As a father of five children, I have been relying on burning and selling charcoal to make ends meet. Unfortunately, this has become increasingly difficult due to the effects of climate change. All my children are attending school, which poses a big responsibility for me. It might be challenging to raise enough money to cover all of their school fees. Given my low financial status, my only hope is the monthly transfers, which have been helpful in covering their fees. My spouse is also a beneficiary, and she has been helping too. Our goal is to ensure that our children's education is not interrupted, despite our financial limitations. I am also planning to start a small food kiosk in my area as an income-generating activity. After paying the fees, I will save part of the monthly transfers to buy stock of foodstuffs and open the kiosk. I believe that having a good source of income will help educate my children and meet my household needs with ease.

I was under a lot of stress because my son had just completed his primary education and was set to join high school. However, looking at my current financial situation, it seemed impossible to raise the required fees. I had already spent $34 on buying new school uniforms, books, and other items required for his boarding stay. My only source of income, which is charcoal burning, could not cover all the expenses, as I had initially thought. Therefore, I was in distress because I had already done all the shopping, yet my son was still rejected on the first day as I could not pay the complete admission fee. My son had to stay for three more days as I patiently waited for the transfer that finally came in time. I added the remaining amount, which was $35, and my son was finally allowed to start his high school education. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the instant relief that it brought to my household, which alleviated the stress that I was going through during that time. Before the school fees issue arose, I had saved $25 and used it to acquire a goat. I currently own two goats on my homestead, and my goal is to let them multiply. Having them will help me educate my five other children, who are still young and at lower academic levels. I spent the rest of the transfer on buying foodstuffs, which ensured that my family was well fed, and also on some household items that I lacked.

In the coming year and beyond, my objective is to establish my own vegetable-selling business. This endeavor will serve as an additional and reliable source of income for me. By generating extra income, I will be able to better provide for my family's needs, including purchasing food and covering school fees. I cannot express enough how genuinely delighted and excited I am about the assistance I have received through these transfers. The support has been instrumental in ensuring that my children continue to receive an education and have enough food to sustain them, particularly during these challenging economic circumstances.

As a casual laborer, my income from selling charcoal is quite meager. The process of producing charcoal is labor-intensive and yields minimal returns. It takes a minimum of eleven days to cut and prepare the tree stumps for sale. The maximum number of charcoal bags I can obtain is two, which sell for $20 each. Fortunately, I have received invaluable financial support through monthly transfers. This assistance has allowed me to purchase food valued at $13.4. Ensuring that my family never goes hungry during challenging financial times has been of utmost importance. Moreover, I allocated $35 to settle my children's school fees. Although there is still a remaining debt of $16, I am grateful that my children can continue attending school and pursuing their education. Additionally, I invested in new school uniforms for my three children. Previously, they were attending school in torn and worn-out uniforms, resulting in frequent rejections and sent-home situations. Witnessing them being able to attend school without such issues brings me immense joy. Lastly, I made the decision to purchase a goat. The recent rainfall has led to an abundance of grass, which influenced my choice to acquire this goat as a future investment.

With the aim of escaping a tiresome, low-paying job, I aspire to embark on either a vegetable selling or a fast food restaurant business. By doing so, I can alleviate the financial strain and provide for my family's needs, while also attaining a stable financial standing. However, the realization of these plans hinges on the consistent rainfall we are presently experiencing, which will ensure a bountiful harvest. Consequently, I can accumulate more funds to invest in my desired business endeavors.

I am the sole provider for my family of eight, consisting of my wife and six children. Meeting our basic needs, such as food, school fees, and clothing, has been a constant struggle. As a casual laborer, my earnings from selling charcoal are meager. This job involves arduous tasks like venturing into the forest, cutting tree stumps, and converting them into charcoal through burning, a process that takes at least eleven days. The sale of a sack of charcoal fetches a mere $4, which is significantly low. Unfortunately, my financial difficulties have had the greatest impact on my children's education. They often face school dismissal due to outstanding fees amounting to over $30. Prior to receiving my May transfers, my children were unable to attend school for three consecutive days, as I had been unable to fulfill my promise of settling their fees. Eventually, after paying $10, my children were allowed back to school, bringing immense joy as they could make up for the lost time at home. Additionally, I used some funds to purchase essential food items like maize flour, sugar, and tea leaves to sustain my family. Due to our financial constraints, providing adequate meals for everyone is a constant challenge, leading to occasional skipped meals when money is scarce. However, the arrival of my monthly transfers brings relief to my family, as they know they won't have to go to bed hungry.

The most recent transfers came at a time when I was struggling financially and unable to pay my son Kahindi's school fees. He was one of the students taking the O'level examinations. Therefore, I prioritized using $20 to pay off a portion of his school fee arrears. Unfortunately, he still owes $120 in unpaid fees. I think I will be able to pay off the balance with the ongoing monthly transfer. I spent $14 on food because my ten-person family did not have enough food the night before. I was already in financial trouble because my only source of income is from making charcoal. Since we never had any money, the assistance came just in time.

Givedirectly is a well organized entity, calling us often is the best gift that we need. If you hear about Givedirectly you are hopeful everything will be fine.

I burn timber for charcoal and sell it at an open market. Currently, one sack of charcoal is $5 and for the past month, I have sold seven sacks. This money helps me buy food for my family. I have eight children, six are in school. School fees have been a challenge and most of the time they are sent home due to arrears, missing a lot of school time. In the last month, I bought a goat that cost $15, paid school fees arrears which were $10, and bought food for $5.

when I was just about to go to bed is when the donation came in and instantly there was a huge being plastered all over my face because I had not been expecting it to come in at that moment and GiveDirectly had actually kept it's word so I was happy.

I was extremely worried when my son got sent back home and this is because I had no money at the time to pay tuition but luckily I received the funds and he was able to resume school which must have been one of the most important things that happened at the time.

Two days before the transaction had been sent out my son who happens to be in high school had been kicked out if school and that is why when I received the money I decided to pay KES 500 so that you could go back to school. I also happen to have five other children who are primary school and they needed stationedy so I ended up using KES 300 for that purpose. Eventually I used the remaining balance of KES 370 by purchasing one and a half of kilogram of maize flour and sugar.