As an elderly person, I find it increasingly difficult to engage in physically demanding work that would allow me to earn money to support my grandchildren in the future. However, I have come up with a plan that I believe will help me achieve this goal. I have decided to save my money in a merry-go-round group, pooling funds together with others. Once I receive the pooled money, I intend to continue saving a portion of my transfers in the group. When it's my turn to receive the funds again, I plan to use them to purchase goats. My hope is that these goats will multiply and increase in number and value over time, so that in the future, I will have a reliable source of income to fall back on, especially when the GiveDirectly program comes to an end. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to participate in this program, as it has provided me with a means to secure a better future for myself and my grandchildren. While I may not be able to engage in physically demanding work, I am determined to make the most of the resources available to me through this program and my merry-go-round group.

The transfers I received came at a crucial time when I was facing some very difficult moments. My son had been attacked by thugs and sustained severe injuries that required emergency medical attention. I spent $48 of my recent transfer to take him to the hospital, and I am relieved to say that he is now doing better. I am incredibly thankful for this assistance, as I honestly do not know what I would have done without it. In addition to addressing my son's medical needs, I have also been saving a portion of my transfers in a merry-go-round group. Recently, I saved another $40 from my transfers in this group, and I plan to use the pooled funds when it’s my turn to receive them. My goal is to buy goats with that money, which I hope to sell in the future to support myself. This plan gives me hope for a more stable and secure future. Finally, I spent the remaining $14 to buy food for my family so that we would not go hungry. I am grateful for the assistance that was given to us.

My future goal is to expand my livestock holdings. I am confident that by investing in more animals, they will multiply over time. This will not only provide a stable source of income but also serve as a safety net in case of emergencies. I am deeply grateful for the financial support I have received thus far, as it has provided me with the means to work towards securing a more stable and prosperous future for my family and I.

For the past three months, I have been grappling with an eye disease characterized by teary eyes, blurred vision, and intense pain, rendering it challenging for me to work on the farm. During this period of illness, I relied heavily on my son, who works as a motorcycle taxi driver, to meet our immediate needs, including purchasing food and medicine. Fortunately, my condition has improved, allowing me to return to the farm and work comfortably, although some discomfort persists. Nonetheless, I am relieved and grateful to feel much better now. In preparation for the future, I have managed to save $40 with the intention of purchasing a goat later this month. Despite the high cost, I am determined to acquire goats because I recognize their potential to generate income and provide for my needs in the long term. Additionally, I allocated $28 towards purchasing food, ensuring that my family of eight never went hungry during this period. Earlier this year, I invested $40 in purchasing a goat, although unfortunately, a goat I acquired last year succumbed to disease. Nevertheless, I remain hopeful that the goat I currently own and any future acquisitions will multiply and serve as valuable assets in the future. I am grateful for the financial support provided by the transfers, which enabled me to obtain medication for my condition and facilitated my overall well-being.

Moving forward, my goal is to utilize my subsequent transfers to seek better medical care and work towards restoring my eyes to their normal functionality. Once I have regained my health, I will be able to engage in farming, which serves as my primary source of income. I intend to use the funds to purchase livestock, specifically goats, so that I can have valuable assets to rely on even after the financial aid comes to an end.

In August of this year, I began experiencing issues with my eyes. They became teary and caused me a great deal of pain. Over time, my vision started to blur, making it difficult for me to see clearly. As a result, I had to seek medical treatment by visiting the hospital. So far, I have spent $52 on medical expenses in the hopes of improving my condition and returning to good health. Unfortunately, my eyes have not shown any signs of improvement, and the condition remains the same. Given that I am unable to work, I used $20 to purchase food. The financial support I have received has been crucial in ensuring that I can afford the medical care I need. Without it, accessing medical attention would have been extremely challenging for me.

First and foremost, I am thankful for the cash transfers as they have significantly alleviated hardships in my household. My main objective is to acquire goats, so when the cash assistance from Give Directly stops, I can rely on selling the animals to generate a steady income. To achieve this, I am dedicated to saving a portion of my monthly earnings through a self-help group. I hope that the current farming season yields enough food, allowing me to accomplish this goal in the next few years. This will enable me to accumulate sufficient funds to purchase goats and build wealth, ultimately improving the financial stability of my household.

With the recent rainfall, I set aside $24 to hire an ox for plowing my one-acre land in preparation for planting. This investment was crucial as I previously lacked the funds to hire such services. While my son occasionally provides support, his income from casual jobs like making charcoal is not sufficient to meet our family's needs or support other agricultural activities. Therefore, I heavily rely on the cash transfers as a primary source of income for these necessities. I am grateful that the plowing process was successful, allowing me to utilize the entire land for planting. Additionally, I used $5 to purchase maize seeds, ensuring we have enough resources for the planting season. The remaining amount was allocated to buy food as my family had gone to bed hungry the night before.

Our region's climate presents a significant challenge for us in ensuring food safety. Due to a lack of rain, we can no longer grow food crops on our farms. Our sole economic activity is raising livestock, particularly goats because they can withstand the harsh climatic conditions. Owning a lot of livestock and hoping for rain later in the year will be my biggest accomplishments this year. My initial investment will rise as a result of the livestock growing and profiling more quickly.

During his return trip from Mariakani town, my son was injured in a motorcycle accident. He suffered severe wounds as a result of the collision, and medical attention was given to him right away. He stayed in the hospital for a full week, which resulted in a hefty hospital bill. When I got my February transfer, I spent $15 to pay off my enormous $500 debt. I am glad he was discharged from the hospital and is now recovering at home thanks to donations from family, friends, and kind neighbors. I spent the remaining $19 on food in addition to covering the hospital bill. I purchased two kilograms of beans, a kg of sugar, five packets of maize flour, some fish, and 500 grams of salt. I paid some money to buy water for use at home. Our local water sources have dried up due to the intense heat, forcing us to pay exorbitant prices for water from vendors.

In my opinion I see no wrong doing from the organization so far. Actually I'm quite grateful for the generosity it has shown me and my family and even other people as well, because it has elevated as from living in conditions of dire poverty to where we can stand on our feet.

After I had the opportunity to get time to withdraw the money, I went ahead and used KES 1,000 by purchasing five packets of maize flour because I completely had nothing to eat that evening. Afterwards I proceeded to spend KES 500 by purchasing two hens because I was planning to begin a project in poultry for me. I saved the balance of KES 1,500 because I was hoping to buy a goat since unfortunately the money would not be enough to afford one.

It was around 4 pm when I heard a message tone from my phone. Being unable to read, I handed over the phone to my daughter for clarification and she confirmed that I had received the first transfer from GiveDirectly. My heart was filled with joy and happiness for receiving the transfer knowing the journey with GiveDirectly had successfully started. I ululated in happiness since I was not sure such a piece of luck could land on me.

Before receiving the transfer, I used to struggle to make ends meet since I am a widow. My son who is a casual laborer could not fully cater to the needs of the whole family. This made me venture into some tiring businesses to support the situation. I started making and selling charcoal as well as selling firewood. As of now, I am grateful for the support that I received from GiveDirectly because I am sure it will carry us for a long time since I was enrolled for monthly payments for five years. Soon the struggle will be over and from the transfers, I plan to transform my living situation by starting a livestock investment using the transfers I will be getting. The plan is to buy a goat after every two months.

When I received the first transfer from GiveDirectly, I was negative $4 which I borrowed and bought two packets of maize flour for my family. The reason why I went to an extent of borrowing is the poverty level is very high and I work from hand to mouth from casual labor if at all I get any. For the remaining $8 I bought four packets of maize flour at $2 each to ensure there is food at home.