I'm currently working on renovating my house, which is in poor condition. One of the walls was severely weakened by recent rains and was on the brink of collapse. I have begun purchasing some of the necessary poles to start construction, with plans to save more in the upcoming months to buy the remaining materials. My aim is to ensure its stability, enabling it to withstand the heavy rains we are facing. I'm confident that once the renovation is complete, I will not have to worry about rain damage anymore since my house will be secure.

I allocated $30 from my recent transfers to purchase building poles for renovating my house, which was on the verge of collapse due to damage from heavy rains. The walls had weakened considerably, so I acquired enough poles to stabilize them and start the renovation process. Once completed, I won't have to worry about rainfall causing further damage, as my home will be strong enough to withstand adverse weather conditions. Alongside house repairs, I'm grateful for the two goats I acquired using $60 from the transfers, which expanded my livestock herd to a total of six goats. These goats serve as valuable assets, as I plan to breed them, allowing their numbers to grow, and eventually sell them for additional income which will provide me with financial security. The remaining funds were dedicated to purchasing food supplies for my family. Since we rely on subsistence farming, recent excessive rainfall led to poor harvests, leaving us vulnerable to food shortages. The transfers ensured we had enough to eat, and I am deeply grateful for this support, which not only addresses immediate needs but also enables me to plan for a more secure future.

I would like to use the cash transfers to purchase building poles and iron sheets for constructing a new house. My current structure is in a dilapidated condition, with decaying building poles. Every night, I am concerned about its stability and fear that it can collapse on me. Given my advancing age and inability to engage in strenuous activities for income generation, I plan to focus the cash transfers on building a one-room house that would suffice for my needs. This initiative aims to provide me with a safer and more secure living space.

In response to the onset of the rainy season, I decided to plow my land and paid ox plow operators $6 to plow a quarter-acre of my farm in preparation for planting. The maize crops have since thrived, and are now approaching their bearing stage. As I reside alone, I am responsible for providing for myself in terms of food and other household needs. To ensure an ample food supply and make provisions, especially during the Christmas season, I spent $66 on purchasing food. This guaranteed that I never went hungry and always had a meal to enjoy. Given my inability to engage in any activity to raise money, I set aside the remaining $30 to continue aiding me in acquiring necessary household items. I am very grateful that even though I stay alone and have no one to depend on, the cash transfers have been a lifeline.

Right now, my concern revolves around the state of my house, which is made of mud walls and the building poles are becoming weak by the day. This situation raises fears of potential collapse, which could leave me without a home if not addressed in time. While I aspire to construct an entirely new house, my financial capacity remains constrained due to a lack of external support. Furthermore, being advanced in age, my body cannot allow me to handle any type of work to fund a house construction activity. So, for now, my objective is to replace the four deteriorating building poles, each costing $2. The hope is that cash transfers could play a pivotal role in achieving this particular goal.

So far, the cash transfers have brought me a sense of happiness as I have managed to acquire three goats through them. I am particularly delighted that one of them is currently expecting offspring, which fills me with excitement for the potential growth of the herd. When I received the recent transfer, however, my household had run out of food so I could not spend the money on another goat. I allocated $5 to hire individuals to assist with weeding my maize crops. I did this to alleviate the physical strain of this task, as I could personally use a breather from doing the task over the previous few days. Also, ensuring an adequate food supply remains a top priority for me, so the remainder of the funds was directed toward purchasing food. I am truly appreciative of the fact that thanks to the cash transfers, I have not experienced hunger. Previously, I used to engage in charcoal burning to support myself, but this activity took a toll on my physical health, particularly as I am growing older and more vulnerable to strain. I am happy that I get to rest now because the transfer funds help put food on my table.

Thanks to previous cash transfers, I was able to secure three goats, who have remained in perfect shape to date. My goal in the coming few years is to buy more goats and expand the herd. Not only will this build my wealth, but I will also be able to trade some of the goats to acquire cows to support plowing exercises. As I rent out these animals to work on people's farms, they will help me generate an income thus putting me in a better position to fend for myself. 

