I have two children who will soon be starting school, as they are approaching the age for enrollment. This is part of my plans for the upcoming year and beyond. To help pay for their school fees, I am saving $10 from my monthly transfer. I initially considered investing in livestock and bought three cows with my savings, but I changed my mind because our house is in poor condition; the walls have weakened from recent heavy rains. My spouse and I decided to sell two of the cows and use the money to buy twelve iron sheets. This has become our new plan. I’m also saving in our merry-go-round group, which will allow me to gradually purchase building materials until we have everything needed to start the construction. My spouse is supporting this effort by contributing his small income from daily work. As we prepare to build a new house, we plan to make it larger with three rooms instead of the current two. A bigger space will comfortably accommodate my family and provide a living room for our visitors to sit comfortably.

I took out a loan for solar lighting with an agreement to repay in installments. When I received my most recent transfer, I used $10 to make a payment on the solar loan, as I wanted to avoid defaulting and the risk of disconnection. I also set aside part of the transfer to save: I saved $30 in a savings group, where contributions are collected and distributed when it’s your turn. Additionally, I saved another $30 in a loan-focused group, which allows borrowing based on your savings, helping us secure loans during emergencies. The remaining $34 was spent on food for my family, as we didn’t have any supplies at home.

Receiving support from GiveDirectly has transformed my life and filled me with hope for the future. In the coming year, I hope to achieve something I've dreamed of for a long time; expanding my herd of cows. Currently, I have two cows, and I want to get a dairy cow for milk production which will serve as a source of income for my family. I also have five goats, which I plan to exchange for a fourth cow. This will allow me to focus on raising cows, which are easier to manage and more profitable in the long run. By doing this, I can ensure that my children have enough to eat, can attend school regularly, and that we have a better quality of life. Beyond the next year, I envision a thriving farm where my cows produce enough milk to sell, securing our future and helping us to continue growing.

I am a mother of two children. To provide for my family, I do casual jobs and burn charcoal to supplement my husband's wage from his fishmongering job. With the goal of getting a dairy cow, I have been saving my money in a merry-go-round group. This investment in a dairy cow will provide milk for sale and our family's consumption. I currently have two small cows, and adding a third one will be a significant boost to our resources. With the last three transfers amounting to $102, I saved $30 for this purpose, bringing me closer to my goal. I spent the remaining $72 to improve our living conditions. I used $45 to buy food for my family, allowing us to take a much-needed break from our tiring jobs. This step was crucial as it provided us with relief and nourishment. I also used $18 to purchase essential household items, improving our daily life. Lastly, I spent $9 on clothes for my children, ensuring they are well-dressed and comfortable. This thoughtful allocation of funds has helped us manage our needs while working towards a brighter future.

My major goal is to finish building our house; achieving this will ensure our family's comfort. Additionally, I intend to sell the livestock I currently possess and acquire dairy cows. By supplying milk in the village, I aim to establish a sustainable source of income. Furthermore, I plan to invest in bulls for ploughing, diversifying our sources of income. With these endeavors, I look forward to a brighter future filled with stability and prosperity, all made possible by the generosity of GiveDirectly.

With the GiveDirectly monthly cash transfers, I finally had the means to purchase building materials worth $28. I've been longing to expand our cramped living space barely accommodating our growing family. Without the assistance from GiveDirectly, affording these materials would have remained a dream. Now, with the hope of a larger home, I feel a renewed sense determination. Managing a small charcoal business and my husband's income as a fisherman, our combined earnings of $25 is hardly enough for our family of four, let alone the additional seventeen relatives we support. So, I allocated $20 towards purchasing food and essential household items, ensuring everyone's basic needs were met. I then used $1 to settle a debt for solar lighting, an investment that was previously out of reach. With $10 contributed to a savings group, I now feel more secure in facing unexpected emergencies. Thanks to GiveDirectly, what once seemed impossible has become a reality, and for that, I'm grateful.

I have a plan to expand my current small house, which currently lacks an outdoor kitchen. Cooking inside results in a constant smoky environment, making it uncomfortable for everyone, especially my four-month-old child who is particularly sensitive to the smoke. At times, it gets so unbearable that I have to send the other children to stay with their grandparents. To address this issue, I am determined to acquire the necessary construction materials such as iron sheets and building poles. This expansion will provide a proper outdoor kitchen and alleviate the smoky conditions within the house. Additionally, I plan to set aside a portion of the funds for purchasing more goats. Currently, I own one goat, and my long-term goal is to increase their number, with the ultimate aim of eventually trading them for a cow. This not only enhances the comfort of our living conditions but also serves as an investment in our family's future.

I spent $40 from my recent transfers to invest in livestock, specifically acquiring a goat and poultry. My motivation for this decision is to secure funds for my children's future education. Given their current age, the prospect of covering their educational expenses when the time comes could pose a financial challenge. Thus, the livestock will serve as a financial resource when that time arrives. Additionally, I purchased new clothing for them as their previous garments were worn out. Furthermore, I also paid $4.5 for lighting, ensuring a stable source of power. In addition to this, I purchased four gallons of water for the household at a cost of $4. Lastly, having previously saved some funds, I decided to purchase a new mattress worth $45 and replaced the old one which was in poor condition. Thanks to GiveDirectly, these investments have enhanced the comfort and our well-being in the household.

