For the past five years, I've been grappling with recurring abdominal pain, despite numerous visits to various hospitals. Thus far, the remedy provided has been limited to painkillers, offering only temporary relief. My objective in the upcoming months is to utilize funds from my subsequent transfers to seek specialized medical attention, aiming to identify and address the underlying cause of this persistent discomfort. Finding a lasting solution to this health issue would bring me immense happiness and relief. I am deeply appreciative of the financial support extended by Give Directly, which has significantly improved the quality of my life.

I reside in a small, deteriorating grass-thatched house that is on the brink of collapse. My objective is to construct a larger, more resilient dwelling with sturdy iron-sheet roofing. To realize this aspiration, I've been diligently saving a portion of my income each month, aiming to amass sufficient funds by year-end to initiate the construction project. Currently, I've set aside $92 in my savings account earmarked for this purpose. However, I recently encountered an unexpected expense when my nephew passed away, prompting me to contribute $5 towards his burial arrangements. Additionally, I allocated $5 towards purchasing food for my family. Despite these challenges, I'm profoundly grateful for the financial assistance provided by Give Directly. Previously, I relied heavily on physically demanding jobs like farm labor, which took a toll on my health, often causing severe abdominal pain. With the consistent monthly stipend, I no longer need to engage in such strenuous work, and the financial support has adequately met my needs. I am immensely thankful for this support.

In the upcoming year, my primary objective is to build a more spacious house for my family. Currently, I live with five of my grandchildren in a small house, and at times, due to limited space, I find myself compelled to sleep outdoors. Through consistent efforts, I have been diligently saving a significant portion of my financial transfers within a savings group. My intention is to utilize this accumulated money, along with forthcoming transfers, to support the construction of a larger and more comfortable home. A bigger house would not only address the current space constraints but also provide adequate shelter for my family, bringing a profound sense of fulfillment. I sincerely appreciate the assistance I have received, which has played a crucial role in pursuing this goal.

As a subsistent farmer, I cultivate maize to provide support for my family of three following the passing of my husband many years ago. Unfortunately, a back injury rendered me unable to work, leading to a lack of income to send my two children to school, forcing them to drop out. The intervention of GiveDirectly brought a positive turn to my circumstances, enabling me to participate in savings groups, acquire goats, and secure a monthly food supply. From the financial transfers received, I diligently saved $72 within the savings club, intending to utilize it to build a larger house in the future. The remaining $30 was allocated to purchasing much-needed food for my family. I am genuinely grateful for the transformative impact GiveDirectly has had on my life, providing tangible improvements and newfound hope.

For a significant portion of my life, I have been residing in a grass-thatched hut with little hope of ever upgrading to a better dwelling. Given my limited financial means, I couldn't afford the necessary materials to construct a new house on my own. However, with the assurance of receiving the monthly transfer, I have set a clear goal to save at least $10 every month. This savings plan is aimed at acquiring the essential building materials, such as iron sheets and building poles, that will enable me to construct a decent house. I am delighted that I have made significant progress in saving up for the materials. The prospect of having an iron-roofed house brings me great joy because it means I will no longer need to worry about leaks during rainy days. With a decent house in my old age, I will enjoy enhanced living conditions and greater peace of mind.

Living in a decent house has been a long-awaited dream for me, as I've spent many years residing in a grass-thatched hut. The constant need to change and replace the grass, almost monthly, was exhausting and difficult, especially when the grass became scarce during drought periods. My financial situation was not good, leaving me unable to consider building a new house, even though I yearned to live in a sturdy iron-roofed one. My sons' limited assistance was primarily for food. Thankfully, recent adequate rains allowed me to return to farming and cultivate my acreage, and I am anticipating a bountiful harvest that will address my household's food shortage challenge. This has provided an opportunity to concentrate on constructing a new house. To achieve this goal, I've initiated savings of $10 each month in our local savings group. My primary focus is to accumulate enough savings to purchase building materials, starting with iron sheets. In addition, I used $24 of the recent transfer to pay off debt and buy food for my family. I had accumulated debt from previous food purchases on credit. I now have peace of mind because I am no longer burdened by debt. I am also relieved that my family has had enough food for several weeks.

In the coming months and beyond, my priority is to invest my monthly transfer towards improving my health condition. My deteriorating health has made it difficult for me to engage in farming activities and support myself financially. Therefore, I plan to allocate a significant portion of the money towards medical expenses and seeking better treatment. Once my health improves, I will be able to resume my farming activities and become self-reliant again. Additionally, I would like to use some of the funds to build a new house. My current dwelling is in poor condition and poses a risk to my safety and that of my belongings. A new house would provide me with a sense of security and improve my quality of life.

