I successfully built a house for my sons, as I had promised, using my monthly transfers from GiveDirectly. In the coming year and beyond, my goal is to build a single-room house for my daughters, as it’s important for them to have their own space and privacy. In addition, I’m focused on a project to buy goats, giving me two key goals for the upcoming year. As a member of a merry-go-round group, I plan to save part of my transfers and invest in goats when my turn comes. Since goats multiply quickly, I’ll sell some to build up my savings, which will help me purchase building materials. Once I complete the project of building my daughters' house, I’ll shift my focus to buying a cow. Although buying a cow outright is challenging due to the high cost, this strategy will allow me to acquire one over time.

I am blessed with five children, all of whom are in school. I want to sincerely thank GiveDirectly for the financial support, as it has greatly eased my burden, especially when it comes to paying their school fees. I burn and sell charcoal to support my family, but finding customers can take several days since there isn’t always a ready market. Before GiveDirectly, my children often stayed home for extended periods due to unpaid fees, as we depended on charcoal sales for their education. Since GiveDirectly began providing financial support, my children are no longer sent home because I can pay their fees on time. With the most recent transfer, I allocated $34 towards school fees, dividing the amount among my five children. I also bought a goat for $60, as I’ve started goat rearing to secure my financial future. The remaining $8 was used to buy food for my family.

I successfully constructed a house for my sons as I had promised. In the upcoming year and beyond, my goal is to strive to build another single-room house for my daughters. It is very convenient for them to have their own space as they also require privacy. Apart from this, I have a project of buying goats. As a member of a merry-go-round group, I plan to save part of my transfers and then use them to invest in buying goats when my turn comes. Since goats multiply fast, I will sell some and add to my future savings, aiming to eventually buy a cow. Buying a cow at once is not easy due to its high cost, but through this strategy, I aim to acquire one. The remaining amount from my transfers, as I will be saving $1 per month, will be used to buy building materials gradually, enabling me to build a house for my daughters. I will be working to enable me to build my daughters' house.

Upon receiving my recent transfer, I allocated $70 to purchase three goats, intending them as an investment for future financial security. I plan to use the money from the sale of the goats to cover my children's school fees. The remaining funds were split, with $21 going towards new uniforms for my two children, as their previous ones were torn, and the final $11 was used to buy much-needed food supplies for our household.

I wish to build a house for my daughters so that they can have a secure place to sleep. Currently, they've been staying at their brother's house, but when he returns home with his family, they have no choice but to find accommodation elsewhere, often having to borrow space from neighbors for the night. Thanks to the cash I received from the Merry-go-round, which I saved using the GiveDirectly funds, I now have three iron sheets, with a plan to buy three more iron sheets quarterly to complete the house, aiming to provide my children with a two-roomed house

The quarterly transfers from GiveDirectly have brought immense relief and hope to my family. With $21, I enrolled my daughter in elementary school, ensuring she gets the education she deserves. The $34 was used to send all my children back to school, while $24 went towards reducing their school fees balance, lifting a huge weight off my shoulders. Seeing my children settle in school filled me with joy. I set aside $20 to save in a merry-go-round, planning to use it for a big project of rearing livestock in the future. Additionally, $5 was spent on buying shoes for my son, and $19 was invested in buying a kid, both as an investment and a symbol of gratitude towards GiveDirectly. As a casual worker, burning charcoal to provide for my 11 children, and with my husband's earnings insufficient for our needs, these transfers have been a blessing. When I received the money from the merry-go-round, I immediately bought a goat for $50 and three iron metal sheets, aiming to build a house for my daughter who currently shares a room with her brother. This will ensure they have a comfortable space to call their own when her brother returns from Mombasa.

In the upcoming year, my objective is to venture into goat rearing as a business. I am pleased to share that I already possess several goats to kickstart this venture, and I require approximately $100 to enhance and expand it further. I have dedicated savings specifically earmarked for this purpose, and I plan to supplement them with the forthcoming transfers to realize this goal. The establishment of this additional income stream is crucial as it will guarantee ample funds for my children's education, bringing me immense happiness. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the organization for their support in making this dream a reality.

I oversee farming operations and cultivate maize and green grams primarily for my own consumption. With five children still in school and my husband engaged in farming as well, we supplement our income by selling charcoal during dry seasons. The positive impact of the transfers we received has been transformative. I am grateful for the assistance as we have invested in livestock and we now own eleven cows and goats. This newfound financial stability ensures that our children can attend school comfortably without the fear of being sent home due to lack of school fees. With the extended rainfall experienced in my village, we decided to actively engage in farming. Allocating $48 of the transfers to agricultural activities, we rented oxen for ploughing the land and carried out necessary weeding activities to enhance the success of our crops. Another $34 was directed towards settling a debt incurred for the purchase of a cow, and the remaining amount was utilized to procure essential food and household necessities. The support we have received this far has been very significant, and I am sincerely thankful for it.

