In the past, my primary goal was to use my income to purchase materials for constructing a spacious new house. Unfortunately, the limited income made it challenging to achieve that goal. However, I have now set my sights on another aspiration: expanding my livestock venture. Presently, I have four goats, but I desire to raise a cow as well. Not only will the cow provide us with a steady supply of milk, but it will also be an additional source of income. The idea of nurturing and growing my livestock excites me, as it presents an opportunity for both sustenance and financial stability.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly excels in providing unconditional cash transfers, which have been a lifeline in these challenging economic times. The certainty of receiving monthly transfers has shielded us from the hardships we face. Moreover, the impact of GD's transfers extends beyond individuals. In our village, we have witnessed positive transformations, as some community members have utilized the funds to engage in impactful initiatives like forming merry-go-rounds and investing in livestock such as cows. It is remarkable to see how GiveDirectly's financial support empowers communities to accomplish significant goals. However, there is nothing that GiveDirectly falls short of.

As a casual laborer, I have discovered an area of interest in building and selling charcoal stoves. The recent transfers I received have proven to be game-changers for my business. I could purchase materials that considerably increased my production. Now, I consistently earn an additional $30 per month. As a result of this, I can satisfy our needs without continuously worrying about my finances. The impact of the transfers goes far beyond the initial investment because it has provided us with a sustainable source of income. I am glad for the ability to improve this business due to the transfer assistance from GiveDirectly.

At the moment, I live in a relatively small house. It is a 13 feet by 12 feet house. My dream has been to expand it. Therefore, as I continue to receive my transfer, I will save to buy building materials for its expansion. When I succeed in expanding it, I will have a spacious house that will have a store for keeping my farm produce. In addition, the transfers will help me to create more space to serve me better when I have visitors.

No one can fault how GiveDirectly works. It is a unique NGO in Kenya that embraces the cash transfer model. It therefore does well by giving us monthly transfers without fail every month. Consequently, we have been able to realize positive progress in life. In addition, it does regular follow-ups, hence we are always in touch with the team. There is nothing that GiveDirectly does not do well.

When I received my recent transfer, I opted to buy some maize grains. The cost of a 2kg tin of maize had drastically gone down after people had harvested their crops. I, therefore, spent KES 2000 on maize grains, and I hope they will sustain my family for the next two months. The remaining KES 900 helped me to obtain some small household items such as soap and food. The other transfers from May to July help helped to purchase two sheep and a few hens. As a result of the transfers, there is always a positive change in my life.

I intend to expand my home the following year to enable me to have enough room to store the maize efficiently when I have a good harvest. I am a blacksmith and a subsistence farmer, and I will use the money I get from these jobs to pay $160 for 20 pieces of iron sheets I intend to use in building the house. I live in a small one-room, mud-thatched structure (constructed using fifteen pieces of iron sheets) which is not spacious enough.

According to me, GiveDirectly does well by providing equal transfers, which encourage social harmony and peaceful coexistence. It was also beneficial to financially support us because it enables us to take care of ourselves in ways that we deem fit.

Because of the high cost of living, I anticipated that the cost of food commodities would rise hence the need to stock enough food to protect me from going hungry. Therefore, I spent $18 on ten two-kilogram cans of maize that I hope will last me three weeks. Using the remainder of the transfer, I also purchased extra food items to sustain myself. Having something I can rely on at home has helped me feel less stressed, all thanks to GiveDirectly.

I plan to invest in farming (I will plant maize and beans) in February for both consumption and commercial purposes. I intend to save $40 from my blacksmith job to buy farm inputs and pay for labor services. I will use the income from the harvest to cater to the basic needs of my family and also boost my blacksmith business venture.

The approach used by GiveDirectly of sending us equal transfers per month was well thought out as it curbs conflict in society and enable everyone to make their own choice on how they would wish to spend the transfers. You also do well by surveying us more frequently which makes us feel valued and keeps us accountable.

Following the high cost of living, I decided to use $20 of my transfer to stock fifteen tins (30kg) of maize for future consumption. I also bought a chicken for $4 for investment purposes and spent the remaining amount to buy other household items. I am no longer stressed even when I don't realize a good income from the blacksmith job that I do because I have enough food which I bought using GiveDirectly's transfer.

Since I live in a tiny house, which does act as a store as well. I plan to buy several pieces of iron sheets and other building materials in the coming years and beyond. For this materials will come in handy when construction a more spacious room. That will be useful not only for my household resources but also for the produce I will have harvested from my farm. Moreover, I am looking forward to buying sheep which upon reproduction, will earn me more cash to buy a dairy cow that will be very instrumental in milk production.

In my opinion, what I love about GiveDirectly is the fact that all individuals are treated equally in terms of cash transfer disbursement and this has given us the opportunity to grow together. Nothing went wrong. Thanks so much GiveDirectly.

I did spend KES 1400 to buy several kilograms of maize considering that by the time I did the purchase, the price of maize had dropped drastically. Besides, I also bought a bag of fertilizer for top dressing purposes. Apparently, I stay alone. To make ends meet I have been working as a blacksmith. I am grateful for the GiveDirectly cash transfer.