In the coming year and beyond, my main goal is to finish building a proper cooking place. Preparing meals for my family has been a challenge, and I’m determined to overcome this issue. I have made significant progress by purchasing all the necessary iron sheets and building poles. Now, I need to raise funds for the labor costs to start construction. To do this, I plan to join a savings group where I’ll set aside a portion of my transfers each month. Once the savings grow, I’ll use the funds to pay the mason and complete the cooking area. I am very grateful for the financial support, which is helping me move closer to achieving my goals despite my unstable income.

To support my family, I engage in farming and occasionally sell charcoal. My husband, who is very old and ill, is unable to work, and while I sometimes turn to my sons for financial help, their jobs don’t provide much income. Fortunately, the cash I receive from Give Directly has been a tremendous help, allowing me to meet my needs without relying entirely on others. Recently, I spent $20 of my transfers as a deposit for a new wooden bed. I currently sleep on a sisal twine bed with sacks on top, which is quite uncomfortable. This new bed will provide much-needed comfort. I also used $62 to buy iron sheets for constructing a proper cooking area. At the moment, I cook outdoors, and the strong winds make it challenging to maintain a stable fire. A dedicated cooking space will make meal preparation much easier. With the remaining $20, I purchased food for my family, ensuring we had enough to eat every day. I’m very grateful for the financial support, as it helps me take care of my family’s needs and move closer to achieving my goals.

Building on the progress building a kitchen I have made with the previous transfers from GiveDirectly, my plan for this year is to focus on two key priorities: improving my living conditions and investing in livestock. First and foremost, I intend to use the transfers to purchase a bed and mattress. Currently, I am sleeping on an uncomfortable makeshift structure made of ropes, which has been challenging and detrimental to my well-being. By acquiring a proper bed and mattress, I can ensure a more comfortable and restful sleeping environment for myself and my family. Once I have addressed this immediate need, I will then allocate the remaining funds towards the purchase of goats. As I have done in the past, I am hopeful that these goats will multiply and increase in number over time. This investment in livestock will provide me with a sustainable source of income, which I can tap into when needed to support my family.

Prior to receiving the transfers from GiveDirectly, I faced the challenge of cooking outside due to the lack of a proper kitchen in my home. However, with the ongoing rains, it became increasingly difficult and inconvenient to prepare meals outdoors. To address this issue, I allocated $72 from the transfers to construct a dedicated kitchen space. I am now overjoyed to have a functional and sheltered area to cook. This investment has significantly improved the quality of life for my household. With the remaining $30 from the transfers, I made the strategic decision to purchase goats. By investing in livestock, I aim to build a sustainable source of income for the future. I am hopeful that these goats will multiply and increase in value over time. When the need arises, I can sell the livestock and utilize the proceeds to support my family.

In the upcoming month, my primary goal is to acquire a new wooden bed and mattress, marking a significant achievement for me. Over the past month, I have endured discomfort by sleeping directly on the cold floor, using only sacks as a barrier. The collapse of my traditional sisal twine bed deprived me of a comfortable sleeping arrangement. I am immensely grateful for the financial support received through transfers, as it has not only improved my quality of life but also allowed me to envision a brighter future.

Last year, my cooking area collapsed during the heavy rains, presenting significant challenges with meal preparation amidst the adverse weather conditions. In response, I invested more than $68 in acquiring essential materials, including 8 iron sheets, building poles, nails, and sisal twine ropes, to reconstruct the cooking space. Currently, I am in the final stages of completing the construction, relieved to know that I will no longer encounter difficulties cooking during rainy periods. Moreover, I invested $30 in purchasing a sheep and acquired two hens for $4. Recently, the sheep gave birth to two adorable lambs, although sadly, one of them did not survive. Nonetheless, witnessing the growth of my initial investment brings me joy. In contrast to my past reliance on charcoal production, a laborious and low-income endeavor generating only $7 per bag, I am grateful for the financial support that has significantly eased my life. Charcoal production not only yielded minimal returns but also had adverse effects on my health.

My primary goals revolve around acquiring livestock, particularly goats, and purchasing a new wooden bed for improved sleep. Sleeping on old and uncomfortable bedding has been my challenge. However, with the recent successful harvest, I'm no longer burdened by the constant expense of buying food. As a result, I'm now determined to purchase the bed. I've already begun saving money and have successfully purchased a new mattress, which assures me that fulfilling this need won't pose a significant challenge. Additionally, my focus is on expanding my livestock ownership, particularly goats, as they are valuable assets that can meet various needs. Currently, I only have one goat, but my aspiration is to buy more, rear them, and let them multiply. Goats serve as a source of wealth, particularly for individuals like me who lack formal employment and primarily engage in subsistence farming.

