Previously, I had a plan to start a dried fish-selling business, and I did venture into it. However, after a few months, I realized that I was not making much progress with the business, so I had to stop it and take another course. My plan for this year and beyond is to continue saving a portion of my transfers in a merry-go-round group. When I receive the pooled funds, I plan to use them to buy more livestock, especially goats and some chickens. I hope that these animals will increase in number and value so that, in the future, I can trade them for cows, particularly for milk. The milk will be for my household consumption, providing nutrition for my family, and any surplus can be sold. These milk cows will also multiply and increase in number and value. I plan to sell the cows in the future to support my family. This livestock investment strategy is my new focus, as I believe it will be more successful and sustainable than the dried fish business I previously attempted.

I've been investing my money in a merry-go-round group so that we can pool our funds and do something meaningful when my turn comes. I saved $60 in our group, so when I receive the money in August, I will invest it in livestock, buying goats and chicken in the hopes that they will multiply. I plan to then trade the livestock for cows, which will provide milk for my family's consumption as well as for sale. The cows will also give birth to more cows that I can sell in the future to support my family. Additionally, there are some goats that I have been caring for that are not mine, and they were unwell, so I spent $5 to buy them medicine so they could grow healthy. I also spent $14 to buy building materials to repair my kitchen, which was on the verge of collapsing. This has secured a cooking space for myself and my family. Furthermore, I paid $6 in school fees for my child to ensure he could continue his studies without interruption. Finally, since we no longer have any food stored and the crops did not do well this year due to drought, I spent the remaining $17 to buy food for my family so that we would not go hungry.

In the future, I plan to improve my family's life. I want to start a business selling omena to earn money. This will help me provide for my family's needs and give us a stable income. With the profits, I also hope to buy some chickens for additional income and to have fresh eggs. As my goats multiply, my dream is to exchange some of them for two plows to till the land. This way, I can cultivate more and even rent out the ploughs to others for extra money. I'm excited about these goals because they will bring financial stability and opportunities for a better future for my family.

I used to work as a casual laborer until the doctor advised me to stop due to health reasons. Now, I rely on quarterly transfers from GiveDirectly and the support of my son, who runs a small business. Their help means everything to me. With $60 from the transfers, I joined a savings group and used the money to build a store for my goods. Recently, I received a lump sum of $100 from the savings group and immediately started building the store. I also used $14 to treat my sick goats, which are crucial for my livelihood. Additionally, I spent $14 on buying clothes for myself since I didn't have enough. Lastly, I set aside $3 for tithes and to clear a debt I owed, ensuring peace of mind for me and my nieces. These transfers have been a lifeline for me, allowing me to secure my future and take care of essential needs.

The granary I have traditionally utilized to store maize is currently in a state of disrepair, with the thatched grass roof severely leaking. This poses a challenge for maize storage. As I look forward to a plentiful harvest, I am racing against time to restore the granary to a good condition for storing the maize. My intention is to utilize my upcoming transfers to procure new poles and grass for repairing the granary. I am extremely pleased with the financial assistance I have received thus far.

At the start of last month, heavy rains prompted me to prepare 1 acre of land for farming. I invested $24 in this endeavor and eagerly anticipate a bountiful harvest early next year, having planted maize, vegetables, and beans. Additionally, I settled a $10 debt with a neighbor who had plowed my land in August during the brief rains. A significant portion of the funds was allocated to purchasing medicine for my eleven goats, which had fallen seriously ill due to an infection. The total expenditure for treating all the goats amounted to $44. I am relieved that none of the animals succumbed to the peculiar illness, and their health has significantly improved. Furthermore, I procured two ducks for $10, viewing this as a prospective investment. Once they start reproducing, I plan to sell some and generate income. I am grateful for the financial assistance provided by Give Directly.

I am looking forward to the upcoming harvests, as they will provide an opportunity for me to invest in chickens. The harvests will not only meet our food needs but will also allow me to secure feeds for poultry. During the drought season, finding adequate feed for chickens was a challenge, but with the bountiful harvests, I will be able to sustain them. I would be happy to restart poultry rearing, as I had to sell my previous birds due to a lack of proper feed. Through this venture, I intend to generate income and accumulate wealth and help support the education of my grandchildren.

Given that planting season was underway, I utilized $20 to compensate the laborers I had hired to weed for my maize crops. This was a long overdue payment that I had been unable to make due to financial constraints. Relying on charcoal burning for income, I had been unable to make charcoal due to my recent health issues that required surgical intervention. This put a strain on my resources, and at times I rely on my son, who sells vegetables. However, he also has his own family to support, including two children, and his income is not always adequate. Am grateful that the cash transfers enabled me to repay the debts I had. Also, with the remaining $14 I purchased maize flour, to boost the little food that was left in stock so that we would not run out.

