In the coming year and beyond, my goal is to save enough money to purchase a bull. This bull will alleviate the struggles I've faced during the planting season and allow me to earn additional income by offering plowing services to others in the village. Owning a bull will help me achieve financial independence even after the financial support ends. After purchasing the bull, I also plan to buy a modern jembe to further improve my plowing efforts. I'm happy with the financial support I've received, which has already helped me build a house.

My husband is the sole breadwinner of our family, working as a porter in Mombasa town. Unfortunately, his wages are barely enough to cover our daily needs. To help boost our income, I sell charcoal, which involves uprooting tree stumps to produce charcoal for sale. Thanks to the financial help from the transfers, I can now invest in income-generating projects that are helping both my husband and me become more financially independent. I joined a savings group with 25 members, where I save $30 each month. My primary goal is to accumulate $350 to purchase a bull. This bull will be instrumental in plowing my 3 acres of land during the rainy season, eliminating the need to spend money on land preparation for planting. Additionally, I plan to offer plowing services to others, generating extra income. So far, I have saved $90, and I aim to save more in the coming months to achieve this goal. I spent the remaining $12 on food, ensuring my family had enough to eat. I am grateful for the financial support, which is allowing me to invest wisely, become financially independent, and work towards a better life for my family.

My goal in the coming year and beyond is to purchase the bull that will not only help me plow my land but also help me earn some income by offering plowing services to others. I am very happy that with the help of the transfers, my life is going to be transformed for the better. I no longer need to work on other people's farms, proving that the money from the transfers has been essential in providing for my family. The support from the transfers has allowed me to save towards purchasing the bull, which costs $300. So far, I have saved $90, and I am on track to reach my goal. Additionally, I have been able to buy food and meet other essential needs, ensuring that my family is well-fed and taken care of. I am grateful for the financial assistance, which has significantly improved our quality of life and given us hope for a stable and prosperous future.

I make charcoal from tree stumps and sell them to earn a living. My husband does not have a stable job and depends on odd casual jobs that pay very little money, so we struggle to make ends meet for our family. I conceived the idea of purchasing a bull that I will use to plow our three-acre land and also earn some money by offering the same service to other people. Plowing land using tractors is quite expensive, so owning a bull that can do a similar job will offer a cheaper alternative to small-scale farmers who cannot afford the high price of using machinery. To achieve this goal, I save $30 every month from my transfers so that I can purchase the bull. The bull costs $300, and with the financial support, I am happy that I can purchase it. So far, I have saved $90 towards the purchase of the bull. I also purchased six packets of maize flour for $12. I am glad that both my husband and I had enough to eat. I am very happy and I appreciate the financial support I am receiving, which is enabling me to achieve my goal. This support is not only helping us meet our daily needs but also empowering us to invest in a sustainable future. With the bull, I will be able to improve our agricultural productivity and provide a valuable service to our community.

I rely primarily on subsistence farming to provide food for my household. To maximize my harvest during planting season, I make every effort to use my acreage to its fullest potential. However, to plow my farm, I have to hire oxen from my neighbors, which is quite costly due to the extensive acreage. Nonetheless, I have decided to save money and eventually buy my own pair of oxen. This will allow me to cultivate my land on time and ensure that every inch is properly tended to, leading to a larger harvest. Furthermore, owning my own oxen will eliminate the need to hire from my neighbors and allow me to rent them out instead. To achieve this goal, I am committed to saving a portion of my transfers each month.

Since I began receiving transfers, my determination to construct a sturdy house with an iron roof took shape. Through the consistent savings of these transfers each month, I successfully realized the construction of the house. I express my gratitude to GiveDirectly for making it possible to achieve this goal, as my resources would not have sufficed. I no longer endure the stress of seeking shelter from neighbours when it rains. Although I completed the construction of the house, I had not fully compensated the mason. Upon receiving the recent transfers, I promptly settled the mason's dues, amounting to $40. Now, I find solace in my new house, having cleared all outstanding debts. Furthermore, I invested in acquiring two goats for $60, increasing my livestock to three. My objective is to breed them and allow them to multiply, providing me with valuable assets that can be readily sold to meet financial obligations. With no alternative source of income, these goats serve as crucial assets. I spent the remaining transfer to purchase foodstuffs, ensuring that my family enjoyed three meals a day without the previous struggle of skipping meals due to food scarcity.

In the upcoming year and beyond, my primary goal centers around acquiring a pair of oxen. For too many years,I have relied solely on my own physical strength, and the weariness has taken its toll. I have made a commitment to save diligently each month, inching closer to the day I can finally have these reliable companions. With oxen by my side, I envision not only lightening my own load but also significantly improving my family's well-being. They will assist in everyday tasks, from carrying water from the dams to aiding in our farming endeavors. This step signifies not just a personal upgrade but a path to a more efficient and prosperous life for my family.

