In the coming year and beyond, I am determined to accomplish my dream of building a proper house for my family. I’ve already made progress by purchasing the building poles, but I still need to secure iron sheets and cover the labor costs for the contractor. To achieve this, I will continue saving $20 monthly, staying committed to my goal. This house will provide my family with the safety and comfort we deserve, and I am motivated to see this vision become a reality step by step.

As a widow of five children, I work hard to provide for my family by doing casual jobs and herding livestock for others at a fee. Life hasn’t been easy, but the recent three transfers I received gave me hope and an opportunity to improve our living conditions. With the $60, I bought building poles to start constructing a new and better three-room mud wall house. Our current house feels more like a small business structure; it’s cramped, uncomfortable, and not a suitable place for us to live. This new house will give us more space, privacy, and dignity, which my family deserves. In addition to planning for our future, I used $22 to buy food for my family. Providing enough to eat is always my priority, and this ensured that my children didn’t go hungry while I worked on other needs. Finally, I saved $20 to prepare for any unexpected expenses or to continue with the construction work. Saving even a small amount gives me a sense of security and peace of mind. These transfers have allowed me to take steps toward building a better life for my children and me, and for that, I am truly grateful.

With my five grandchildren in school who entirely depend on me, my plan is to continue using a portion of my transfers to take care of their education. This will ensure that their education does not stop. Additionally, I do not have a conducive house where my family can live. We currently reside in a makeshift structure that is not safe enough for us to sleep in. My plan is to continue using my future transfers to gradually buy building materials so that I can build a two-room house where my grandchildren and I can live comfortably. Lastly, I also plan to save a portion of my future transfers to buy goats and add to the four goats that I already have. I am hopeful that these goats will multiply and increase in number so that, in the future, I may be able to sell them and support my family as well as my grandchildren's education, especially when this program comes to an end.

I am a guardian to my five grandchildren, who entirely look up to me for everything, including their educational needs, as their parents have completely abandoned them. I try all I can to make sure that they too have a sense of belonging somewhere, and I do all that I can to provide for them. Recently, I spent $40 from my transfers to pay their school fees, ensuring they could continue their studies without being sent home for payment. Additionally, given the hunger that has affected our community due to the prolonged scotching sun that destroyed our crops in our farms, I spent another $22 to buy food so that my grandchildren would not go hungry and would have something to eat to fill their stomachs. I also saved $10 to add to my future transfers, with the goal of buying a goat. I hope that the goats will multiply, allowing me to sell them in the future and support my family. Lastly, I used the remaining $30 to purchase building materials. I currently live in a small, makeshift structure, and my goal is to build a two-room house for myself and my grandchildren. I am buying the materials bit by bit to provide better living conditions for them.

In the coming years, I hope to accomplish a dream that has been close to my heart for a long time. I want to build a spacious house that will comfortably accommodate me and my grandchildren. At the moment, we are all crammed into my small, one-room mud-wall house, and it's a struggle to find space for everyone. I’ve been diligently saving, and so far, I have managed to put away $70. With the help from GiveDirectly, I plan to continue saving $10 every month. This might seem like a small amount, but each dollar brings us closer to our new home. My vision is to see my grandchildren playing freely in a bigger house where they can have their own space, do their homework in peace, and sleep comfortably.

I am a widow, relying on my two daughters who do casual jobs to sustain me and their five children. They live with me after separating from their husbands due to family wrangles. Recently, my daughters left for Mombasa town to look for better jobs. With the most recent transfers, I used $40 to buy a medium-sized bed. Previously, I had to place my mattress on the earthen floor, but now I am delighted to sleep on a proper bed, which has significantly improved my comfort and health. After that, I used $15 to pay the examination fees for my five primary school grandchildren, ensuring they could continue their education without interruption. To boost my poultry farming, I spent $20 to buy five more hens, adding to the twenty-five I already had. This will help me provide for the family through small additional income once I sell some chicken. Finally, knowing that my daughters are also struggling to make ends meet, I used $27 to buy food stock for the family. This ensures we have enough to eat while my daughters are away, trying to secure better opportunities for all of us.

The current state of my house's roof is far from ideal, prompting my desire to enhance it significantly. I've taken the initial step by procuring the necessary iron sheets, and the next phase involves acquiring poles to facilitate the construction of a sturdier roof. The financial support received through transfers has been instrumental in enabling these improvements, bringing me great joy. Despite lacking a consistent income source, this assistance has allowed me to achieve substantial progress in enhancing the condition of my home.

Residing with my three grandchildren entails the responsibility of their care, and I recently allocated funds to address various needs. To prepare for their return to school in January, I invested $6 in purchasing stationery items for them. Additionally, $6 was spent on acquiring food for our shared consumption as a family. During the extended holiday, an unfortunate incident occurred wherein my grandson suffered an arm fracture, necessitating a hospital visit and medication. I disbursed $28 to cover the associated expenses for his recovery. In another initiative, I invested $66 in purchasing two goats, contributing an extra $6 from my savings. This strategic move aims to establish a future source of income post the transfer period, bringing me a sense of satisfaction. The financial assistance provided through transfers has proven instrumental in supporting me, allowing me to fulfill my familial responsibilities and navigate unexpected challenges effectively.

