My objective is to accumulate sufficient funds to purchase two bulls, which will prove invaluable in cultivating my land. The expenses incurred in land preparation for farming have been substantial, and acquiring these bulls is anticipated to significantly reduce these costs. Furthermore, the bulls can serve as an additional source of income if I decide to offer farming services to others. The financial support from the transfers has been a crucial factor in enhancing the overall quality of my life, and I express sincere appreciation for this assistance.

On a monthly basis, I allocate a significant portion of my transfers to two savings groups, one consisting of ten members and the other of nine. Our contributions to these groups are $12 and $10, respectively. Each month, the accumulated amount is given to one member of the group, who independently decides how to utilize the funds. This cycle repeats until all members receive their share. I utilized my share to purchase a bed and a mattress, replacing the uncomfortable sisal twin bed. Thus far, my contributions to the savings groups have totaled $66. Apart from the savings group contributions, I set aside $30 to acquire two bulls for land cultivation, aiming to reduce the expenses associated with preparing my land for farming. The remaining $6 was spent on purchasing sugar and other personal essentials like detergents. The financial support has been instrumental, and I am grateful for it. I maintain optimism that I will successfully achieve my goal of acquiring the two bulls with the ongoing assistance from the transfers.

My goal for the future is to acquire two bulls, which would be immensely helpful for plowing services. During the planting season, I often need to hire bulls from others to prepare my land, which can become quite expensive. I aspire to have the means to access these services, even if I lack the funds to rent an ox-plow. Additionally, owning my ox-plow would enable me to offer plowing services to others, generating additional income. To achieve this goal, I plan to continue saving a portion of the cash transfers through a self-help group until I can afford to purchase the bulls.

While my two sons support me, they rely on casual jobs to assist with our needs. However, their income is limited. I had a long-standing desire to purchase a wooden bed along with a suitable mattress but relying on my children’s income to support me in this goal was challenging. Previously, I slept on a sisal-twined bed made of ropes, which provided me with uncomfortable sleep. To afford the bed and mattress, I needed at least $100. I was aware that a single cash transfer would not cover the cost, so I diligently saved $20 every month for the last five months through a self-help group until I had accumulated the required amount. I am delighted to share that I now have a comfortable bed, and I enjoy restful sleep at night. In addition to the bed, I also invested $30 in buying a 200-liter water tank. This tank serves as a valuable resource for water storage, helping me overcome the challenges associated with intermittent water shortages. During the rainy season, I can collect and store a significant amount of water for various household uses.

Looking ahead, I intend to save a portion of the cash transfers towards purchasing a wooden bed and a comfortable mattress, which will greatly improve my sleeping experience. Once this goal is accomplished, my next objective is to save a total of $160 to acquire a cow. This cow will not only provide us with a sustainable source of milk but will also assist with plowing tasks on my farm when the rainy season arrives.

The prolonged drought has significantly affected my ability to secure adequate food, making it necessary to prioritize this essential need. I utilized $14 from the cash transfers to purchase food for my household. It had been a week since we had access to regular meals, and as a result, we had gone to bed hungry on three occasions. My three sons, who typically work as casual laborers in house construction, were unable to earn any income during that week to afford any food. I also invested $20 in purchasing a goat, which has now increased my livestock holdings to a total of two goats. In April, I allocated $22 towards the purchase of another goat, while the remainder of the funds went towards covering our food expenses.

The purchase of a bed and mattress where I can sleep comfortably is my top priority for this year. My bed is made of sisal twine, which is incredibly uncomfortable. Since I've been sleeping on this bed, my health has suffered. My severe back pain has also caused chest pain. Buying the bed and mattress will help me overcome some of my impediments and consequently improve my health.

When it comes to the coocking time, I have had to endure severe hardships. I was left without a kitchen after the building I used to cook in collapsed. When it rains, the ground gets soggy and makes it challenging to start a traditional fire. I experience the same issues during the daytime when strong winds are blowing very quickly. Therefore, starting a fire is a challenging task. For this reason, whenever I get a transfer, I spend $20 to buy two pieces of iron sheeting. I need 14 pieces to build a substantial kitchen area big enough to house my utensils as well as do my cooking. I spent the remaining $14 on family food in addition to the ironsheets. Since I have tuberculosis, I am unable to work and must rely entirely on my son for support. Buying food was crucial to relieving him of the pressure that comes with having to support the family.

Through GiveDirectly officers, they I was enrolled alongside my elder son in the program, and I am grateful that we have been receiving equal transfers every month. Since he has grown up, he is now using transfers to work on his projects, which shows that he is responsible and accountable for every coin he has received. On the other hand, I have been working hard to make a significant difference with the $30 I have been given. I have spent $20 in the last three months on at least two iron sheets for the construction of a new kitchen. I hope to build a larger kitchen with a bed space to accommodate any future visitors who may come to my house. With the remaining $10 each month, I have been purchasing foods that have always lasted my current family of four for at least two weeks while we worked on other income-generating projects. I am grateful for GiveDirectly's generous support, which has given me hope of realizing my dreams.

I would like to commend Give Directly to keep up with the good work of helping the needy in society. The unconditional transfers are very essential in uplifting the lives of the needy the society. I would like to urge the organization to conduct physical follow-ups in the field, which will help assess the real impacts of the funds on the life of the recipients.

I spent much of my transfer buying iron sheets I used in building a kitchen. For the past three months, I have been cooking my food in an open area. Cooking in this open area has made it difficult because there is dust blowing over the food I cook cause of the strong winds. When it rains, I cannot light a fire because of the wet conditions. Building the kitchen will ease the trouble that I go through in preparing food for my family. Besides building the kitchen, I spent the remaining KES 1000 on buying food for my family. I was diagnosed with TB two years ago and advised against doing strenuous jobs by the doctor. I currently depend fully on my son, who is a casual laborer building people’s houses, earning very little from his job. He sometimes cannot send me money, meaning I have to sleep hungry or incur debt.

That day I was in bed when I received the funds. At first I had no idea that is was the funds from the organisation because I personally could hardly read. Therefore I asked for assistance from my son who confirmed on barely a split second that it was indeed GiveDirectly that had sent the money they promised to. I was super excited especially since I had no money and I had envisioned that the next couple of days would have been challenging especially in matters concerned with nutrition.

Without receiving the funds, even the idea of renovating my kitchen would not have dared crossed my mind because I had no means. But now I have managed to start saving my money gradually as I wait until I get enough to begin constructing. Also not forgetting nutrition, which has always been challenging, now the money helps me ensure I hardly lack having a meal in my home.

As soon as I realised that I had received the funds from GiveDirectly, I went ahead and dealt with nourishment matters. This is because they was barely food to last a day in the house and I was scared if I did not get any money soon that my family and I would have had to go hungry for a couple if days. Therefore I instantly went to the store and bought six packets of maize flour for KES 900 and used KES 100 to buy a small portion of sardines. I was left remaining with a balance of KES 2,000, which I decided to leave in my savings account because I wanted to wait until I got more money and even possibly the next transfers so that I could renovate my kitchen since it had collapsed on February leaving me with no kitchen.