My spouse and I are fortunate to have three children of whom two are in school, while the youngest is still small. To support our family, my spouse takes on casual jobs, while I manage our livestock. Life was quite challenging before we received assistance from GiveDirectly; earning a consistent income was difficult, and the little we had was often insufficient for basic needs like school fees and food. There were times when we went to bed hungry, but now, thanks to GiveDirectly, we can plan better and no longer face those hardships. With my most recent transfer, I spent $102 to purchase three goats. I aim to invest in goat rearing, so once the transfers conclude, I’ll have a reliable source of support for my family. As the goats breed and their numbers increase, I plan to sell some of them to pay for my children's education and purchase food.

My spouse and I are fortunate to have three children,two of whom are in school, while the youngest is still small. To support our family, my spouse takes on casual jobs, while I manage our livestock. Life was quite challenging before we received assistance from GiveDirectly; earning a consistent income was difficult, and the little we had was often insufficient for basic needs like school fees and food. There were times when we went to bed hungry, but now, thanks to GiveDirectly, we can plan better and no longer face those hardships. With my most recent transfer, I spent $102 to purchase three goats. I aim to invest in goat rearing, so once the transfers conclude, I’ll have a reliable source of support for my family. As the goats breed and their numbers increase, I plan to sell some of them to pay for my children's education and purchase food.

Initially, my plan was to buy land to expand my farming activities. However, I realized that it's more important to expand my house first due to the limited space. My current two-room small house is not sufficient for our family of seven, so I want to gradually buy building materials to add an extra room for my children. This additional room will provide a better living environment and much-needed privacy for my family.

When I received my recent transfers, I used $90 to purchase three goats for rearing, viewing it as a good investment for future financial security. With five children currently in Primary School and soon transitioning to Secondary School where we will need to pay fees, I plan to sell some of the goats once they have multiplied to cover these costs. I allocated $4 to buy food for my family, as we were running low. Additionally, I spent $8 on two chickens, as they multiply quickly and can be sold in times of financial crisis.

I have a different mindset since being enrolled in the Givedirectly transfers. I believe this cash is mean to help my family to create investment. I have one acre piece of land with orange and lime tree on it. I however would want to increase the number of fruit tree I have by purchasing a larger piece of land. This is to also allow for my family to have farm land. I know that an increase tree cover contributes to how much it rains in a place and as someone who has tasted drought I would want to change our place from a dry place to a place that rains more frequently through a bigger tree cover. It also contributes to a cool environment which is something I also hope to achieve.

Receiving transfers from Givedirectly has changed the way I think. I am an animal herder hired to take care of people's animals. I make about $30 monthly from my work. This usually contributes to the different house needs. I however would like to to buy an additional piece of land for my family so that we can increase the number of fruit trees in our home. I have saved $64 of my recent transfers to a local savings group in the village which I plan to use in purchasing land. I also got at $30 goat which has increased the number of my goats to 12 and two additional chicken which increased them to 15.

In the upcoming year, my primary objective is to construct a larger house, as the current dwelling is insufficient to meet my needs. Simultaneously, I aspire to acquire an additional two acres of land for agricultural purposes. To facilitate these goals, I plan to join a savings club, allocating a portion of my transfers towards their realization. Reflecting on my journey thus far, I am filled with a profound sense of fulfillment and happiness. The transformation in my life is evident, and I can now confidently assert that achieving these milestones, which once seemed uncertain, has become a reality.

I am the eldest among five siblings, and seven years ago, I had to discontinue my education in grade six due to financial constraints within my family. My father earns a living as a casual laborer, relying on tasks such as removing tree stumps and selling charcoal, while my mother fulfills the role of a housewife. The arrival of GiveDirectly in my village has been a significant blessing. Their support enabled me to establish a livestock business, and I've been able to contribute towards my siblings' education by assisting with their school fees. Utilizing the received transfers, I allocated $40 to purchase food to supplement our insufficient harvest. Additionally, I invested $48 in acquiring a goat and a chicken, which were added to my existing herd, strengthening my business. The remaining $14 was dedicated to settling a school fee debt for my siblings, who had been sent home due to an outstanding balance. I am happy that this project has undeniably transformed my life, providing me with the freedom to pursue my aspirations.

My goal is to provide my husband and myself with a comfortable sleeping space by purchasing a larger bed and a high-quality mattress this month. Currently, we sleep on a small bed with an uncomfortable mattress, and I believe it's time for an upgrade. Once we have the new bed and mattress, we can pass on our current one to our children, ensuring everyone in the family has a better night's sleep.

