Looking ahead, my goal is to invest in livestock. This is a smart investment for the future, as once the livestock multiply, I can sell some to generate income and take care of my needs. To achieve this, I plan to save a portion of my transfers in the coming months and use those savings to purchase livestock. I am deeply appreciative of the financial support, which has been a lifeline for me and my family during these challenging times.

I am of age and unable to work due to health complications, so I rely heavily on my daughter, who works as a teacher. Unfortunately, she is not permanently employed, and her job comes with many challenges, including low and delayed payments. When these issues arise, we struggle financially, unable to meet our basic needs. The financial support from the transfers has been a tremendous relief, allowing me to step in and help my family during difficult times. I used $25 to support my granddaughter’s tuition fees. This has enabled her to continue her studies in a town far from home without major interruptions, which brings me great comfort. The remaining $78 was spent on food for my family, as the ongoing drought has made farming impossible. We are forced to buy food from the shops, where prices have skyrocketed. I'm incredibly grateful for the financial assistance, which has helped us manage these tough times and improved our quality of life.

I have a goal that, once achieved, I believe will ease the struggles I’ve faced in the past. My plan is to buy more goats and raise them on my homestead, with the hope that, over time, I won’t just have a few goats but a whole herd. Since I don’t have a job to fund this plan, I intend to use the upcoming transfers to finance it. I’m confident that the money saved from these transfers will be helpful. Once I have many goats, they will support me in various ways, including paying my grandson’s school fees by selling some of them. They will also help meet my needs, as I’m old, a widow, and unable to work anymore. This will also be a relief to my son, who has been supporting me despite his own struggles.

My spouse passed away many years ago, leaving me alone with my children. As I have grown older, I can no longer work and have been relying on my son for support. Recently, I had the idea to buy a goat, which cost $34, hoping that in the future, I will have many more goats to sustain me when this organization’s support eventually ends. I also paid $20 in school fees for one of my grandsons, now in Form 1, since his parents have been struggling to find a job without success. I felt it was wise to help him continue his education. Additionally, I saved about $20 in my Merry-Go-Round initiative, intending to accumulate enough money to buy more goats and rear them for future benefits. Finally, because daily meals have been challenging, I used around $28 to buy enough food for my household, which lasted until the next payment.

My goal for this year is to start a poultry business, specifically focusing on raising chickens. I believe this venture will provide the financial stability I have longed for. I plan to finance it with my upcoming transfers since I don't have any urgent needs to address currently. Having my own business will ensure a steady income even after the project ends. I'm sincerely thankful for this assistance and optimistic about a brighter future ahead.

Due to my advanced age and leg problems, I had to give up selling sisal, which was our main source of income in the village. Life became very difficult for my family as I struggled to make ends meet. However, GiveDirectly has brought hope into our lives. I have joined savings clubs where I save my transfers for future use. Thanks to last year's good rains, I have been able to cultivate my land and now have enough food to sustain us for months. With the financial support received, I used $34 to buy a goat for Christmas and New Year festivities and I am glad that my whole family enjoyed the holidays. Additionally, I spent $20 to pay school fees for my grandchildren because their parents are unemployed and rely on my support. Another $14 went towards purchasing household essentials, replenishing what we had run out of. I used the remaining $34 to replace uniforms, shoes, and books for my grandchild after their school was destroyed by fire. GiveDirectly has truly been a blessing to my family, and I will forever be grateful.

Over the last few months, I've found myself relying on credit to purchase food, resulting in an outstanding debt of nearly $100. Clearing this debt has been a challenge, but I'm pleased to report that I've made some progress in reducing it. With a successful harvest, my food expenses are minimal, and I am committed to entirely eliminating this debt. Doing so will grant me peace of mind in the upcoming months. After settling this debt, my plan is to use any available funds to invest in livestock, particularly goats. I believe that keeping goats can serve as a valuable asset, providing a reliable source of wealth that I can tap into whenever I face financial needs.