In the upcoming year and beyond, my primary objective is to construct a new dwelling with two rooms that can accommodate both myself and my three children. Unfortunately, my previous residence succumbed to the force of a powerful wind, resulting in the collapse of its roof. Subsequently, I had to seek temporary shelter with my relatives. Despite the challenges I have faced, I maintain an optimistic outlook. My determination drives me to procure all the necessary materials and embark on the construction of a new home. The prospect of providing a stable and secure living space for my family fills me with joy and hope. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Give Directly for the invaluable financial support they have extended. Their noble efforts have made a significant difference in my life, enabling me to work towards achieving this fundamental goal.

As a widow, I am the sole caretaker for my three dependent grandchildren. Their daily needs rest upon my shoulders. Allocating $40 towards purchasing food has ensured that our stomachs are never empty. I am grateful for the financial support, which has provided us with the means to sustain ourselves adequately. In addition to meeting our immediate needs, I prioritized the education of my three grandchildren by utilizing $27 to settle their school fees. This payment has guaranteed their uninterrupted attendance, sparing them from the worry of being sent home due to outstanding fees. I take great joy in witnessing their continuous learning journey. Understanding the importance of securing our future beyond the duration of the transfers, I invested $25 in acquiring a goat and $10 in obtaining three hens. These livestock assets provide a sustainable source of support even after the assistance ends. I am filled with happiness, knowing that the funds received have not only improved our present circumstances but also set the foundation for a better life ahead. Overall, the financial aid has played a crucial role in enabling us to live a more fulfilled and secure existence. I am immensely grateful for the positive impact it has made on our lives.

I am planning to build a new house because my current one is in bad shape and not spacious. Its roof looks dilapidated, and I am even worried that it will collapse, thus leaving me homeless. I do not want to start begging for shelter, so my plan is to save some money every month for the building materials. I am targeting to buy 24 pieces of iron sheets and building poles. My goal is to build a decent house, which has not been possible for the past few months since I spent most of the money on food. The rains are currently adequate, and I am doing farming. With this, I am sure that I'll get a good harvest that will ensure food security in my household. This will enable me to use my savings to build the house since I will no longer be spending a lot of money on food.

Because of the recent transfer that I received, my three grandchildren are comfortably in school and I appreciate GiveDirectly for making it possible. I paid their school fees on time to avoid being sent home, which has also given me enough time to prepare for the next payment. In addition to the fees, I also purchased a goat by setting aside a portion of the transfer every month, and I am currently owning four goats. These goats are savings for the future of my grandchildren's education since I can readily sell them in order to pay for their fees. My daughter does menial jobs that are not paying well enough to pay for them, so I came in to help so as to ensure that they achieve their educational goals. Lastly, I did enough shopping of foodstuffs such as maize flour, which also ensured that we did not lack food in the household.

In addition to wanting to start a livestock farm, I also want to build a new home that will have enough space for my entire family. It's very challenging for us to fit my three grandchildren and ourselves into my very small house at night. As my granddaughters and grandson are rapidly approaching their teen years, expanding the house will give them more room and enforce their privacy.

My three grandchildren depend only on me. The fact that I don't make a lot of money from my job raising cattle has made it difficult for me to raise them. I make $25 a month, which is very little when compared to the significant family expenses I have. I'm planning to buy livestock with a sizable portion of my income this year. I'll increase the number of goats to create a larger herd using the money from the transfer. With a larger herd of cattle, I will enter the livestock farming industry and have a different source of income. This will make it simpler for me to pay for all of my family members' housing costs and establish financial dependence. In order to get a head start on achieving my goals and plans for the upcoming year, I spent my entire January budget of $34 on buying a goat.

For the longest time, I really wanted to finally be able to rebuild my house but the fact that I didn't t have a job and I'm quite old I couldn't even begin to fathom how I was even going to begin the process. Lucky for me though, the Organization came in at the right time and have made it capable for me to finally see it happen and that makes me extremely excited.

Immediately after I withdrew the transfers I decided to use the entire money which was KES 3,000 and spend it on buying iron sheets. This is because I am planning to rebuild my house because the house I live in at the moment is quite small, old and also almost collapsing. I am most definitely looking forward to finally have a better home.

Early in the morning, I saw a text message on my phone, which caused me to get out of bed. I reached my son and handed him the phone so he could read the message out loud because I am illiterate and could not read it. When he informed me that I had received my first transfer, I was in shock. I stood still on the ground for a brief period of time without moving a single muscle. Knowing that the transfer will favorably impact my life made me feel very happy. We rejoiced at that moment, me and my son laughing together.

The transfer has significantly improved my life by enabling me to pursue my long-held desire to start a chicken farm. It has been incredibly challenging to properly support my family's necessities ever since I quit working on my farm. I'm appreciative that the unconditional transfers have given me the opportunity to establish a chicken farm.

I've always considered opening a chicken farm ever since the drought caused me to lose my main source of income, which was farming. Being enrolled into this program gave me a huge push in making sure I realized my goal of establishing a chicken farm. I work as a casual laborer selling charcoal, and because of the meager wages I receive, I have a hard time supporting my family. As a result, when I got my first transfer, I spent KES 1000 on two chickens. Purchasing these hens is the first step in realizing my dream of owning a chicken farm where I can generate revenue and achieve financial stability. Considering that I had run out of food in the house, I also purchased food with the KES 200 that was left over. It makes me happy that my family never went to bed hungry thanks to the money I used to purchase a packet of flour.