The recent heavy rainfall in our area brought a smile to my face. For a long time, we had been praying for rain without any success. The ongoing rains have given us hope that we will have a bountiful harvest from our farm. With an abundance of food, I plan to use my monthly stipend to invest in livestock farming, as I am keen on creating wealth through this avenue. I believe that my investment in livestock will multiply over time, leading to significant returns.

In the past two months, I have had to overcome the challenge of living in darkness for an entire week. The electric transformer that supplies electricity to our village burst into flames, and those responsible for repairing it have been unable to do so. As a result, I was unable to charge my phone for the entire week after it ran out of power. To light my house, I had to spend more money on buying kerosene and use traditional lamps. This situation prompted me to save $20 from my April transfers to buy a solar panel. With the solar panel, I will be able to charge my phone easily, light my house well, and reduce expenses on buying kerosene. I am happy that this purchase will significantly improve my daily life. Additionally, I spent the remaining $14 on buying food. My son, who sells vegetables in the market, is my only source of financial support. Recently, he has been unable to send me money regularly for my upkeep because he has his own family to take care of. Receiving the $14 is a huge relief for him, as the burden is heavy.

Due to the persistent drought nutrition has been quite a recurring challenge. Therefore, I intend to ensure that me and my family do not have to worry about matters concerned with nourishment. I also plan on buying myself a couple of new clothes because the ones that I have are mostly torn and in tatters. Apart from that I also plan on buying myself another goat so that after it reproduces it can always help me when I am struggling financially.

I was over the moon when I received the transfers especially because at the time we had finally been experiencing rain back in the village, which meant that if I was lucky enough to use the funds very well I could make good harvest. Therefore I immediately went ahead to spend KES 1,000 by renting out an ox that helped me plough my farm. I then proceeded to buy a hoe worth KES 300 because my old one was completely destroyed. Apart from that, I also spent KES 600 to finally settle a debt because I had bought a new phone but since I could not pay the money all at once the seller and I agree that I would pay in installments . Lastly I ended up spending the remaining KES 1,500 on nutrition because hunger was also one of our biggest challenges. I ended up using that money to purchase five packets of maize flour a kilogram of sugar and sardines.

I no longer engage in strenuous activities to support my family after falling and injuring my waist while chopping tree stumps for charcoal making. Jumaa, my son, is my primary breadwinner. Working as a vegetable seller in Mombasa, he sends me KES 500 after every two weeks for the family's needs.  Despite the fact that I live in a two-person household (with my nephew), this amount hardly covers our food costs for the two weeks, given the rising commodity prices. In reality, the night before the transfer, we had slept hungry. As a result, I prioritized purchasing maize flour for KES 950 using the transfer funds. In addition, I paid KES 1,000 to workmen to prepare half an acre of my land for maize planting and utilized KES 300 to secure seeds. Rains had begun that week, raising hopes of growing maize crops for household consumption. I saved the remainder as pocket money in case we ran out of food or sanitary supplies.

Everyone in the village is amazed by the work Give Directly is doing. We have never experienced such honesty and transparency. In most cases, we would be promised to get support only for a handful of people to be considered. Sending money directly to our Mpesa accounts as we were promised with no spending restrictions crowned it all. A lot has improved in our village as people have the opportunity to make decisions on how they spend their money. We are hoping to see more new businesses and more children enrolled in school and improved health as we continue to receive the transfers. I do not have any complaints about the organization but to thank them.

I have saved the entire transfer so that after will have given birth I will have more goats for rearing. We rely mostly on farming but for the first two years, the crop yields have been low due to prolonged rains. Whatever we have been harvesting can not take my family for even half a year. This forces me to fetch water for people to raise money for foodstuffs. The much I make daily is KES 200 which is not enough for both household and school needs for my children. I have therefore saved the whole of the second transfer aiming to raise more from the coming transfers so that I can later purchase goats for rearing. I am hopeful that in the future after they will have given birth then I will easily sell some of them to raise money for my household bills.

I was at home grazing my goats when I received a message and since I'm illiterate, I had to wait until I get home so that my nephew could read it for me. When I got home, I gave him the phone and he told me that I had received my first transfer. I was so happy because I was worried about the deteriorating health condition of my goats.

My goats health condition is now improving and I now have peace of mind. I didn't know what to sow when the rains fall but I'm nolonger worried since I already bought the seedlings.

I lost almost all my livestock to severe drought that had striked our land last year and only remained with a few which I couldn't afford to lose. Two months ago, there was an outbreak of cattle disease which almost cleared the remaining livestock. I used all the money that I had to vaccinate few goats that I had and buy them food supplement. They still seemed to be weak but I couldn't afford to vaccinate them again as I only depend on my son who claimed to be broke then. I received the transfers at a time when I needed financial aid most as I didn't have any other person whom I could depend on. I spend KES 2100 to vaccinate my goats and buy them food supplement, KES 400 to buy maize seedlings since we are towards rain season and KES 500 to buy 4 2kg packets of maize floor which can last me for a month.