My long-term goal is to build a sturdy stone-walled house for my family. The new home will provide a sense of safety and security, as it will be able to withstand the harsh weather conditions common in our village. I won’t have to live in constant fear of the house collapsing again. To get started, I have already purchased a lorry of sand for $70. Moving forward, I plan to save a portion of my future transfers to buy two more lorries of building stones. Each step brings me closer to realizing this dream, and I am truly grateful for the financial support that is helping me move toward these goals, especially given my limited financial capacity.

After a powerful windstorm hit our village, my house collapsed, leaving my family of six without a home. We managed to construct a makeshift shelter as a temporary solution, but it’s far from ideal. My husband, who works building mud houses, earns very little from his job, making it difficult for him to support all our family’s needs. To ease the burden and ensure our children’s education continues uninterrupted, I spent $25 on school fees for my four children and an additional $4 on stationery to facilitate their learning. Making sure that my family has enough to eat is a priority, so I allocated $36 to buy food, ensuring we had enough for everyone. I also purchased six hens for $17, hoping to start a small poultry project. Unfortunately, I lost my previous flock to a strange disease, but I’m optimistic that these new hens will thrive, multiply, and eventually provide a source of income when I sell some. Additionally, I saved $20 with a local savings group, aiming to accumulate enough to buy building stones for constructing a new, more permanent house. Despite the setbacks and financial struggles we face, I’m incredibly grateful for the support from Give Directly. The transfers have been a lifeline, enabling us to meet essential needs and giving us hope for a more stable future.

My biggest dream is to return to school and study tailoring. I am determined to pursue this dream once I have completed the construction of my house. Currently, I reside in my son's house after mine collapsed during the rainy season. Despite this setbacks, I remain optimistic about achieving my goals. Although my husband, who currently works as a house constructor, is unable to support me financially, I am determined to work hard for myself and my family. Tailoring is my passion, and I envision attending a tailoring polytechnic to perfect my skills.Upon completing my studies, I plan to purchase a sewing machine and start my own tailoring business. I aim to specialize in making dresses and school uniforms, which I will sell to my fellow villagers. My ultimate goal is to ensure that my children have access to education without facing the threat of being sent home due to unpaid fees. Additionally, I aspire to improve our living standards through my entrepreneurial in tailoring.

Upon receiving my transfer, my first priority is always purchasing food. With $30, I ensured my family wouldn't go hungry for days by stocking up on food. Additionally, I'm part of a monthly merry-go-round where each member contributes $10; from my transfers, I've already contributed $30 towards this. Currently, my primary focus is saving towards my goals, particularly my dream of building a house. The house I currently live in belongs to my son, as mine collapsed during the rainy season. I have also invested $18 in purchasing five chickens, with hopes that they will hatch and will provide additional income for my house-building project and enable me to pursue further education. The remaining $24 was allocated to paying my four children's school fees. They had been sent home due to unpaid fees, so I took immediate action to ensure their education continues with out being interrupted.

I am currently not employed; I am at home taking care of my family. My immediate goal is to acquire a sewing machine and enroll in a tailoring school. Despite not being formally trained, I have a passion for tailoring and have been gaining experience by assisting a friend. Currently, I don't have a house because the one I had fell during the rainy season. However, once I complete my house construction, I plan to save from my transfers towards educating myself.

I am a mother who, upon receiving my transfers, immediately took action to support my family. With $15, I purchased a new uniform for my child who was starting junior primary, along with $5 for the required books and pens, bringing joy to his schooling journey. In our merry-go-round savings, where seven of us contribute monthly, I saved $10. I believe when my turn comes to receive, I will buy additional building stones to kickstart our house construction project. With the remaining $4, I ensured my children had enough food to eat, prioritizing their well-being alongside our future goals.

My primary goal is to complete my house, which has been a long-standing dream. With the help of these transfers, I believe I can make this dream a reality. Additionally, I'm saving $10 every month to invest in a tailoring training. Once I've acquired the necessary skills, I plan to purchase a sewing machine and start my own tailoring business. This will not only offer me a chance for financial independence but also the opportunity to provide for my family and cover my children's school fees.Once the program is over, I will have both a house and a business to sustain me.

