In the coming year and beyond, my heartfelt goal is to transform the worn-out roofing of my home into a strong shield against unpredictable weather. The current state of the iron sheets, aged and corroded, leaves my house vulnerable. With a determination fueled by a vision of a safer and more comfortable place, I have embarked on a journey of renovation. The task demands 22 pieces of iron sheets, and while I've managed to replace five, there are still 17 awaiting renewal. To achieve this dream, I've devised a simple plan of saving $10 monthly. With each passing month, I will install a new iron sheet because a piece goes for $10.

Since I became a widow, life has been a tough journey, especially as I rely on the generosity of my co-wife's son for sustenance. With only daughters who have married and started their own families, I found myself in a vulnerable position, dependent on the goodwill of others. However, my fortunes changed when I was enrolled in the GiveDirectly monthly program. It became my lifeline, shielding me from the indignity of relying entirely on someone else for survival. In the recent transfers, I made a deliberate choice with the funds I received. Out of the total sum of $102, I set aside $60 for my grandson's school fees. His father, my late son-in-law, passed away, leaving my daughter, his mother, to fend for the family with meager earnings from casual labor. I couldn't bear to see my grandson's education suffer due to financial constraints, so I allocated a significant portion of the transfer to ensure he continued his schooling uninterrupted. The remaining $42 went towards securing food for our household, ensuring that there is sustenance on our table during these challenging times. Through these decisions, I strive to uphold dignity and support the aspirations of my family, despite the adversities we face.

As each day passes, I find myself feeling the effects of aging, with diminishing energy and reduced capacity to engage in work. With the start of the New Year, I am eager to channel my resources into purchasing livestock. By investing in livestock, I hope to benefit from their multiplication, providing a source of sustenance for the future when external financial support may no longer be available. I am grateful for the positive impact of financial assistance, which has significantly improved my quality of life and enabled me to provide for my family, particularly in supporting my grandson's education.

At the end of last year, I used $10 to settle my child's school fees arrears, allowing him to take his year-end exams without any further difficulties. I am pleased to be able to support his education, as his mother is struggling to cover his school fees due to a lack of stable employment. Additionally, I saved $20 through a family savings group. When I received my share of the savings last year, I used it to purchase a goat, which has not yet given birth, but I am anticipating its upcoming delivery. With the remaining $4, I bought some sugar and other provisions to celebrate with my family. I am grateful that the festive season was enjoyable, filled with an abundance of food, which allowed me to joyfully celebrate with my relatives.

In the coming year and beyond, my goal is to embark on an investment in livestock. This decision holds great promise, as livestock have the remarkable ability to multiply within a relatively short period of time. By multiplying, they not only enhance my initial investment, but also provide a sustainable source of income that extends well beyond the allocated financial assistance period of five years. The prospect of this investment fills me with happiness and gratitude, as it contributes significantly to improving the quality of my life.

I reside with my grandson, who is currently a student in Form Two at Guruguru Secondary School. Towards the end of the previous term, he had an outstanding fee balance of $30. Upon receiving my August transfers, I made the decision to allocate $20 towards partially clearing the debt he owed the school, ensuring that he could continue his education without any hindrance. Witnessing my grandson attending school brings me a sense of fulfillment and joy. As I am growing older, I am no longer able to engage in farm work as actively as I did in previous years. The financial assistance I receive plays a crucial role in meeting my needs, particularly in acquiring essential items such as food. This includes purchasing maize flour, sugar, and tea leaves. I am immensely grateful for the financial support, as it holds significant importance in enabling me to lead a decent life, particularly during these challenging times with a harsh economic climate.

When I was building my house, I did not have enough funds to acquire iron sheets to cover the entire space. So, I borrowed some pieces from an old structure, which had been around for years. Following the ongoing rains, I noticed that the roof lets in rainwater. With the help of the cash transfers, I intend to replace the iron sheets in the coming years. Other than that, I also want to rear goats as a source of wealth that I could sell anytime to obtain money for my household's needs.

