Previously, I was determined to build a separate kitchen to protect my family from the smoke and toxins of cooking inside our home. I am thrilled to share that the kitchen is now complete! Looking ahead, my plan is to establish a herd of livestock, including bulls that will assist with plowing my farm. To achieve this, I intend to use a portion of the transfers I receive from GiveDirectly to buy more goats. I hope they will multiply and increase in number, allowing me to trade some of them for cows in the future. This investment will provide me with a reliable source of support for my family and help fund my children's education, especially when this program comes to an end. I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead!

The transfers arrived at a crucial moment when one of my children had been sent home due to unpaid school fees. To ensure she could return to school and to keep the others from facing the same fate, I used $20 of my recent transfers to pay her school fees. I also spent $2 on books for some of my children, as they were necessary for their learning. Additionally, I invested $34 in goats and chickens, hoping they would multiply and increase in number so that I could eventually trade them for bulls for plowing. Unfortunately, there was a disease outbreak, and all my chickens died, which was disheartening. Lastly, I used the remaining $42 to buy food for my family so that we wouldn’t go hungry, and I spent $4 on soap and body oil to help us stay clean. Despite the challenges, I remain committed to improving our situation.

I currently cook with firewood and do not have a separate kitchen. With the ongoing rains, I have to cook inside the same house where we sleep, making it uncomfortable and causing us to suffocate from the smoke, which poses significant health risks. My plan is to build a separate kitchen so that during the rainy season, I have a proper place to cook, avoiding the smoke and potential health hazards. To achieve this, I intend to use some of the transfers, along with other resources, to construct a kitchen. Once this is accomplished, I will be very happy. Following this, I will focus on my initial plan of buying livestock, hoping they will multiply and increase in value. This will help me support my children's education in the future.

With six school-going children, paying their school fees has always been a strain for me, but I do my best to balance things in my life to ensure they can attend school. Thanks to the transfers from GiveDirectly, I was able to spend $44 to pay off the school fees for them because some of my children had even been sent home due to outstanding debts, but now, I'm glad they are back in school and continuing their studies. In addition to covering school fees, one of my children had a tattered uniform that was not presentable. I spent $7 on a new uniform, which made both of us happy and allowed my child to feel confident and presentable at school. We had also run out of food, so I used $23 to buy food for my family, ensuring we wouldn't go hungry. To secure our food supply for the future, especially with the cultivation period upon us, I invested $20 in a farm tractor to prepare our land for planting, hoping for rain to grow crops for the months ahead. Lastly, for our family's cleanliness, I spent the final $8 on soap to keep us clean and maintain good hygiene.

Over the last two months, my priority was enrolling my eldest son in junior high school, a goal achieved thanks to the help of the cash transfers. Now that he has joined, I want to focus on other needs. Despite the constraints of school fees for my six children, I aim to save and acquire a bed and mattress. Currently, I sleep in a dirty environment with no bed; instead, I just spread sacks and clothes on the mud floor at night, making it very uncomfortable. Additionally, I want to continue keeping livestock, as I now have three goats. Recognizing that the transfers will one day end, creating wealth through owning livestock will ensure that I can provide for the needs of my children in the future.

I have six children in school, and the greatest challenge I face every day is raising their tuition fees. Their father has been without active work for a couple of years, and I primarily engage in casual jobs, such as making charcoal, to generate money for the family’s needs. As we speak, I just came from splitting wood in the field to produce charcoal that I can sell to cover the school fees of five of the children. Unfortunately, they have missed school for a couple of days now due to pending arrears. However, amid all these struggles, I am happy that the cash transfers have helped alleviate the hardship. Recently, I spent $34 to buy school uniforms, shoes, and books for my son, who had been delayed in joining junior high due to a lack of funds for the required materials. Additionally, I used $14 to reduce the balances for his siblings in primary school. I invested $40 in buying two goats to rear them and sell them to cover my children’s tuition. Another $14 was allocated to Christmas shopping, ensuring my family had delicious meals.

I have a family of six children who depend on me to meet their needs, particularly when it comes to their education. Currently, my husband doesn't have a stable job, so I have taken on the responsibility of providing for our family through charcoal production. I am grateful for the significant impact of the cash transfers in helping me cover most of these needs, especially ensuring that my children can continue their education. Looking ahead, my primary objective is to use the forthcoming cash transfers to keep supporting their education, as I firmly believe that education is the most reliable path to securing a better future for them.