Life has been quite a struggle, since my house fell during the rainy season. I currently live with my four children, three of whom are in school, at my brother-in-law's place. I yearn for the comfort and stability that having my own house can provide. It's been challenging, as I don't have a job and rely on farming to put food on the table. My husband, too, works as a casual laborer, and his income is never promised. With the $70 from the cash transfer, I decided to invest in building materials to construct a new house. Having our own home will bring a sense of security and comfort that we've been missing. Additionally, I purchased a goat, intending to increase my flock. Rearing livestock will not only provide a source of income but will also allow me to exchange them for bulls, which I can use for ploughing and further generate an income. I'm so grateful that the GiveDirectly cash transfers are providing opportunities for us to achieve a better future.

The house that I previously lived in collapsed in June last year, a situation that forced my family to move into a small house that we operated as a kitchen due to the lack of enough to set up a new house. It had always been a challenge for me owing to the fact that I have grown up children. My goal was therefore to have a new two-roomed house and I have started working towards it by saving part of my transfers and I believe that before the year ends, I shall have a better place to live in.

The transfer that I received was of great help because I received it at a time that I was facing financial challenges. Three of my children had been sent home for school fees and I did not have the money to take them back owing to the fact that my husband who we fully relied on had no reliable source of income. Food on the other hand was quite a challenge for me. But upon receiving the transfers, I felt a great sigh of relief, I managed to pay $12 for my children’s school fees and bought food worth $12.70. I had also saved part of my previous transfers because I wanted to venture into livestock keeping and therefore, I topped up $10 to the savings and bought a goat. I will forever remain grateful to GiveGirectly for the support.

I am jobless, I used to be a trader, I used up my whole stock and ate up into my business earnings due to family needs that I had to stop doing the business. I have been depending on my husband for cash and he is a construction worker who does not always secure employment and on days that he does he makes a maximum of $7. I want to be able to contribute to the family finances and that's why I am going to tailoring school to learn how to make clothes. I had started but due to an overwhelming amount of needs I decided to stop as my kid's schooling was much important. Once I am done training I will buy a sewing machine that I will use to make clothes and make money. If Givedirectly continues sending finances, I will rebuild my house. My house was blown away by a strong wind which forced us to move to our kitchen. I want to be able to afford to buy raw materials for construction so I can start up on it.

In December I got my first goat through GD transfers at $30, I have also bought chicken as well as guinea fowls. In January I got 3 chicken at $9 and in February I got 2 cocks at $10, I also got two guinea fowls for $6 in February. I was also able to send my kids who had been home due to lack of school fees back to school by paying for each $5 to cover their school fees debts. My family has also had food since I have used a portion of each months transfer on food, in December I used $4 for food, in January I used $10 and in February I used $12 for food.

Give Directly has done well in giving out monthly transfers. These funds have helped so many ladies like me who depend on their husbands yet are away looking for jobs. Personally, the funds have helped me provide food for my family during tough times when my husband was unemployed

I am married with four children. My husband is a casual laborer in a different town from where we live. He comes home over the weekends after his pay and so most of the time it’s just me with my children. The instability of his source of income is the biggest challenge we have faced in the past years. Sometimes it can take for him to be away from home looking for a job even for a month and I am forced to support the family while he is away. After receiving my funds, I used $12 on food and another $12 to buy chicken because I started chicken farming as soon as I got enrolled in the program. I spent the remaining amount on buying one of my children a school sweater.

I was in the bathroom when the money was sent and when I came back to the house my child informed me that I had a message. Without wasting time, I checked and to my surprise had received the promised cash. I became so excited as it gave me hope of paying my children's fees so that they could be allowed in school to sit for their examinations. My daughter was equally happy because she knew that she was finally going to sit for her end-of-term examinations unlike before when she knew that she was going to miss them.

My daughter is in grade 5, and they were about to sit for their end-of-term exams. According to the school's policy, she would not have been allowed to write her examinations without clearing the fee balance and her father who works at the construction sites had not been lucky to get any job. Due to this, seeing her write her examinations with other students is the biggest difference in my life. In addition, knowing that my children would have something to eat once they get back home from school and seeing my daughter happy and always ready to share how the experience at school was like made me a happy and fulfilled parent.

With my transfer, I spent KES 1500 to clear fee arrears for my three children in primary school. I settled on this since they had stayed at home for three days since we had failed to clear the fee balance on time. Their father who is responsible for paying their school fees did not have money at that time and we decided I chip in and assist so that when he gets money, we will use it for our upkeep. From the remaining amount, I spent KES 1000 on 10kg of corn flour and used KES 500 on other kinds of foodstuffs that we did not have.