My goal for the coming year and beyond is to expand my omena business. In addition to the income I receive from GiveDirectly, this business provides financial support, allowing me to earn a daily income. This ensures that my family never goes to bed hungry, as I am able to buy food every day. I am optimistic that by boosting this business, it will not only improve our financial situation but also offer stability and security. To achieve this, I plan to invest part of my transfer into growing the business. Additionally, I have a plan to invest part of my transfer in livestock, specifically goat rearing and poultry. I considered this because I have two children in upper primary school who will soon transition to secondary school. These animals will serve as my future financial security. In case I face financial difficulties, I can sell them to pay for my children's school fees or buy food when needed for family consumption.

I am a widow, and all responsibilities fall on my shoulders. Before receiving support from GiveDirectly, I used to sell vegetables to provide for my four children. However, it was very difficult to make enough money, especially to cover their school fees. As a result, they were often sent home due to unpaid balances, which was heartbreaking, but I had no other options. I want to sincerely thank GiveDirectly for the financial support that has eased the burden on my family. Now, I am able to pay school fees on time and provide food for my family. With the most recent transfer, I spent the entire $102 on food and water. We are currently facing a drought, which has made water scarce and driven up the prices of the little food available.

The roof of my mother's house is leaking due to holes in the iron sheets, and with three children, she is struggling with limited space. My main goal in the coming years is to build my mother a new home. After our father passed away, we were left in an aging house that no longer meets our needs. While I’ve managed to build a small house for myself, my mother’s living conditions are far from ideal, with a deteriorating roof causing discomfort. With time still left to benefit from these transfers, I’m committed to saving as much as I can from both my monthly transfers and daily efforts to achieve this goal. Initially, I had planned to upgrade my own house's roof, but I’ve realized my mother’s situation is more urgent. I’m deeply grateful to GiveDirectly for their financial support, which has given me hope of making this dream a reality.

My father passed away, and my mother, a widow, took on the responsibility of caring for us. She works as a peasant farmer and also burns and sells charcoal to make ends meet. Life was difficult until GiveDirectly offered us financial support. Since I’m in college, I often have to hustle to help my mother care for my younger siblings. With my most recent transfer, I spent $65 on food for my family and $30 on my rent, as my college is far from home. This transfer has had a significant impact on my life, especially as a student. I also spent $5 on personal items and bought a pair of shoes for $250. I'm truly grateful to GiveDirectly for their support, which has allowed me to complete my college education.

In the years ahead, my main goal is to provide my mother with a new home. After our father's passing, we were left in an aging house that doesn't meet our needs. While I've managed to build a small house for myself, my mother's living conditions are far from ideal, with a deteriorating roof causing discomfort. With time still left to benefit from these transfers, I'm committed to saving as much as I can from both my monthly transfers and my daily efforts to achieve this goal. Initially, I had planned to upgrade my own house's roof, but I've realized that my mother's situation is more pressing. I'm grateful to Give Directly for their financial support, as it has given me hope of reaching my goal.

I want to express my deep appreciation to Give Directly for their steadfast financial support, which played a crucial role in covering my college housing expenses throughout my education, making my stay during that period much more manageable. Being solely reliant on my mother, a small-scale farmer, I faced significant challenges in meeting my accommodation needs while at school. Hence, upon receiving my recent transfers, I promptly allocated $35 towards my college housing rent to ensure smooth relations with the landlord. Furthermore, I set aside $10 for food expenses to sustain myself for a period, and I directed $68 towards paying my fees to avert any possibility of being sent home due to outstanding balances.

My mother as I said has been the sole breadwinner since the death of my father. She would buy palm wine from tappers and sell it as a way of making an income. She relied on this fully during this time until we were enrolled to the Givedirectly program. When we got enrolled in the program the burden on her lessened and we were able to chip in financially. I would like to build and income source from the rearing of animals. I now have 2 chicken and 1 goat which is just a start. Using this transfers I hope to add more animals and use them as my source of income as I also look for welding jobs,

I have been in welding school. My father was a welder and worked in a college training welders, he died in 2015 and the burden of raising the family went to my mother. My father was well liked and respected in the school so when I expressed interest to study welding they offered to bring down my school fees from $110 to $70 and allowed me to make small payments until I completed. I also took a house close buy and paid for rent during my time there which I used my transfers to pay rent. I spent $10 in October and $10 in November to pay for school fees while $12 in October and $20 in November went into rent. I would also buy food which cost me $10 in October and $4 in November. In December I bought chicken for the festivities at $10, wheat flour at $10 and clothes and shoes at $12.

I intend to engage in livestock farming, starting with the three chickens I already have, I plans to keep more poultry. Additionally, I currently own two goats and intend to acquire more to generate an income. I'm acquiring a dairy cow to also generate an income through milk sales since I have now completed my education. My long-term goal is to provide my mother with a better house. She is currently living in a small thatched roof house, I aim to build her a solid brick house. After accomplishing this, I plan to build my own home. Furthermore, I am committed to contributing to my mother's financial well-being by assisting with the payment of school fees for my younger siblings' education.

