I want to continue supporting the education of my two children, one in high school and the other in primary school. At the same time, I aim to build a new house since the current one has a damaged roof that leaks water whenever it rains. Fortunately, we recently harvested crops, easing our food concerns. As this alleviates the food constraints on the funds, I plan to use the cash transfers to address these two priorities of building a house and paying school fees. Additionally, if possible, I hope to start a business before the cash transfers end, one that can continue generating income even after the funds stop in the next couple of years.

My priority is always ensuring that my children's education is taken care of whenever I receive the cash transfers. Recently, my daughter, Pili, started high school, and I spent $98 on her admission requirements, including uniforms, books, and fees. I'm pleased to see her progressing well with her studies without any interruptions. I rely on making charcoal to provide for the needs of my two children. However, given the strenuous nature of the practice, and the time required to produce, it is not reliable to, and I'm grateful that the cash transfers have helped support their education. Before we started receiving the transfers, they used to miss many days of school, but that's no longer the case. Now that they're consistently attending school, I've noticed an improvement in their academic performance.

My primary objective for the upcoming year is to replace the rusty and leaky iron sheets on my current house, which have caused significant problems during rainy weather. I plan to allocate a portion of my income towards this endeavor. Accomplishing this goal will bring me immense joy, knowing that my family will finally have a secure and comfortable place to call home.

I used to sell sisal to earn a living, but circumstances forced me to stop my business in order to care for my son, who was dealing with mental health issues requiring constant attention and medication. I've since turned to farming and removing tree stumps to sustain our livelihood. Our family used to live from hand to mouth because my husband who sells water in town, struggled to earn enough income to cover our expenses. Thanks to these transfers, I was able to allocate $40 towards our son's much-needed treatment and medication. Additionally, I settled a pending debt of $24 for my two children attending primary school. The remaining amount I saved for any unforeseen needs in the future. The assistance I've received is deeply appreciated as it now enables me to meet the various requirements of our family

My foremost objective revolves around securing a deserving education for my two children. To achieve this, I will prioritize paying their school fees and acquiring any necessary educational materials that facilitate their learning journey. I intend to utilize the funds from the transfer specifically for the purpose of providing my children with the highest level of education they can attain. In addition to their education, it is my aspiration to address the necessary repairs needed for my house. The aging iron sheets that currently serve as the roof pose a concern, as I worry they may detach in the near future. To preempt this situation, my plan is to diligently save and gradually purchase new iron sheets until I have accumulated enough resources to undertake a complete roof makeover.

To ensure my two children could remain in Mnazimwenga Primary School without any hindrance, I paid $10 to settle a school fee debt of $12. I am relieved that their outstanding balance is now minimal, as this will prevent any possibility of them being sent home from school. Over the past 13 years, I have faced ongoing challenges in caring for my mentally ill son. At times, he exhibits disruptive behavior, necessitating immediate hospital visits for medication. Thankfully, the monthly transfers from Give Directly have enabled me to consistently purchase the necessary drugs to help stabilize his condition. I am delighted to witness significant improvements in his health. The monthly cost for his medication amounts to $10 for a complete dosage. Additionally, I allocated $12 to purchase food for my family of six members. While my husband, as the sole breadwinner, struggles to meet our family's needs due to his limited income as a hawker, the transfers from Give Directly have proven to be a crucial lifeline for us. They ensure that we never go to bed on empty stomachs. Finally, I invested $2 in acquiring a hen, envisioning it as a future asset. As the hens multiply, I can sell them to address my various needs and requirements.

Supporting the education of my two children is the greatest accomplishment I wish to have achieved in the following years. As they are still in primary school, I believe they have a long way to go until they graduate college. I hope that I will be able to fund their studies to the tertiary levels without having them miss classes. Apart from that, I plan to renovate my house, whose iron sheet roof has corroded over the years and leaks water when it rains. 

Immediately after I collected the cash, I proceeded to the primary school where two of my children attend to settle the $10 that was pending for the ongoing academic term. Am relieved that they never have to miss classes for this period. Also, that morning, there was no food at home, which prompted me to spend $14 on maize flour. This ensured that my family was properly fed for the next few days until when my husband and I would raise more money. We struggle to make ends meet using the low earnings that we make from our casual jobs of charcoal making, which makes cash transfers an important source of income. My son had also fallen ill during that time, and there had been no money to grant him proper medication. So, I took him to the hospital where I spent $10 on his treatment procedures. He is now happy to have recovered and got back to his daily jobs.

I am happy with the financial assistance in the form of free transfers from GiveDirectly. The transfers are enabling me to meet my family's expanding needs. My children have never been sent home from school, so I am very happy that the money has helped me pay their tuition. As of right now, everything is going well for the organization, and I encourage them to keep up the good work.

Both my husband and I work as casual laborers, and we make our living by selling charcoal. Charcoal production and sales are very time-consuming and offer very little profit. After the wood is cut, it takes more than seven days for the charcoal to be ready. When the charcoal is prepared for sale, we only pack a maximum of four bags. A bag of charcoal costs $3, which is a pitiful amount and unable to meet our needs. We frequently have to miss meals because we don't have enough money to buy food. We only had one meal per day for the past month, which was very stressful for my two young children. When I got my transfer, I spent $10 on food to make sure my family wouldn't go hungry. Along with purchasing food, I paid off my two children's school fees arrears so they could comfortably attend class and finish their education. I invested $5 in a hen in the end. The hen will multiply in a few months, increasing my initial investment. I can sell some when I need to and use the money to deal with the emergency.

When I was on my way to get water from the stream at 4 p.m., my phone buzzed with a message alert. Because I cannot read, I asked my daughter to check the message's contents. When she told me that Give Directly had sent my first transfer, I took a sigh of relief. This is because I was concerned that I would not receive the cash after my neighbors informed me that they had received theirs the night before.

My main concern prior to the transfer was settling school fee deficits for my two primary school children, who had remained home for two days owing to a lack of funds. The little money I got from burning charcoal would not be enough to pay off these tuition bills on time. After the cash transfer, the story transformed. I was able to pay the costs, my children returned to school, and they were never sent home again.

By the time I received the transfers, my two children had been absent from class for two days owing to a lack of funds to pay their outstanding school fees. My charcoal-burning business had generated nothing to meet these obligations. That is why I used KES 500 from the transfer to pay off the school arrears, and they resumed their studies. In addition, my family had gone three days without food, surviving on a cup of porridge for breakfast and dinner. So I used the remaining transfer funds to buy food. At least, it lasted my family of five people a few days while I waited to raise funds through charcoal.