I rely on making and selling charcoal to support my family, which includes six children. However, this practice only provides me with a meager income, about $4 per week, which is insufficient to cover daily meals and school fees for my children. This is why the cash transfers have become a crucial part of my income, enabling me to meet some of these needs. From the most recent three cash transfers, I used $25 to settle the school fees of three of my children who had outstanding balances. They had been out of school for two days due to these debts, but I'm relieved that they were able to resume their studies. One of them even had the opportunity to sit for his national examinations. Additionally, I invested $30 from the transfers to purchase a goat, and now I have two. I believe that in the future when these goats reproduce, I can sell them to cover my children's tuition.  There was also a time when I spent $20 to buy two iron sheets to complete the construction of my house, which I had started building a few months earlier. The remaining $27 was allocated to household expenses such as toiletries and foodstuff.

I look forward to finishing my house and buying furniture. This would mean that my family is safe and well protected. I also intend to educate all my kids comfortably.

I am a subsistence farmer,and lately it has been difficult to get work. For many years,my entire family and I resided in a small dilapidated house. I have always wanted to provide them with a better home and thankfully, I have been able to save,utilizing the transfers you have given me. I am currently building a new, larger house for me and my family. I bought a new tin roof,building and construction supplies with all the money that I had saved. I cant wait to finish my house.

Around this time next year, I wish to have built a new house for my family. Our current dwelling is in poor shape and the grass-thatched roof could easily collapse anytime. Given the huge financial constraints, would be happy if I constructed at least a one-room house, with mud walls and a tin roof. To effect this plan, I have been saving $10 every month.

I usually budget my cash transfers to cover school fees, secure food, and save through my merry-go-round club. $10 goes towards paying tuition for my five children, $10 towards my savings, and the remaining $14 towards food. I am grateful because the money has alleviated hardships that would have otherwise been tougher. This is because my practice of making charcoal only earns me at most $7, which hardly puts meals on the table for a week considering the rising commodity prices. I am grateful that most of my family’s basic needs are met through the cash aid program. Additionally, the money has allowed me to save towards the construction of a more decent house that the one my family is inhabiting. However, I wish the money could be enough to take us through the entire month and always keep my children in school. Despite paying for their tuition, the school released them from class today to collect more funds, given the huge outstanding debt. 

I commend the organisation for their kind gesture in helping us by giving us the unconditional transfers. The transfers have helped me cater to some of my family needs Icould not provide. I implore the organisation to maintain consistency in disbursing the funds because we heavily rely on them for our survival in the village.

I lost my primary source of income, growing crops both for subsistence use and for sell after the emergence of the drought. I now earn a living by selling charcoal, which is very tedious and with little income. Three of my children out of the five that are enrolled in school, were chased away from school and have since spent the entire week at home. I am struggling to meet my immediate families needs wgich include buying food, paying school fees, and buying clothes with the little income that i earn. Therefore, when I received my transfer I spent $10 dollars to partially pay the school fee debt for my children to be allowed back in school. In addition, I bought five packets of maize flour whivh ensured we had plenty to eat for an entire week. Finally, I purchased three hens as a future investment to rely on as a source of funds whenever I am faced with an emergecy.

It was devastating to have my children stay back at home while the other pupils were in school. For the three days they had stayed home, I tried sourcing for their school fees in vain. I had given up and agreed to let nature take its course. Luckily, GiveDirectly came to my rescue. The confirmation message of the receipt of the first transfer got me so excited and revived my hopes of having the children back in school.

My income from the charcoal business was not sufficient for all of our household needs. This led me to be constantly in debt, but I am glad this is not the case anymore. Thanks to the organization, I do not experience any challenges currently to raise money for meeting my household needs. Clearing the tuition fees for my children is the greatest of them all and I believe that their academic performance will improve since they have ample time for their studies.

I saved KES 1000 in a rotational saving group within our village. We have a grass thatched house with a leaking roof and it is also too small to accommodate the eight of us since it is a single room. I am, therefore, planning to use my shares to acquire the building materials for constructing a three-room house that will accommodate us all. Besides that, four of my primary school-going children stayed back at home for three days because they owed the school tuition fee of KES 1000. I am thankful because I was able to clear the arrears with part of the money. The remaining KES 1000 I spent on foodstuffs for my family.