The recent financial support I received has significantly transformed my life beyond my expectations. Prior to this assistance, I had been using old and uncomfortable bedding for a good night's sleep. However, thanks to the recent transfer, I invested $23 in a new mattress, replacing the worn-out one. I'm now in the process of planning to purchase a new bed to further enhance my sleep quality. Moreover, I'm elated to share that the transfer also enabled me to acquire some livestock, including a goat and six chickens, at a cost of $40. I'm currently raising these animals with the hope that they will multiply, providing a potential source of income during financial emergencies. In addition to these improvements, I allocated $25 to purchase two sheets of iron, which will be used to complete the construction of my kitchen. The kitchen was initially missing seven sheets, but I'm pleased to report that I've now completed the purchase and initiated the construction. This spacious kitchen will also double as storage for my items. Lastly, I received the money at a time when I was preparing to plant crops, and I wisely used the remaining funds to hire oxen to plow my farm. As a result, I was able to plant on time and ultimately achieved a bountiful harvest. This has significantly enhanced food security in my household, relieving me of the daily struggle of providing enough food for my family.

I have been buying some iron sheets and building poles whenever I receive a transfer in order to construct a kitchen. My goal is to ensure that I finish the construction so as to have a good place to cook, since I have been cooking in the open for months. I will pay for the labour cost and also buy some of the remaining materials Once this is done, I am planning to buy more goats and add them to my goat shed.

I have been saving a portion of the transfer every month and managed to buy a goat at Ksh. 3000. I did not have any livestock though my goal was at least start rearing, I however could not buy at my own cost. Owning the goat is one of my biggest achievement and I am expecting that it will reproduce and increase in number. I can readily sell them to raise some money to cater for my financial needs. Also for the last few months, I have been buying iron sheets and some building poles in order to build a kitchen. I was doing my cooking in the open since my house is not spacious enough. I am glad that I have been able to buy six pieces of iron sheets and soon I will start the construction. This will also help me to move some of the items to the kitchen so as to create space in my house. I finally spent the remaining portion to buy some foodstuffs which include maize flour and vegetables for my family. This ensured that my family does not lack food, since I did enough shopping for food that can last for many weeks.

By this time next year, I wish to have built a decent kitchen structure. I have been doubling my tiny poultry shed as a kitchen, and I feel it may run out of space when the flock expands. To construct the kitchen space, I need to buy building poles and iron sheets before I could hire someone to begin the exercise. After its completion, I plan to buy a wooden bed and a cozy mattress to replace the sisal-twined bed and sack-beddings I currently sleep on. 

As both my husband and I are advanced in age, we cannot participate in any activity to fend for ourselves. We heavily rely on our five sons who cut and sell chewing sticks to raise money for basic needs like food and clothing. However, sometimes their earnings hardly provide regular meals, which forces us to miss at least one meal daily. Not only do the cash transfers come as an ideal supplement for my children’s income, but they also give my husband and me the capacity to fend for ourselves. Besides money enable us to invest in livestock, which gradually builds our wealth. From the recent cash transfer, I used $10 to buy food and saved the rest with an aim of buying a goat. I spent $30 December’s cash on a sheep and bought food with the rest. From November’s transfer, I bought myself new clothes to replace the old and torn ones. At least, I now have decent clothes that I can dress when stepping out of the house. 

I appreciate how the organization supports the weaker members of society. I am grateful for the transfer because it is enabling me to buy food for my family. I found it extremely difficult to provide for all of the family's needs, including covering my sick husband's medical expenses, as I was the only source of income. I implore the organization to enroll the few members who were left out so that they, too, can take advantage of the cash program.

My primary source of income is farming. My husband is very old and unable to work, so I am the only provider for the family. When the drought started three years ago, it disrupted my source of income as a farmer. Since the farm is no longer productive, I am forced to pay very high prices for food in the stores. Due to having few customers, I hardly ever make enough money from my supplementary source of income, selling charcoal. This forces us to skip meals because I am unable to buy food as a result. As a result, when I got my second transfer, I used $15, or half of it, to buy food ( five packets of flour, a kilogram of sugar, beans and washing detergents). I kept the other half in order to purchase a goat when I get my next transfer. After suffering a significant loss on a farming investment, I'd like to try my hand at raising livestock.

When I got a text message on my phone, I was at home caring for my ailing spouse. When I checked the phone, I was shocked to learn that I had already gotten my first transfer. I ululated at the top of my lungs as my heart was immediately flooded with excitement. My spouse was joyful after I told him the wonderful news. Later that evening, we talked with him about how to spend the transfer, and we decided to purchase food because we were out because we didn't have any.

My family's and my life have been pleasantly affected by the transfer. I was unable to properly support my family due to the enormous costs.  The little money I get from selling charcoal is not enough to pay for both my husband's medical expenses and food for the family. The transfer saved the situation, and I am really glad that it happened at a favorable moment when I was really struggling financially.

I support my family financially alone. Owing to his advanced age and ill health, my spouse is unable to work. I support myself by selling charcoal in the village. My charcoal selling business has not been doing well, hence I have lacked funds to support my family’s needs (buying food, paying medical expenses and buying clothes).   When I got my first transfer, I bought my family's food with the entire KES 1200. Prior to the drought starting three years ago, I relied on my farm for a living, but that is no longer the case. I would harvest enough food from the farm to feed the family and sell the extra to the market. I'm really thankful that the transfers enabled me buy food for my family during this trying period.