I have decided to use my upcoming transfers to purchase 20 pieces of iron sheets. With these materials, I plan to build a two-roomed house that will provide enough space for my family of four. For a long time, we had to make do with a tiny traditional house due to financial struggles. I am overjoyed that with the financial support, I will finally be able to achieve my long-held goal of owning a better and bigger house.

Last year, my son completed his secondary school education. However, he still had a $120 school fee debt that needed to be paid before he could receive his results. I used my two months' transfers totaling $68, along with some additional money, to help clear this debt. I am thrilled that he has now secured his results and awaits confirmation of his university admission. With my son having completed secondary education and now possessing his academic certificates, I feel a sense of relief. Recently, I decided to use my transfers of $34 to purchase three pieces of iron sheets. My tiny mud-walled, grass-thatched house is in a dilapidated condition. Financial struggles and the responsibilities of paying school fees for my two children in secondary school limited my ability to build a new house. However, with only two children left in primary school now, I can allocate some money from my transfers toward building a bigger, more spacious, and modern house for my family of four. I am very grateful for the financial support that has helped me finance my children's education.

I have had many desires, but financial constraints, especially from school fees for my five children, have hindered them. My house is on the verge of collapsing from the ongoing rains, but I have not been able to save funds for construction. Additionally, I have always wanted to own livestock like goats to grow wealth that could support the needs of my family. Despite the current tight financial constraints, I hope to set aside some funds to build another house and start rearing livestock.

First and foremost, I am grateful because the cash transfers are supporting the education of my five children. I am happy that one of them is currently sitting for their final examinations. I used $17 to clear his school fees so that after he is done with his exams, he will be able to get his leaving certificate. I also settled school fees for two others who had pending balances, ensuring they could resume with no pending debts next year. The priority when I receive the funds is always to pay for their school fees. So, over the last three months, I have been consistently spending money on the children's education. The cash transfers have been crucial in ensuring that they stay in school; they have played a more significant role than what my charcoal-making work could provide, and I am very grateful.

At the year's end, my eldest son will complete his secondary education, a moment that brings immense financial relief. With the expenses reduced, I can redirect the funds towards purchasing livestock and nurturing them to expand our herd. This step will offer an additional source of income, providing a reliable stream of revenue when we decide to sell the livestock. I envision this venture becoming a source of pride, especially as we look ahead to the eventual conclusion of financial aid support in the upcoming years.

I have three children who rely on me for financial support to cover their education expenses. The oldest is currently in his final year of high school. Due to our low family income, my husband and I often struggle to pay the school fees on time, resulting in a significant debt of $70 that remains unpaid. However, upon receiving my July transfers, I used $20 to partially clear the school fee debt so that my son could continue his education while I worked on earning enough money to settle the remaining balance. Additionally, I allocated an extra $8 to support my other two children, who are in primary school. I am immensely grateful that despite the outstanding school fee balances, all my children have the opportunity to attend school, thanks to the financial boost from the transfers. Furthermore, I utilized $8 of the funds to purchase food for my family. The situation is looking hopeful as we are anticipating a bumper harvest, and this will help us overcome the previous struggles of facing food scarcity during times of inadequate rainfall. The transfers have been incredibly helpful during these challenging times, providing the much-needed support for our family.

Right now, my mind is on enrolling my two children in high school. Having them at home while their siblings attend school breaks my heart; I wish I had the financial capacity to send them to school immediately. Though I rarely get an opportunity to save the cash transfers, I hope to be able to set aside an amount that will help with the admission. After that, I plan on building a better house for my family. Ever since the main house collapsed, we have been occupying the kitchen structure, which is tiny for the entire family. I wish to build a more spacious shelter with two rooms, made of mud walls and an iron sheet roof. 

Both my husband and I burn charcoal to provide for our six children. Given the low returns from this practice, it is tough to fulfill all the basic needs, particularly school fees, and food. It saddens me that we have not been able to send two of our children to high school (even though they passed their elementary education) due to financial difficulties. We also struggle to keep the other three in school, which sometimes makes them miss learning due to unpaid tuition. This is why I prioritized clearing the school fees deficits when I received the money. I used $10 to pay for examinations for my son who is currently in form four. Also, I bought school uniforms worth $10 for the two who are in kindergarten, as they would constantly be denied entry to class for wearing ragged school attire. Next, I bought two hens worth $10 for rearing and spent the remaining amount on food. 

I am quite happy that this year I do not have to worry about paying for tuition because, using the funds that I received, I settled all the debts I had when it comes to my son's education. Therefore, I plan on using the funds that I receive this time around to build a proper house for me and my family because the one I live in is made from mud and is grass thatched as well. I am hoping to save some money with the transfers and begin gradually buying building material, beginning with iron sheets. Nutrition has also been an occasional challenge due to the drought, and my hope is that these funds will allow me to ensure that my family and I never have to go hungry as we have in the past. Lastly, I would also love to buy a couple of farm animals as an investment.

When I got notified that I had received the transfers I was overwhelmed with so much happiness especially because my kids were almost on the verge of being kicked out of school and yet I had no money. That is why after I got the chance to withdraw the funds I ended up spending KES 2,000 to pay for tuition for five of my children where four happened to be in primary School while the eldest was in his last year of highschool. Hunger is also one of our biggest predicaments which is a consequence of drought back here in the village, and so I went ahead to use the remaining balance of KES 1,000 to acquire twenty kilograms of maize flour for nutrition purposes for myself and my family.

I applaud Give Directly for providing unconditional funds to the needy people in the society. Because of these transfers, a family like mine can afford to eat on a regular basis, pay our children's school fees, and build decent houses. The organization does everything so well that it is difficult to find flaws.

As the breadwinner for the family, my husband depends on making charcoal to make a living.  It takes roughly a month to dig tree stumps and heat them to make charcoal, which stalls his earnings. Despite the long wait, the most he can make is KES 1,800. This sum is insufficient to cover food and school fees. For this reason, our four children are routinely dismissed from school due to unpaid fees. In fact, my two third-grade children had missed two days of school, while the two eighth-grade ones had been sent home on the transfer day. So, I paid the school administration KES 1,000 to allow the children to return to class while I raised the remaining KES 4,700. I spent KES 1,000 on food because my family had gone to bed hungry the night before due to a lack of funds. Also, I decided to start a small business of selling maize flour using the remaining amount. At least, this will supplement my husband's earnings, especially on unsuccessful days, and help with minor expenses. 

I was taking my livestock to feed in the field on the morning of the transfer, thinking about how I would pay for my children's exam fees and put food on the table. The transfer was a huge relief from the stress I was under at the time. Because of the transfer, I remember remaining joyful for the rest of the day.

The transfer came at a critical moment when my three children faced the risk of missing their examinations due to lack of money to settle their fees. Up until that morning, all my hustles to raise the cash had proved futile. However, they managed to sit for the exams after clearing the balances using the transfer. I am glad because they all passed very well, with my son in form three obtaining a grade B.

As the breadwinner for the family, I depend on burning charcoal to make a living. Cutting tree stumps and heating them to make charcoal takes nearly a month, which delays my income. Even after waiting so long to sell, I can only make KES 3,000 per month. This amount is insufficient to cover food and school fees for the children. In fact, my two eighth-grade daughters had been sent out of school the morning of the transfer to collect their exam fees. In addition, my son, who is in form three, was at risk of missing his end-of-term exams unless I paid the fees. That is why I settled these with KES 600 from the transfer. I bought food with the remaining amount since my family had not eaten anything from the previous night for there was no money.