When I received the money, my granddaughter had missed school for two days owing to unpaid school fees. By that time, her father had not raised enough money from his casual jobs to send her back to school. So, I deducted $10 from the transfer to settle the deficit and she happily resumed classes. Next, I contributed $20 towards a merry-go-round club, from where I anticipate earning at least $40 in the following two months. This money will help me support my son in paying school fees for his daughter. Being the sole provider in the household, the casual jobs he does for a living barely keep her in school. I wish to lift that burden off of his shoulders.

In the coming year and beyond, I intend to start goats keeping a long-term investment for myself. I will be able to sell them when they multiply to cater to any financial emergencies in the future. At the same time, I intend to save some amount from the transfers that I get every month to acquire enough food. This is because I am old and no longer economically active to feed myself.

My daughter-in-law provides the majority of my financial support because I am elderly. She sells charcoal to make a living. My grandson was expelled from school a week before I got my transfers because of sizable school fee balances. My daughter-in-law, who is her mother, could not afford to pay for him to return to school. This made him have to stay at home and watch his friends go to school. I contributed $10 toward clearing up his unpaid school fees when I got my transfer. I spent $7 buying a hen in addition to paying school fees. I'd love to raise both livestock and poultry so I can sell some of them after they multiply and make some money. I then bought food with the remaining $17. Because of the severe effects of the drought, we must purchase all of our food from the stores at extremely high prices. Since we've had a lot of rain lately, we've returned to our farms and are planting maize. We are hoping that the rains, which help us have a bountiful harvest, will continue. This will allow us to put the money into revenue-generating projects.

A day after you receiving the transfers I noticed that my grandchild had been sent back home from school due to failure in paying for tuition fee. Now since at the time I had received the money I decided to use KES 1,000 from the transfers to settle a part of the tuition debt. After that I was left with a balance of KES 2,000 and I ended up using KES 1,000 on purchasing five packets of maize flour because nutrition was a challenge. As for what remained I decided to leave it in my savings account because I planned on purchasing a goat eventually.

Many dreams are realized and hardships are lessened as a result of the cash transfers given out by Give Directly. My family benefited largely from the program through food acquisition at a time when I had reached rock bottom in terms of putting meals on the table. I do not see anything wrong with the way Give Directly functions.

My son is the sole provider for our family's food, school fees, and other household expenses. He makes a living by hustling from one casual task to the next; he has no fixed source of income. Because of the strenuous nature of his jobs, he is constantly plagued by body aches that send him to bed for days on end. He is enduring physical pains as we speak. As a result, the last few days have been the most difficult for everyone in the family because, while we care for him, there has been no one to rely on for food. So I was compelled to take food on credit from the store to get us through to when he would recover. This is why I deducted KES 1,200 from the transfer to pay off the shop debt. I also saved KES 810, which I intend to use to buy hens for rearing, allowing them to breed, and sell them later to make money. I spent the remaining cash to replenish food in order to ensure that meals were always available for the family.

I was actually doing my chores that early morning when the message came on my phone but by being less knowledgeable I asked my trustee, the one who helps me in such matters, just to go ahead and check what the message read. After that all I felt was pure bliss because the money had finally arrived as promised by GiveDirectly I almost left my chores half way undone due to all the joy I was feeling in that moment.

I genuinely feel empowered because on most occasion I would have to depend on my kids to cater for my needs yet they have their own families to look after, but then my age also does not allow me to do much. So on most occasions I felt like a burden. But now things have definitely changed for the better because now I can fend for myself through the transfers that I receive from GiveDirectly.

Nutrition at the moment is all I have on my mind each time I get money and that includes the funds I received from GiveDirectly as well. This is due o the fact that climate change impacted our village in the worst way possible since it barely rains like before and when it does it is barely enough for any crops to grow. Now imagine as subsistence farmers how this situation affected our livelihood. That is why after getting the funds from GiveDirectly I went ahead and bought half a dozen packets of maize flour worth KES 690 and a hen that I planned on rearing for KES 350. Lastly I bought laundry detergent worth KES 30 because that is all I was left with. Although the amount I received was barely enough, I was grateful because it was better than nothing.