This year, my aim is to acquire two oxen that can assist in cultivating land. This investment will greatly benefit me as I can also rent them out, generating additional income. To achieve this goal, I plan to utilize my savings as well as my upcoming transfers. Having this will ensure that my family will have food security from land cultivation as well as an extra source of income. I'm content with the positive changes occurring in my life.

For the past decade, I have worked as a mason to provide for my family of seven. Life hasn't always been easy; we've faced challenges, particularly when I did not have a steady job and my wife was not employed. However, I'm grateful that things have taken a positive turn. I have ventured into livestock rearing and poultry keeping, which has proven successful. Additionally, these transfers have enabled me to educate my children. With the transfers received, I prioritized settling my children's school fees debt, allocating $30 for this purpose. Additionally, $14 went towards purchasing food, addressing our immediate needs. Recognizing the importance of adequate clothing, I spent $19 to buy clothes for my wife. Moreover, I invested $21 in acquiring a goat and a chicken, which I plan to sell later at a profit. I also set aside $10 for savings and used the remaining amount to buy essential items for my family. I find immense joy in being able to support my family through these transfers.

My priority for the coming years is to continue supporting the education of my five children, who are all still in primary school and have a long way to go until they complete high school. Supporting their education will brighten their future and alleviate their hardships. To further support their education, I plan to start keeping livestock like goats. As they reproduce, I could sell them to raise school fees and ensure that my children never spend a day out of school. Lastly, I wish to build a new two-room house. Currently, my wife, five children, and I share a one-room structure, and the space feels cramped. Having another house would allow the children to occupy one structure while my wife and I occupy the other. I hope that the cash transfers will enable me to fulfill some of these goals.

To provide for my five children, I usually work in house construction jobs in town. However, due to the ongoing rains, these jobs have become scarce, forcing me to return to the village a month ago. Throughout this period, the cash transfers have played a crucial role in supporting my family, especially as my income source was disrupted. I spent $24 to buy food and increase our stock, ensuring my family wouldn't go without a meal. Additionally, I paid $45 in school fees for my three children, settling their balances and allowing them to attend school without interruptions. This also means they will have no carried-forward tuition debts next year. With the Christmas season approaching, I spent $24 to buy new clothes for my children. They usually have a tradition of wearing new attire on Christmas and am happy that the cash transfers made it possible to fulfill this. Finally, I used $9 to buy two hens to start a poultry venture. In the future, when they reproduce, I can sell some of them to cover emergency needs for my family.

I have been aspiring to construct a new house for my family, but the increasing cost of living and lack of the necessary funds have made it difficult to achieve this goal. The income I earn from my casual labor in house construction is barely enough to cover basic needs such as school fees and food for my family. Our current one-room house is becoming too small for my wife and four children, and I wish to build a two-room structure so that we can have more space and comfort. I plan to let my children occupy the existing house while we move into the new one once it's completed. However, due to financial constraints, I have not been able to realize this dream, and I hope that the cash transfers will provide me with an opportunity to save and gradually work towards building a better home for my family.

The cash transfers have been essential in supporting my family's needs, even while I am away working in town. From the recent transfer, I sent $15 to my wife back home to purchase food for our three children and herself. The remaining funds were allocated for my daily expenses in town, while I await payment at the end of my current contract. I work in house construction and my wage usually takes a while, mostly until a project is completed. So, I used $13 to buy food for myself and set aside the remaining $6 to buy clothes. In May, I sent $25 back home to cover my children's school fees, as there were outstanding balances. I am happy to see that their education has improved, with fewer interruptions and challenges. I am grateful for the opportunities these transfers have provided to contribute to my children's education and well-being despite the distance.

My children had been on and off from school due to the lack of school fees and I had been struggling so hard to look for money, but the little I manage to get is also shared to meet other needs. My plans with the future transfers is to ensure that I reduce the amount of school fees arrears every month so that my children would have uninterrupted learning.

currently rely on construction jobs whose income is not enough to support the needs of my family. But luckily, I was lucky to be part of the GiveDirectly program that had so far been of great help. With the transfers that I recently received of KES. 3470, I managed to to pay school fees worth KES. 1400 to my 3 children who had been on and off from school. It was also of great help in terms of buying food where I spent KES. 1070 and the remaining amount KES. 1000 helped me in buying livestock (chicken) to start me off with my farming project.

I did not attain an education due to a lack of school fees. I am 32 years old now and since I was 19 years old I have been doing masonry jobs that my father would get for me. I have been getting masonry jobs outside my village and recently I am working in Mombasa. I am paid $10 a day, I send money to my wife who is a stay-at-home wife to take care of my children. I have five children, three are in school and two are still young to enroll in school. I am the only one receiving this transfer in my family and every month I send I also send $18 to my wife to buy food for the family, bought a goat that I will rear, and sell it later at a profit.

About a week ago my family and I were lucky enough to welcome a new member into our family because my expectant wife finally gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Luckily the transfers had come through for me which helped me to cater to the hospital bills, so I ended up paying KES 1,200 to settle the bills and welcomed her home with our new bundle of joy. On top of that my daughter and my niece who I look after, happened to have been kicked out of school a day prior due me not finishing up settling their school debt, so after receiving the funds I paid KES 800 for them both to keep them in school. I then used KES 400 as transportation fee to send a mattress that I bought back home for my family to use. I still have KES 600 left that I yet to put into use but I preferably see myself using it in nutrition.

In my opinion GiveDirectly is doing well by giving us the monthly cash transfers. Most of the people in the support program are able to achieve short term goals like meeting their basic needs but what I feel GiveDirectly is not doing well is they never considered of how most of us would achieve longterm goals that include alot of money.

I am a construction worker who is married with four children. I got a job which is quite far from my home and am expecting to return after a week..Recently I received the transfer when I was on duty and I sent my father who is taking care of my family KES 1500 for food.I was relieved knowing that my family has food for a week which is the exact time I will be coming back home.I bought five chicks for KES 500 which am hoping to go back home with and start rearing.I also paid KES 500 as school fees for my son and my sister's child who is under my care.I remained with KES 500 which am using for my daily expenditure before I get paid.

It was around 8am and I was on my way to the shop where I wait for friends to lend me motorbike so as to do my rounds and earn my share for the day.As I was walking I had my phone beep and I checked and saw the mpesa message. I was happy and confused at the same time because my battery was low and I really needed that cash.I immediately decided to send the money to my father's phone because I was sure his phone was safe and I could easily access the funds. I walked back home happy and excited I shared the news with my Father who also had received the cash but was not aware. The whole family was happy this particular day as we discussed on how each will spend their cash

The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving this transfers from GiveDirectly is that I am able to have my goals written down and achieved .My life has been struggle because I am unemployed and I rely on my friends to lend me their motorbike so that I can work.Most the times I hardly make enough because I still have limited time to work and the motorbike is not mine. GiveDirectly has given me hope that I can achieve my goals gradually with the 5 year support program.

I have four children of my own and support one of my sisters child.In total its not easy to provide for 5 children.When I received my transfer I used KES 300 to pay for school fees for the 2 in school and bought food with KES 700 for my children including buying milk for the younger one and the KES 200 came in handy when the younger one was ailing from a bad cold and I was expected to buy some medicines.