My husband passed away some years ago, leaving behind four children who are now in school. Three of them are in primary school, and one is in secondary school. Since I’ve been relying on selling small fish for a living, it has been difficult for me to pay their school fees on time. That’s why I now have a goal to invest in buying goats. I believe this venture will provide a sustainable source of income for my family in the long run, especially when it comes to paying the children's fees. I can sell some goats and use the money to settle the fees. I plan to save a portion of the monthly cash transfers to buy the goats. My priority remains providing for my children’s education and well-being, as I see education as the key to their future success and empowerment.

I am a widow who has been solely caring for my younger children for some time. I have four children; one is in Form One at Ribe Boys High School, and the other three are still in lower grades. The responsibility of keeping them all in school has been overwhelming, as I rely on selling small fish, and sometimes the profits are not enough to buy food. As a result, my children's education journey has been full of ups and downs, which has caused me a lot of stress because my hope is to see them graduate with good grades and transform our home life. When I received the cash, I paid about $44 to keep them in school, as they were frequently being sent home for fees, which demotivated them a lot. I am happy and hopeful that, with the support of GiveDirectly, they will now be inspired and will excel in their studies. I also saved $30 in a savings group, intending to buy goats when my turn comes. I believe that having goats in my compound will bring significant changes, as I will have something to rely on. Additionally, I used $24 to buy food and some vegetables for my family, which has sustained us for a while, especially since not all the farms are too dry. With the remaining $4, I invested in my small fish-selling business by purchasing more stock for better returns.

As a widow with three children in primary and secondary schools and an unreliable source of income, I've been strategizing for the future. With the upcoming transfers, I plan to invest in purchasing goats. I believe this venture will offer a sustainable source of income for my family in the long run. My priority remains providing for my children's education and well-being. I see education as the key to their future success and empowerment. By investing in their schooling, I'm laying the foundation for them to achieve their dreams and break the cycle of poverty. It's not just about surviving day-to-day; it's about building a better tomorrow for all of us.

I used close to $34 to clear the hospital bill for my son, who had been battling dengue fever for what felt like an eternity. The weight of his illness had consumed me, but now, with the bill settled, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Watching him return to school, his smile brighter than ever, filled my heart with immeasurable joy. GiveDirectly had provided more than just financial assistance; they had restored hope in our darkest hour. With the same generosity, I ensured my other children's education remained uninterrupted, allocating 34 towards their secondary school fees. The peace of mind that came with knowing they could pursue their studies without hindrance was priceless. Redirecting a portion of the funds towards my small fish-selling business proved to be a wise investment. Witnessing its growth and success brought me profound satisfaction, as it now provides a steady income to meet our needs comfortably. Furthermore, allocating $24 towards purchasing essential foodstuffs and household items eased the strain of daily living. As I look around at my family, surrounded by the comforts made possible by GiveDirectly's support, I am filled with gratitude for the positive impact it has had on our lives.

This coming year ,my goal is to establish a livestock business focusing on goats. This will improve my family's financial stability even further. I plan to use part of the profits from my sardine business and upcoming transfers to invest in purchasing goats. I believe this venture will provide a sustainable source of income for my family in the long term. Additionally, I aim to continue providing for my children's education and well-being. By investing in their schooling, I am investing in their future and empowering them to achieve their goals. I am grateful for the support I have received from GiveDirectly, which have helped me provide a more sustainable and dignified means of supporting my family. I am confident that I can continue to improve my family's standard of living and contribute positively to my community.

Several years ago, I tragically lost my husband, leaving me with the responsibility of caring for our six children. With no reliable source of income, I resorted to physically demanding work like digging tree stumps and selling charcoal, which endangered my health and put me in a difficult situation. However, the intervention of GiveDirectly has brought about a positive change in our lives. With the financial assistance received, I have been able to retire from laborious work and I can now afford essentials like food and education for my children. With $60, I cleared my children's school fees debt, ensuring their education continued uninterrupted. Additionally, I invested $42 in my sardine business, which has since flourished thanks to this financial boost. The support from GiveDirectly has truly transformed my life, and I am truly grateful for their assistance.

My main goal is to venture into goat farming, but family challenges have hindered me from pursuing this endeavor. I see it as a crucial investment since my family depends on me as their sole provider. I have been diligently saving a portion of my transfers with the intent of making this goal a reality, and I'll continue to utilize the subsequent transfers to further this cause. I am genuinely delighted and grateful for the assistance I've received, as it has provided a secure source of income and alleviated my worries about the future.

