quite a while and atleast k would not have a rely on my children for the mean time. I have not yet utilised the balance of KES 1,000 that I am left with but I plan to leave it as part of my savings in case of a rainy day or an emergency.

I would like to commend the staff from GiveDirectly who educated us well on how best to use the money. The information was very important, especially for me who is illiterate and with very little knowledge of money investment. The area for improvement is the timely disbursement of the funds. A minor delay means more suffering (skipping meals) from our end because of the harsh economy and weather.

I live with my husband, and 6 grandchildren who are under my care after their mother passed away. My husband is of age and cannot work. I work as a casual laborer working on other people’s farms to earn a living and support my family. For over a year now we have experienced a scarcity of jobs, especially those from the farms. Being jobless wreaked havoc on providing essential needs for my family, such as food. I currently depend on my eldest son, who is the father of my grandchildren, to send us money for upkeep. He works in construction jobs as a casual laborer. Because of his little earnings, he is not always in a position to help us and we have to sleep on empty stomachs (a minimum of 3 days a week). I opted to invest the money I got from my transfer in buying a goat. The goat is a smart investment for me because in the future my young grandchildren will reap the benefits accrued from the rearing and multiplication of the goats.

I was on my way to go fetch water for my use at home. My phone rang loudly. I checked it and found out that I had received my transfer. I started ululating and shouting loudly. This attracted the attention of people walking alongside me. They all became eager to know why I was this happy and I explained to them I had received my transfer from GiveDirectly. They congratulated me as I headed to the water point. When I later arrived at home, I shared the good news with my husband and we sat down on how best to use the money.

The money has brought a big difference to my life. I will do away the shame of being homeless, which I have endured for the longest time in my life. I will also be able to take care of my old husband well now that I will have money to buy him the medicine he needs.

My husband is very old and needs constant supervision. This has made me unable to work too. I fully depend on my son who works in town as a construction to take care of both me and my husband. With the little money that my son sends to me I try to save so that be able to build a new house since the other house fell down and I am now homeless. I currently sleep in my grandchild’s house. I feel bad about it and I want to build my own. Upon receiving my transfer, I saved KSH 500 in a Chama, intending to save enough to build my house. In addition, I spent KSH 600 from the transfer and some additional savings I had and bought a goat worth 3000. Now that I spend most of my time at home, I want to rear the goat so that accrue wealth once they multiply in numbers. The remaining KSH 100 I bought I packet of maize flour for food. Since I live with my husband, we consume little and had some few packets left in the house.