I acquired a solar panel, which has been beneficial in providing lighting to my household. I used to buy kerosene daily to fuel my lamp, which was costly to me. I acquired the solar panel on credit terms, and my goal is to complete the payments on time using the transfer. Once I clear the amount, I am planning to buy more livestock, such as goats, to keep. I currently have five goats, and I want to buy more since they are assets that I can also rely on in case of financial difficulty.

As a parent, my goal has always been to ensure that my family has enough to eat despite my bad financial situation. My long-standing source of income has been the production and sale of charcoal, which does not pay much. Sometimes, when I could not sell the charcoal, we could stay for some days without eating. Receiving the transfer was a relief to me because it ensured that food is adequate in my household. Also, since charcoal burning is also tedious and has some negative health effects, I no longer engage in it. I also spent around $50 on buying two goats that I am currently rearing. I own five goats and my plan is to let them reproduce and eventually assist me when I am in a financial crisis. At the very least, raising livestock is a better project than burning and selling charcoal, which has been harmful to my health. I also acquired a solar panel on credit, and I have been paying $10 monthly installments to settle the debt. I am happy that I have been paying without delay. The solar panel has been helpful in providing lighting in my home and also charging my devices. I would still be using the kerosene lamps if not for the solar panel, which is costly.

I have a strong passion for education and am determined to make sure my son has a bright future by making sure he attends school without mishaps. My strategy is to use the transfer proceeds to purchase goats, which will ultimately multiply and increase my initial investment. I'm free to sell some of the goats if my son needs to pay for school in the future and use the proceeds to pay for his education up to the highest level he will be able to reach.

While I am a casual worker making a living selling charcoal in the village, my husband is a fisherman. The severe weather that has dried up most of the rivers where my husband goes fishing has put his job in danger. Due to this, I am now the family's sole provider as my husband no longer goes for fishing. I don't make nearly enough money from selling charcoal to support the family's needs, which include paying for food, school expenses, and prescription drugs. We have been forced to skip meals due to the current economic situation because we cannot afford to buy food. Upon receiving my transfers, I spent $15 on buying food for my family. The family's supply of food ran out, and because we had to buy food on credit, we also ran up enormous debts. Finally, I used the $20 to purchase three hens. The hens are an investment for the future because they will quickly multiply in number and double my initial investment.

My husband is a fisherman, and I am a charcoal vendor in the village. Together, we have a child. Purchasing a goat was our major plan of the month, with harsh climatic conditions at the moment. People are selling them at a throwaway price to raise money for other foodstuffs. Therefore, I used $350 an acquiring one and then spent $250 on the foodstuffs and lastly used the remaining amount of $200 and $100 on my child's clothes and household items, respectively. Knowing that I was able to achieve a lot makes me the happiest person thus I am grateful.

I make a living selling fried fish at the market. On a good day, I make roughly KES 500 in gross income, all of which goes back into the business in the form of stock, leaving me with barely enough to meet my necessities. Sometimes, I make nothing to procure food with. In fact, the household had run out of food two days before the transfers.  As a result, I spent KES 2,000 on meals for my family, starving for having had nothing to eat from the previous night.  To avoid service disconnection, I repaid my solar energy bill with KES 1,000.

The aid GiveDirectly gives to people is one of the things it does well. It is helping people living in poverty. Now one has the money buy what they want, for example. to buy bedding like mattresses and blankets. I do not have any suggestions on things GiveDirectly can improve on.

When I received the first transfer, I was needed to pay the mason who was working on our house. I was building our house at that time and needed to pay the worker; hence, I used KES 1200 to pay him. The second transfer went towards acquiring a goat that I intend to rare for domestic use. Since goats are costly at this time, I used the whole KES 3000 in the purchase.

It was on a Thursday around 9am and I had taken my phone to be charged. As I was coming back to continue with my daily chores I had some exciting news from my neighbour that the funds have already been sent.I ran back anxiously to the shop which was charging my phone and I was very happy to have received my first share of the funds.

The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving the transfers from GiveDirectly is I have moved in my new home.I was not sure that I will be able to move in my new home which is more spacious and conducive for my 3month old baby.Givedirectly has also given me hope that I can achieve all my other goals with the promise of the 5 year support program.

I had started construction of my home and I was on the final stage which is the roofing. I bought all the materials in hope I will be able to complete the structure but due to financial constraints I was not able to pay the roofing contractor.Once I received my first transfer I paid KES 1000 to my roofing contractor who finalised and on the same day I was excited to move in my new home.The remaining KES 100 I bought coconut oil and baby powder for my 3 month old baby ,and used KES 70 to buy 1/2kg of beans.