In the past several months, I refrained from engaging in farming, our primary source of sustenance. Insufficient rainfall hindered our ability to plant crops for household consumption. Consequently, I found myself frequently resorting to purchasing food from local stores at exorbitant prices due to my lack of a reliable source of income. This predicament led to the accumulation of debts exceeding $100, as I had no choice but to buy food on credit. Fortunately, we recently experienced more favorable weather conditions, allowing me to resume farming and eventually yielding a bountiful harvest. With the recent transfers, I have been able to steadily reduce my outstanding debt, having already paid off $70 of it. I am truly grateful for the financial support that enabled me to accomplish this. Furthermore, I spent $20 to cover my grandson's school fees, as he was briefly sent home due to unpaid fees. I am relieved that he was able to resume his studies without any interruptions. I used the remaining transfer to purchase essential food items like beans and sugar, ensuring a consistent food supply in our home. Additionally, I acquired toiletries and various household necessities that were previously lacking.

Joining hands with my daughter, I wish to contribute to the purchase of goats and establish a stable source of income. In the past, I used to rear goats, but due to prolonged drought, we lost most of our animals, and only four goats remain. It is my wish to revive my herd by purchasing more goats, but this can only be possible if we have enough food in the household. I pray for a successful harvest that will provide us with the means to invest in livestock rearing. Rearing livestock will be a better fit for me as it requires less physical strength and can provide a consistent means of providing for my family.

These recent times have been challenging for my family as my daughter, the main provider, quit her job after not being paid for at least four months in a row. The cash transfers have been a lifeline for us and without them, we would have faced hunger and struggled to meet our basic needs. I used $10 from the recent cash transfer to contribute towards repaying an overdue debt at the shop where we had taken food on credit. The shopkeeper had become reluctant to give us more food until the debt was cleared. I am happy that I was able to make a payment, and now we can access food on credit without hesitation. Another priority was my grandchild in grade eight, who is in boarding school. The school charges a weekly fee of $4.6, and his father had not been able to pay the amount. Therefore, I used some of the cash transfer to cover the weekly fee and ensure that he could continue his education without any disruptions. Additionally, there was a piece of uncultivated land that I wanted to utilize during the ongoing rainy season. I hired an ox-plow operator and paid $10 to have the land plowed. The remaining amount from the cash transfer went towards the gradual purchase of foodstuffs, such as sugar, to replenish our household supplies.

Despite the demands of my family, I intend to fixate on livestock farming this year. I currently own a goat and intend to purchase another every two months. This strategy will allow me to have at least five goats by the end of the year. I chose this plan because goats can withstand harsh climatic conditions. They not only withstand drought, but they are also inexpensive to maintain and easily convertible to monetary value due to their ready markets.

My form three grandchild had been sent home due to unpaid school fees when I received the most recent transfer. Because most of us in the family benefits from GiveDirectly, we decided to donate $10 each to pay the child's school fees. I am relieved that the child is now back in school and working on her studies. Following that, I used $5 to pay a food bill at a nearby kiosk where I owed them. Because hunger was our main challenge, I thought it would be prudent to use the remaining $19 to support my family.

I applaud GiveDirectly and their employees for the good work they do in providing unconditional transfers to the less fortunate members of society. Personally, the money is assisting me in overcoming the difficulties associated with being unemployed. I kindly request that the organization increase the monthly stipend so that we can manage the sharp increase in the price of necessities like food.

My grandchild was sent home to pick up unpaid school fees a week before I received my transfer. Due to a lack of funds, she was compelled to spend the entire week at home. Her father works in infrequent, hard-to-find casual jobs. I spent $10 after getting my transfer to partially cover the student's previous school fees balances so she could pick up where she left off. Additionally, a sizable portion of the remaining $17.6 was spent on food. Due to my poor health, I no longer work. My waist and legs hurt, which makes it challenging for me to work and make money. Finally, I bought a hen with the $3.50 that was left over. I've had a longtime dream of starting a poultry farm, but money has always been a huge obstacle in the way. Now that I am receiving the unconditional transfers, I have hope that I will realize my dream.

I was elated as soon as I found out that I had received the funds, because prior to receiving them I had planned to buy a couple of some animals but my sickness had taken a toll on me and yet I had no money to see the doctor. Therefore seeing the money was a huge relief because it meant I could finally prioritize on my health.

In my opinion being able to recover health wise was one of the most vital things that happened especially because I could finally seek medical attention unlike before.

Prior to receiving the funds, I had actually been gravely ill for over a week and was almost bed-ridden due to the fact that I kept suffering from constant migraines but unfortunately lacked the money to see a doctor. Therefore as soon as I received, the money I went to seek medical attention and I ended up paying KES 500 after receiving medical attention and my transportation fee cost KES 500 to and fro.