As a peasant farmer, my two-acre farm is my primary source of income. Unfortunately, over the past three years, my farm's yearly harvest has dwindled, leaving me feeling helpless. Additionally, my health has taken a turn for the worse, and I am no longer physically capable of working on the farm. As a result, I now rely heavily on my two sons, who are casual laborers, to provide for my basic needs, such as food, clothing, and medical expenses. It pains me to know that, with my current health status, I will continue to depend on my sons, who already have their own families to support. When I received my March transfer, I immediately spent $8 on purchasing medicine for my constant headaches, muscle, and back pains, which have become a daily routine for me. Although the medication provides temporary relief, the conditions soon return. I also purchased food worth $16, which will sustain me for the next two weeks as I wait for my sons to assist me. The remaining $10, I saved in a savings group for emergency purposes, given the uncertainty of my health. It is disheartening to be in this position, but I am grateful for the monthly stipend, which provides some financial relief, especially in times of dire need.

This year, I want to use the money I got to get my boys together so we can start gradually paying for the land we currently live on. This is due to the fact that we are squatters and the landowners have demanded payment from us in order for us to remain there or transfer to another location. Since I can remember, this has been our place to live, and I am now too elderly to even mention that we have relocation plans.As a result, my children and I determined that we would gradually pay the landowners throughout the year until the debt was fully satisfied. I intend to utilize the money for this because it is currently my top priority. After that, I'm hoping I can finally construct a lovely home for myself because the one I currently live in is so dated it's hard to believe anyone ever lives there.

Since I completed the construction of my home, it has been without a door. I've been hampered in many ways by my home's lack of a door. With the worry that my possessions inside the house will be stolen, I am unable to conduct my business peacefully. I've been unable to travel far for business because I'm afraid of losing my valuables. I recently lost several hens after they were prayed on by vultures because I was unable to lock them safely inside the house. So, with my December transfers, I spent $4 to get two sturdy poles that will help me fix the house's door. The remaining $30 I used to purchase food, including wheat and maize flour, yeast, sugar, and cooking oil. My family had plenty to eat over the holiday season with this much food. After going through a challenging year with little rain, we were happy to anticipate a better year filled with rain.

Due to my old age I barely work and on most occasions my children are the ones I rely on. Therefore after getting enrolled I decided that I was going to use this money that I will be receiving each month to cater for my needs and not entirely depend on my children. I was glad when the transfers came in because at that time I barely had food in my house so I ended up using KES 2,000 ensure that I bought a bag of maize flour that contained a dozen packets. Afterwards I was left with KES 1,000 which I ended up using when I had visit at the hospital because at the time I was suffering from ulcers so I ended up using the rest of the money on medication.

I cannot begin to imagine where I would be at this moment were it not GiveDirectly and the funds I receive. I would not have managed to afford paying for the lsnd we live in and my children and I would have ended up being homeless. This organisation has been life changing to me and impacted me in a way that is hardly forgettable. I have nothing but genuine praise for the good things that GiveDirectly does.

Over a decade ago, my husband and I moved to a new place and started growing together while we raised out children. I figured the new land moved to was owned by my husband so I never asked any questions. Unfortunately over the years, my husband passed away, leaving me and my children behind. Luckily we still had somewhere to live so we continued with our lives. Just recently the true owners of the land came to inquire about it and claimed the land belonged to them and had never been sold. I realised the assumption of my husband owning the place was now about to cost me. Luckily the owners of the land and us came to an agreement that for the five acres of land we possessed, they were willing to sell it to us at KES 50,000. I agreed to the terms as long as we could then gradually since I did not have a stable job nor stable income. That is why as soon as I received the funds from GiveDirectly I took KES 2,000 and slowly began paying the debt. Then afterwards took KES 700 and bought five packets of maize flour since there was barely any food in the house meanwhile saving the balance of KES 300 into my savings account count because I planned on renovating my house since it was quite old and needed some mending here and there.

I had left to go check on a loan that day that I had given someone and see whether they could pay me back because I was completely broke and was scared I would end going to bed hungry that day. Fortunately I received the money from GiveDirectly and all my worries disappeared in split second because I now had money and did not have to worry about starving. I was over the moon.

GiveDirectly has elevated me from a situation where I was completely financially unstable since I mostly relied on my kids ever since my husband passed away and most times I was worried that I was burden because they had their own families to look after. But now I can cater for my own needs without involving my kids and that makes me happy.

After I received the funds from GiveDirectly I decided to use the most of it to get a meal for myself since I barely had any food in the house and so I went ahead and bought six packets of maize flour which cost KES 800 and was left with about KES 350. I took the reaming balance and contributed t to my savings committee because eventually I wanted to have enough money in order build myself a better house than the one I live in at this moment because it barely has enough space and it is a mud house.