My goal for this year is to construct a new and decent house to live in. The house that I am currently sheltering in is old and in bad shape. The roof is leaky, and it becomes unsafe whenever it rains heavily. Since the education expenses for my children will be covered, my plan is to accumulate more building materials, such as poles, sand, and iron roofing sheets, to facilitate the construction of the new house. I am glad to report that I have managed to buy building stones which I will start with. Having a new house will be a great achievement for me, and I plan to commit to this goal as it will make a huge difference in my life as I continue to receive monthly transfers.

I work as a mason to earn a living, but my financial situation has been very challenging. As the breadwinner in my family of five, it has been difficult to pay for my children's education while also meeting other basic needs such as food. Previously, I relied on subsistence farming to provide food, but due to a prolonged drought, even getting food from the farm was not possible. Fortunately, GiveDirectly brought a huge relief to my household through the monthly transfers that have reduced the challenges of food shortages and fees for my children. My spouse is also a beneficiary of the program, and with the recent transfers, I was able to contribute $34 towards paying my son's college fees. He is enrolled in a technical college, studying to be an electrical technician. Additionally, I spent $34 on food and covering other household expenses. I also used $34 to purchase building stones to renovate my house, which is in bad shape. I plan to accumulate enough building materials to facilitate the renovations. These transfers have brought great joy to my family, as our needs are covered, and I am looking forward to a better future.

My primary focus is to invest in chickens for the purpose of raising them and eventually selling them for a profit. Unfortunately, Newcastle disease has posed a significant challenge to this endeavor. In the past, it wiped out my entire flock, leading me to temporarily suspend the business. However, I am eager to revive the business in the near future because it is not capital-intensive and can yield substantial profits once it becomes stable. I am delighted that this venture will not only provide additional income for my family but also serve as a means to acquire more livestock, including goats and cows.

My work as a mason was severely impacted by a persistent drought that persisted for approximately four years. This had a significant negative effect on my earnings, making it difficult to provide for my family. We faced food shortages, struggled to pay school fees, and accumulated a substantial amount of debt during this challenging period. Thanks to GiveDirectly's transfers, I have been able to purchase food for my family and cover school fees for my two children. Out of the received amount, I allocated $34 to buy chickens, an effort to revive a chicken business I previously had. Another $34 was used to repay a loan I had taken out earlier to pay school fees. The remaining $34 was spent on acquiring essential household items that we had depleted. I am immensely grateful to GiveDirectly for supporting us during the challenging times we endured.

To supplement my poor earnings, I plan to start a chicken farm. I aim to sell eggs as well as provide meat. This will allow me to establish financial stability and provide for my family.

I am a trained builder,but business has been slow in recent months due to the prolonged drought. We cant operate well in these conditions since there's no water. Because our crops failed the previous planting season, I used $62 of the transfers received to buy food for my family. I am also pleased to report that I was able to send my son to secondary school with the remaining $60.

To increase my income streams and provide for my family better, I have always wished to venture into poultry farming. However, the lack of the necessary resources and skills has hampered the realization of this dream since every penny I earn is consumed by food costs. I only hope for the rains to return so that I can produce food in my farm and spend the cash transfer on starting the poultry-keeping business. 

The persistent drought has hindered farming activities for a long time, which has made hunger a main issue in my household. Also, the drought has also affected my job as a mason since there is no water to aid house construction projects. Sadly, this makes me provide just the supper meal for my family after having starved the entire day. This is why I mostly spent the entire amount from the recent three cash transfers on food, to ensure that my family had enough meals. At least, we had two meals per day for the first week, which improved and strengthened our health. Honestly, I commend Give Directly for the cash aid because it relieves some pressure off my shoulders. 

I can't help but speak I love the renovation and the donations that have been deceiving so far which have playedquite a huge role when it comes to a day-to-day life. Due to the funds, I have been able to cater to the needs of my family especially when it comes nutrition which has been quite a predicament for us and also most importantly tuition.

Challenges with nutrition have been the biggest issue we've had in my house for the longest time and at times we've had to go for days on end without knowing when our next meal would be. Therefore when I noticed the arrival of the transfers I was elated and I went ahead to use KES 2,400 in purchasing ten packets of maize flour, two kilograms of beans and drinking water as well since it was quite scarce due to drought. I went to head to use the balance of KES 600 to pay a tuition for my two kids since they were almost on the verge of being kicked out of school.

On this good evening I was relaxing with my peers when my phone beeped a clear indication of a message received. I decided to check it out only to realize that GiveDirectly had sent the cash transfer. I could not wait to sign out from the conversation for my priority had now changed. Hurriedly, I went home and pass the good news to my wife who could not help but shade some joyful tears. Since it was too late to withdraw the cash transfer that night, I decided to wait till the following morning when we sorted out our bills. Thank you so much GiveDirectly.

The biggest difference in my daily life is having been able to provide basic needs such as food and even school fees for my children without asking hand outs from friends and relatives.I feel peaceful and extremely happy after settling my bills. Thank you so much GiveDirectly.

We had experienced a dry spell of drought for quite a while. Since I practice vegetable and maize farming, realizing it was an uphill task. On the other hand all the prices of basic commodities had reached roof top. It is for this reason that I spent most of my first transfer to buy food for my family of seven. Besides, I reduced the school fees balance for my children. I am happy that GiveDirectly came through for us financially just at the right time for I was already overwhelmed by my family's responsibilities. I am an unskilled construction worker whereas my wife is a house wife. Thank you so much GiveDirectly