I chose to invest the GiveDirectly transfers into pursuing my dream of becoming a livestock keeper. The support I received was incredibly valuable in helping me achieve my goals. With the transfer, I was able to purchase a goat worth $30, and now I proudly own a total of five goats. The remaining amount of $4.70 was also of great help since it made a significant difference in purchasing food for my family. I am deeply grateful for the support I received, as it has brought me closer to realizing my aspirations and providing for my loved ones.

I hope to accomplish my goal of acquiring a parcel of land in the next year and beyond. There is a parcel of land that I had identified, and the seller had agreed to sell it out to us at $100. So far, I have not made any payment though I am working on how to raise some money to commit. That parcel will assist me in locating a suitable location for subsistence cultivation. It will aid in obtaining other sources of income. The acquisition of that amount is my key goal this year as I continue to get transfers. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial support.

I am a mother of two children, one of whom is in school. I have been wishing to focus on cattle keeping because I do not have any other source of money. I prioritized adding a goat immediately after I received my recent transfer. I paid $ 30 for a goat and now have six. I am hopeful that the number will continue to grow and that they will help me way after the monthly transfers are over. The remaining $4 I saved in a merry-go-round. I chose to join a savings scheme so that I could always get money when I was in desperate need. Certainly

I have not paid in full for a 1-acre parcel of land that I own. I still owe the landowner $100 so that he can give me full ownership of the property. I have plans to start both a commercial farm and a subsistence farm, but this plot of land is too small for both. I want to purchase three more acres of land with the money from my transfers. I'll have the chance to plant a lot of maize thanks to this, and the huge profits I make will help me provide for my family.

In our family, my husband is the only source of income. He works as a butcher in the city, selling meat. He makes $5 a day on average. The family's needs, which include purchasing food, clothing, paying for medication, and covering school fees, cannot be met with this sum. Due to significant school fee balances, we are occasionally forced to watch the kids stay home for longer than a week while their peers continue their education or go to bed on an empty stomach because of a lack of money to buy food. I used my money to purchase a goat in an effort to save and invest for the future. I have high hopes that the goats will increase in number over the coming months, giving me the chance to sell some of them and use the proceeds to cover my children's school expenses in the event that they are sent home. I do not currently have a backup strategy in place that I could use to raise money if necessary. I'm relieved that this will enable me to cover my children's primary school tuition.

After I got enrolled I decided that I should try and make an investment in the long run with the transfers I received so that by the time the program was ending I would be at a better place financially. My first thought was to grow my farm by purchasing farm animals and since livestock was quite costly I decided to buy goats instead. So far I have managed to purchase three goats and this time round I decided to do the same thing so I ended up using my entire payment of KES 3,000 and bought another goat.

What GiveDirectly does well is choosing to help us through unconditional cash transfers.This way, we are able to identify our needs and goal and work towards achieving them. What I would like to recommend is to observe timelines for sending the transfer because majority of us do early planning.

I have been a housewife since I was married and it's not something that I enjoy. Since I don't have any source of income, I have to fully depend on my husband even for the most basic needs. My wish was to have a business or an investment that I can count on but my husband who is a butcher earning KES 3000 monthly salary couldn't afford to support me. Being enrolled in the program was a good opportunity for me to start something meaningful. My goal is to buy as many livestock as I can which I can sell in future to help me run my errands. I spend KES 2000 to buy goat and the balance to buy myself and our baby some clothes because the few that we had was somehow torn because of regular washing. I'm so grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial support and looking better my life through the cash transfers.

I was doing some launder when I heard the message alert from my phone. I went to check and saw that I had received money from give directly. I continued with my laundry then afterward called my husband to inform him about the great news. He was happy for me. He advised me to spend it wisely since at the time he did not have any money to send to us as he normally does. My first thought was to buy some maize flour because I had run out of it. I felt relieved receiving the funds.

I am yet to note any big difference since this is my first transfer. But with time, I know I will. Currently, I have started a poultry farming project. I have plans to buy more using the transfer. I also have plans of buying decent clothes for myself and some goats.

I am a housewife and I am fully dependent on my husband for financial support. He works as a butcher man in the city where he stays. He only comes to visit us, my infant child and I, utmost, thrice a month. When I received the KES1200 from give directly, he had informed me that he did not have any money and since my child and I were in need of some food, I used KES500 to buy maize flour and bought 4 chickens with the remaining amount as I had plans to start poultry farming.