Initially, I had planned to use my transfer on buying a goat. However, the rains started and my priorities shifted to preparing my land and buying maize seeds for planting. Am certain that after I cultivate my yields in the following months, I will have a greater opportunity to spend my cash transfers on securing the goats. From the recent transfer, I used $5 to buy maize seeds and set aside the remaining amount to buy food and other household essentials like soap. Being a widow, I have no one to count on for provisions, which is why I am very careful to spend my money on the most basic needs. 

I would love to expand my herd of goats to four by year's end. However, looking at the financial obligations on my shoulders, am uncertain about accomplishing my goal by then. Having no one to rely on for provision, I sometimes take on charcoal burning tasks to raise money. However, I cannot make much because the physical demands overwhelm me. This is why, I want to rear livestock as I could easily sell them to get money for food.

I spent a total of $60 on two goats for breeding and $38 on food for my household. Goats are helpful, and I want to sell some of the young ones once they have given birth in the future to generate income for supplying our household's needs. I only perform occasional employment because I'm an elderly widow who needs to pay for our household's expenses. The funding has been a huge help, and I appreciate the organization's assistance.

I ploughed and planted maize in my one-acre farm three months ago, devoting all of my resources to the project. I had high expectations for a bountiful harvest and a plentiful supply of food. Sadly, after a few weeks, the little showers we got stopped, and the farm's crops perished. I had to sell charcoal because my investment had suffered a significant loss. Due to a lack of funds to buy food, I frequently go to bed hungry. I was over the moon when I got my transfer. The transfer helped me out when I was struggling and going without food. After receiving the money, I was inspired to work harder and support myself so that the same thing wouldn't happen again.

GiveDirectly has done well in giving us the unconditional transfers in order to help eradicate the poverty we are in. Through the transfers, we have been able to meet our basic needs such as food for our families. We are farmers but since drought struck, it became impossible for us to engage in farming activities. We are now left to rely on the monthly transfers for livelihood. I do not see anything that GiveDirectly does not do well.

Getting a daily provision of food has been my biggest challenge. I depended on subsistence farming but it failed for a year now due to persistent drought. I used to get a good harvest which could ensure food security in my household. I currently have to buy food daily from the shop which is really expensive for me. I do not have a stable source of income apart from burning and selling charcoal with meagre earning. I am grateful to GiveDirectly because the transfers have so far ensured that I have enough food in my household. In addition to this, I also bought a goat and a chicken using part of my second transfer. These are living assets and as they reproduce and increase in number, I can readily sell the offspring to settle my future financial need.

I was in my house taking a nap, exhausted due to hunger. I had spent the previous day with nothing to eat. I was unsuccessful in selling any sack of charcoal, meaning I had no money to buy food. My phone's vibrations woke me up, having received a text message. My grandson told me I had received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. Wow! What a feeling I had! I cried as I knelt down, thanking God for the miracle since I could not believe it.

Imagine surviving on a cup of porridge for a whole day? I have to go out in the field, fill the sacks with charcoal and move around the village carrying the heavy sacks in search of a client. This is my daily routine in earning an income for myself. I sleep hungry when I cannot sell any sacks. I now feel much better than through the unconditional transfers I bought food and I have plenty to eat. Buying food is the biggest difference in my life since I received the transfer.

I spent KES 920 from the transfer to buy food. My charcoal selling business is not doing well due to a lack of clients. I lost my source of livelihood as a result. I live alone since my husband died 20 years ago. Often when I cannot sell any charcoal, I end up sleeping hungry. I am forced to survive on one cup of porridge every day or eat Ugali on salt due to the lack of money to buy vegetables. Besides buying food, I spent the remaining KES 250 on buying a hen. I have plans to rear the hen and when it multiplies, I will sell some of them and use the money to attend to my most pressing needs in the future.