After my husband's passing, my family faced challenging times as we had lost our primary provider. I resorted to farming and charcoal sales to make ends meet. I'm thankful that these monthly transfers have substantially boosted my income, allowing me to step back from the demanding work of uprooting tree stumps and producing charcoal. Receiving these transfers brings me immense joy. I allocated $10 to treat my son, who had been diagnosed with measles, and I'm delighted to report that his health has improved. Additionally, I used $30 to cover my children's school fees, ensuring their uninterrupted education. With $20, I purchased food to compensate for our meager harvest from the previous season. The remainder of my funds I saved in a savings club, with the hope of purchasing a goat in the future. I'm overjoyed that GiveDirectly has profoundly transformed our lives for the better.

As I continue to receive my transfer, my primary goal is to buy and keep goats. I do not have a single goat now since my focus has been to buy food for my family and to raise fees for my children. Raising a flock of goats will help me in case of an emergency. In addition, it will help to supplement my household income. As a result, I will not heavily depend on casual jobs alone.

From my monthly transfers, I have been able to pay school fees for my school-going children. I feel more at peace to see them going to school. However, that was not possible at first, I could hardly raise their fees. I also use $15 every month to acquire food for my family of seven members. Courtesy of the transfer, life has been bearable because of my regular income. Unlike before, I could struggle as a breadwinner to support my children though I am a widow. I used to do farming which does not always yield much.

I was previously a farmer specializing in livestock rearing(goats) but due to financial challenges, I was forced to sell all of them and was left with nothing. My wish had been to buy more livestock and embark on my farming project. So with the transfers that I would be getting, I plan to buy as many goats and keep them so that in the future, they would be of great help as well.

I had been facing financial difficulties ever since my husband passed on, getting money for school fees, food and other necessities had been a great challenge and therefore I had been surviving from the little money that I manage to get. Receiving the GiveDirectly transfers had been of great relief to me because I managed to pay school fees for my four children worth KES. 1140, bought food worth KES. 1130 and saved the remaining amount of KES. 1200. I was very grateful for the support that I received.

I saved $25 in the merry-go-round group that we started in our village. I joined this group to help me save my money and plan for it well. When it is my turn to get the money I will start a goat-rearing project. Goats reproduce twice per year and help whenever there is an emergency at home. I am so happy and looking forward to venturing into that. The remaining amount of money I spent on food for the family.

Since the beginning when I started receiving the transfers I decided that I should open up a store and ever since then, I use each transfer I get to help me sustain and grow my business. Similarly I did a similar thing this time. As soon as the funds arrived, I used KES 2,000 from the transfers and added to the stock in my store by purchasing maize and wheat flour, rice and even sugar just to mention a few. Afterwards I took the balance of KES 1,000 I was left with and used it to settle a debt in school fees since my children had been home two days in a row without attending class.

I am filled with nothing but gratitude towards give directly for the support through these cash transfers. For a long time now, I have been suffering to meet my children's needs. There were times when the charcoal manufacturing business became too hard for me so I couldn't work and this forced us to go to bed hungry. Therefore, in my opinion, give directly has done very well and there is no area of improvement for them.

6 years ago, I lost my husband. I was left with six children to fend for. This has been quite challenging for me, so, I had to start manufacturing charcoal to sustain us. When I received my first transfer of KES1,200 my children had been sent home due to some school fee arrears. I, therefore, paid KES700 to clear the debt and the remaining KES500 I used to cover the transport cost and the meals. When I received my second transfer, I had plans to have an extra source of income, thereby, I started a business using the KES3000 that I received.

The day before I received the funds from give directly, I was without a penny to buy food for my family. So, we all slept on empty stomachs. The following day I woke up to the message confirming the receipt of the funds. As I was contemplating how to use the cash, my child came home claiming to have been sent away due to fee areas of KES1,300. So, I took him back, paid KES600 and they allowed him back to class. For the love I have for poultry farming I use the remaining amount to buy two chickens.

Currently, there isn't much difference I have noted but I believe with time, I will have made tremendous progress as I will be uplifted financially. In my list of plans, I have with these funds, is to start a grocery shop business and to even buy some livestock.

My child had just been sent due to school fee areas when I received the funds from give directly. From my earnings of KES900 weekly from charcoal manufacturing, I barely get enough to sustain my three children who are in school so I used KES600 to pay for my child's fee arrears of KES1300 and the remaining KES600, I bought two chickens since I am passionate about poultry farming.