Using my recent unconditional cash transfer, I made a decision that brought immense relief and joy to my life. The entirety of that transfer went toward settling the debt I owed to the mason who had been tirelessly constructing my house. It had been a constant source of stress, as he frequently inquired when I would be able to clear the debt. Each day without payment eroded my sense of dignity and self-worth. Thanks to GiveDirectly, I was finally able to end this burden and regain my pride. Moreover, I now have a place to call home—a sanctuary for my family of eight. Our livelihoods had relied on seasonal jobs, with my husband working as a casual laborer and earning just $1.5 a day, which barely covered our daily expenses, let alone the looming debt. With that financial weight lifted, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and hope. My husband and I can now focus on securing a better future for our family and ensuring our children's well-being and education.

My primary objective remains the construction of a new house. Since the commencement of the cash transfers, I have diligently allocated a significant portion of the funds toward acquiring building materials. Courtesy of Give Directly, I have accumulated enough iron sheets and have recently started acquiring building poles, bringing me closer to my goal. A more spacious house is of utmost importance to my grandchildren and me, as it will enable us to have separate and comfortable living spaces. Additionally, having enough room will ensure that we can accommodate visitors without any difficulties. I am grateful for the assistance provided through the cash transfers, as they have allowed me to make progress toward achieving my objectives and improving the living conditions for my family. 

Currently, I shelter under a cramped one-room structure with my four grandchildren, and the limited space has become a challenge for us. Our two beds no longer fit comfortably, prompting my desire to build a two-room house. This way, the children and I can have separate living spaces, ensuring a more comfortable environment for everyone. To construct the new house, I spent the past few months' transfers to acquire iron sheets. From the recent transfer, I decided to use $32 to secure building poles. The cash transfers have brought me more hopes on building a larger house for my family, which would have otherwise been impossible were it not for the funds. Also, due to financial constraints, there was a shortage of food in our household, compounded by the fact that my husband had made any money for additional provisions. Furthermore, my charcoal-making business had not yielded any profits during this time. This is why I had to utilize the remaining funds from the transfer to purchase food. One thing I have realized since I started receiving the cash transfers is that my family has never slept hungry. 

By the end of the year, I wish to have built the extra room to completion. I heavily count on my monthly cash transfers to make this wish a reality for me because whatever I make from selling sardines cannot cover anything beyond food costs. I will be very happy to see my grandchildren occupy one room and me the other, for this will bring enough space and privacy for all of us. 

My one-room house is becoming small for my six grandchildren and me. My wish has been to extend an extra room to my house so that there can be ample space to share. However, the little profits I make from selling sardines could never fund the construction process. The cash transfers from Give Directly have proved useful in enabling me to buy building materials for the house. From the three recent cash transfers, I spent a total of $51 to buy six pieces of iron sheets. I aim to assemble all the materials and then hire someone to build the room to completion. Next, I saved $10 through a self-help group, from where I can easily withdraw the money or a loan whenever am in need. I used $10 to boost my sardines stock so that I could realize more profits. Also, I spent $12 on transport to visit and check on my elder brother who had been admitted to a hospital in Mombasa. The remaining amount went towards food. 

In my opinion, GiveDirectly did a very good job by coming into our village and offering us unconditional cash transfers. This has enabled us to acquire assets that we could not purchase using our cash because of the high poverty life that has stricken our households. I, therefore, do not see any sector that GiveDirectly failed us.

I spent part of my recent transfer on buying a goat which cost around $20. For so many years, I have been yearning to keep them on my homestead but I could not afford any of them because they were quite expensive. I however settled for it because they reproduce twice a year and their offspring mature very fast as compared to the other domestic animals. Therefore I am optimistic that through this goal, I will achieve most of my dreams. To add on that I boosted my small business ( selling fish) which was almost collapsing and I am grateful that it is now stable. With the remaining amount of money, I decided to save it for the merry-go-round chama.

My phone buzzed with a message alert at 9 p.m. when I was catching up with my grandchildren before going to bed. Since I cannot read, Furaha, my eldest granddaughter reviewed the contents of the message and found that Give Directly had sent money. We all danced with delight since the money would secure us food after a day of starvation.

I had wished to raise poultry for a very long time but lack of money had hindered this dream from actualizing. My husband, who I mostly rely on, could not afford to help me buy chicken from the little earnings he made through carrying luggage. However, the cash transfers from Give Directly opened a perfect door for me to procure the birds. Unlike before, I am now a proud owner of two chickens.

My husband, who takes on luggage carrying casual tasks in Mombasa, is my sole provider. Because his pay is based on the number of days he works, he sometimes comes home empty-handed on rough days. When successful he can earn up to KES 600 on a good day. However, since these earnings rarely come by, it is difficult to meet household needs such as food. In fact, I had gone to bed hungry the night before the transfer due to a lack of money for food. So, I used KES 600 to buy maize flour. I spent the remaining amount on two chickens as an investment. The goal is to let them multiply and make money from their sale to fend for me and reduce over-reliance on my spouse.