With a goal of owning numerous goats and cows, I am utilizing my savings from the merry go round to make this dream a reality. Currently, I have two goats, and I plan to gradually expand my livestock holdings. I am researching the best breeds, learning about their care, and seeking advice from experienced farmers. As I continue to save and grow my herd, I am dedicated to providing the necessary resources and ensuring their well-being.

As a devoted mother of six, I have faced various financial challenges with unwavering determination. The moment I normally receive my transfer, I usually prioritize my children's education by paying a $10 for their school fees. Thanks to GiveDirectly, my children have been going to school without any fear of being chased out of school. Additionally, I allocated $20 for hospital visits and treatment for a health issue that arose while working on the farm. The remaining amount of $4 were used for transportation to Mariakani hospital. Despite these hurdles, my love for my family drives me to overcome obstacles and find solutions.

I have been living in a hard situation. I have no bed and a mattress, but I have been sleeping on sisal sacks spread on a traditional sisal bed. So as I continue to receive my transfer, I have a goal of buying a new bed and a mattress to help improve my living condition. The ones I have been using have been subjecting me to pain every morning I wake up. I have always been bearing pain in my back and ribs as a result of the nature of my bedding.

When I was enrolled in the program, I started participating in a savings scheme. I decided to save the money hoping to utilize it to start a livestock sales business. My goal is to buy goats for sale so that I can use the proceeds to help my five school-age children with their nutritional and educational needs. I saved $ 10 with the most recent transfer. In addition, I spent $10 on meals, and I intend to use $10 to cover my children's school fees. I am a happy mother, not because my children's fees have been paid, but because they are healthy and able to focus on their academics.

My goal is to diversify my business of selling goats and other livestock. As a result, I always save $10 on the merry-go-round monthly. I long to get $100 in April, and I plan to invest it in the business. I am hopeful that when I start a business, I shall have a steady source of income hence raising school fees for my children will be easier. I have two twins who sat for the KCPE last year but may not join High School soon because I do not have money for their school fees. With the business, I shall strive to ensure that they enroll in High school. Part of the transfer will always help me to acquire food and pay school fees for the younger four children.

As the primary provider for my family, the responsibility burden is too much for my husband to handle at times. His charcoal-burning business can only provide necessities like food and barely cover our children's school fees. With so many obligations on our shoulders, I decided to take some time to plan how I would spend the transfer to meet the most critical requirements first. My current priority is to ensure that my daughter, Sophia, sits for her grade six national exams. So, I plan to pay her $4 school fee balance for this term and give her an extra $4 as pocket money. She will need pocket money for food and transportation because she will be taking her tests at a different school in the neighboring village. I also intend to save $10 through my self-help group, to which I have been contributing actively since receiving the second transfer from Give Directly. My objective is to save up to $100 and buy three goats for raising in five months. To relieve the strain on my husband's shoulders, I also plan to spend the remaining funds on food for my family. At least, this will offer him a breather as he works to raise additional funds.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well in alleviating poverty by promoting development among the least regarded community members. The whole of its enrollment process is simple and clear thus it is not open to raising concerns as it happens for government-related programs. In addition, the GiveDirectly staffs are professionals in the manner they operate thus they never practice discrimination among the potential recipients. I have not yet observed what GiveDirectly does not do well.

Since May this year, I have been unwell thus I could not able to engage in any casual work to earn some income. Unfortunately, my husband's wages are also overstretched by our family's daily needs thus he always feels overwhelmed. As a result, my children's school fees had accumulated, a situation that forced teachers to send them home last month. I am glad that the transfers were timely sent, hence I was able to spend KES 2,500 on paying off their school fees. Because we also hardly had some food to eat in the house, I spent the balance of KES 500 on buying food that could last us 3 days. I am super excited that the transfers met my immediate needs then.

When I received the transfer, I could not help but rejoice. I ululated with joy because I knew the money would get me out of the financial difficulties I was in. Knowing that my children would have food daily and would not go to bed hungry filled my heart with joy.

Before the transfers, my family would frequently starve during the day and sleep hungry at night because we did not have enough money to buy food. After the transfer, things changed. We consume all of our daily meals.

My husband and I rely on charcoal making to meet our family's needs, such as food and school fees. We barely sell anything because of the product's low demand, leaving us with an income of no more than KES 2,000 per month. With this amount, it is difficult to provide food daily; in fact, we went to bed hungry the night before the transfers arrived. So, I prioritized buying food worth KES 320 to last the next few days while we waited for sales. In addition, I paid KES 500 in school fees for my children because they had not paid anything for that term and I was afraid their studies would be suspended.