I utilized the funds from my August transfer to cover my college tuition fees. I've been setting aside $10 each month to address other expenses. I am the eldest among my siblings, who reside with our mother. My three younger siblings are still in primary school, and our mother is the sole provider. Her commitment to sustaining our family began seven years ago when our father passed away. My mother runs a charcoal selling business, which is our family's primary source of income. Before we became a part of this program, there were times when we went to bed hungry, and I even had to take an extended break from school for about three months because we couldn't afford school fees. I am set to complete my training in October, and this opportunity has been transformative for our family's well-being. My mother can now support my younger siblings as I managed my needs on my own.

Growing up, I witnessed my mother's struggles as a widow, providing for my two siblings and me through charcoal burning. Her lack of a supporting hand and our family's precarious financial situation make things even more challenging. Currently, our house is in a state of disrepair, especially the deteriorating palm leaf roof that allows water to seep in during rainy seasons. My ultimate happiness would be to build my mother a stable and decent house, preferably one with brick walls and a tin roof. After I graduate from welding college next month, I have faith that I will be able to generate the necessary funds to accomplish this goal and provide my mother with the comfortable home she deserves.

Currently, I am enrolled in college studying welding, and the cash transfers have been instrumental in covering my school fees and other educational expenses. My primary motivation for using the transfers in this way is to support my mother, who already carries the burden of caring for my younger siblings. Her income from making and selling charcoal is insufficient to provide for our daily meals, let alone support our education. To alleviate this pressure from her, I mostly allocate $15 from the transfers to pay for my school fees, and the remaining $19 is used for food while I am in college. Without these cash transfers, I am uncertain if I would have been able to reach this stage in my education. Furthermore, thanks to the transfers, my family never goes hungry, and for that, I am immensely grateful.

Once I complete college, I have two primary goals that I will strive to accomplish. Since I already have a house, though grass thatched, my first goal is to build an iron-roofed spacious house. It costs me to maintain the current house because it requires frequent repairs. I do not have any income, so this has been unsustainable for me. Second, I want to raise livestock, especially domesticated birds, cows, and goats. I consider livestock keeping a viable venture that can earn good returns after a given period. They are beneficial and can help me to raise some money should I sell them in the future.

Since my grade eight marks were low to enable me to secure a chance in High School, I had no option except to consider doing an artisan course. Through the guidance of my mother, I chose a welding and fabrication course and enrolled for it last in May last year. With my monthly transfers, I have been able to spend a portion to pay for the needed cost. Similarly, I paid a total of $40 from my recent transfers. Since I live away from home, the remaining transfers enabled me to pay my rent and buy food. I am incredibly grateful to GiveDitrectly for its generous assistance because it has greatly aided in my acquisition of life-enhancing skills. By the end of May, I hope to have completed the course, which will open up more opportunities.

I am an orphan, and I have been living with my mother, Juniwa, a jobless widow. We all look to her as our sole breadwinner. However, I always sympathize with her to see the kind burden she carries to support us, six siblings by relying on making and selling charcoal. When I received my most recent transfer, I used $10 on food to supplement what my mother had bought. I also spent $5 on some new sets of second-hand clothes since I did not have better clothes. My clothes had patches because the tailor had fixed them. I look nowadays look more presentable. Since I am pursuing an artisan course in welding and fabrication, I had arrears of $ 60 then. I, therefore, spent $15 to pay part of the fees. I am hopeful I will clear it before the year ends.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly does so well in uplifting the community members from the impoverished areas. Enrolling people in the program enhances social protection in the essence that beneficiaries have a regular income that they can use to meet their daily needs. Secondly, the model of sending money through Mpesa contributes to enhancing recipients' safety because no one can sense when the transfers are sent. In contrast, there is nothing that GiveDirectly does not do well.

I am set to join college this week and this is something that sparks hope in my life. Throughout my life, my education has been a journey characterized by uncertainties since my mother is a jobless and widowed woman. All of a long, she has been brewing alcohol as well as selling hoes to support us. Immediately after I received my transfer, I decided to spend KES 2,000 on buying some requirements before joining college. This move has indeed lessened her burden thus making her work of raising her college fees her work easier. Furthermore, I contributed KES 1,000 to aid in the acquisition of foodstuff since we have a large family of 6.

It was late at night when I was taking a bath, as usual the message tone caught my attention which made me take the bath in haste, eager to read the message. I was startled to see the Mesa message and after dressing up rushed to my mother's house to share the good news

My life has been a struggle and have been working hard to support my mother ever since my father left us. It is a luxury to afford to replace or change your wardrobe hence GiveDirectly funds have enabled me to restore my dignity and shame from the worn-out clothes and shoes. My dream of being a doctor is closer than it seemed because I am planning to go back to school and complete my high school education. I am certain that it will make my mother proud and honor to my late father’s wishes.

After the death of my father, he left my mother with the burden of raising four children on his own. At that moment, she was unemployed and most of the time she relied on my late father for financial support. Life has not been the same again and my mother worked as a charcoal burner in order for us to survive. She could not educate us and my brother was frustrated with staying home because of school fees he ended up dropping out from school at class three. I was determined and eventually finished my primary school at the age of 19years even though it way older because of the undisrupted trend of attending my classes. I spent my transfer of KES 500 on food and KES 650 on shoes and clothes.