In the coming year, my biggest hope is to finally get a better bed and a new mattress. Right now, the bed I have is broken, and my mattress is so tattered that it's hard to get a good night's sleep. I want to save little by little so that I can afford a sturdy bed and a comfortable mattress. With each month, I’ll set aside what I can until I have enough to make this happen. I believe that with better rest, I’ll have more energy and peace of mind to face each day and take care of my family.

I am a mother of ten, and due to my unstable health, I am unable to participate in any income-generating activities. My husband and I rely on our sons, who work casual jobs in town, to support us. With the recent three transfers totaling $102, I carefully planned how to use this money to address our most pressing needs. First, I saved $30 intending to buy a new bed, which costs $50. Our current bed is broken, and I want to get a better one for more comfort and rest. This small saving is a step towards making that important purchase. I also spent $39 on three bales of food to ensure that my family had enough to eat. Feeding my large family is always a priority, and this purchase gave me peace of mind knowing that we have enough food to last us a while. With the remaining $33, I assisted my daughter in paying school fees for her children, who are my beloved grandchildren. Education is crucial, and I wanted to help ensure they continue their studies without interruption.

For the next month, my plan is to give additional capital to my son to help boost his struggling business. Though my initial plan was to purchase a new bed and mattress, unforeseen urgent matters demanded attention and required immediate resolution. Despite this delay, I am determined to prioritize redirecting my savings towards acquiring these essential items. The current condition of my bedding is far from ideal, making sleeping very uncomfortable, but I am hopeful that with careful planning and perseverance, I will soon be able to improve my living conditions.

I rely on my son to support our family, but his business faced setbacks and required a financial boost. In a gesture of support, I provided him with $30 to invest in his business, ensuring he could continue providing for us. Concerned about our immediate needs, I allocated $57 to purchase food for our family, unwilling to see my grandchildren go hungry. Furthermore, I allocated $15 towards my daughter's college education, recognizing the importance of investing in her future. I am overjoyed that she has now completed her studies and is ready to embark on a career path. Despite the challenges we face, witnessing my children's progress fills me with hope and pride. Each decision reflects my unwavering commitment to their well-being and future success.

I have dedicated myself to supporting my son in realizing his aspiration of establishing a thriving livestock trading business. My optimism stems from the belief that as his business prospers, he will become a valuable source of assistance in meeting my everyday requirements. The financial support has brought me great joy, allowing me to cover my daughter's college tuition. Looking ahead, I am contemplating the acquisition of a bed and mattress once my son's business gains momentum in the near future.

I actively support my son's livestock trading venture by providing him with capital, as he is my main reliance and has assisted me in the past. I contributed $37 to bolster his business. Meanwhile, my youngest daughter pursued a beauty course, and I financially aided her education by paying $35 for school fees. It brings me immense joy to share that she successfully completed the course and swiftly secured a job. The transfers played a pivotal role in equipping her with valuable skills, enabling her to achieve financial independence. Allocating $24, I also purchased food for my family. The support I've received through transfers has been a source of happiness, and I remain optimistic about my son's business success facilitated by these transfers.

I would like to thank GiveDirectly for their invaluable assistance, which allowed my daughter's college tuition to be fully covered by the transfers. She is currently progressing through her second year of studies. It gives me great pleasure to see her consistent academic journey, as opposed to the past, when financial constraints forced her education to be discontinued. Previously, I struggled to meet her tuition deadlines, but the ongoing transfers have alleviated this burden significantly. My primary goal right now is to ensure that she completes the tailoring course and, as a result, is able to open her own shop. In addition, one of my long-term goals has been to replace my worn-out bedding, which had failed to provide a restful sleeping environment. I have put aside $55 for this purpose, with the goal of saving at least $90. This will allow me to purchase a new bed and mattress, giving me a comfortable place to rest my head.

The recent transfers I received allowed me to achieve goals that were previously out of reach. One of my longstanding aspirations was to replace my old, broken bed with a new one with a comfortable mattress. Through the consistent monthly transfers, I've been able to accumulate savings of $55. My ultimate goal is to accumulate $90, which will allow me to purchase the desired bed and mattress. Furthermore, the transfers have aided my daughter's pursuit of a tailoring course in college. Despite having to take breaks from her studies due to financial constraints, the transfers gave her the stability she needed to stay in school and continue her education without worry. I have been paying her tuition fee of $10 every month. Seeing her studies completed successfully in the coming year will undoubtedly bring me great joy. Finally, these transfers have also been instrumental in ensuring my family's sustenance because I also allocated a portion to purchasing ample food supplies. This has ensured that my family members consistently have enough to eat, which has contributed to their overall well-being.

In the coming years, my main aspiration is to provide financial support for the education of my two grandchildren. Their parents currently lack a stable source of income to fully meet their educational needs. Additionally, I have a daughter who recently enrolled in a beauty college, and I am determined to support her by paying her fees. I believe that the cash transfers I receive will serve as a valuable tool in making these aspirations a reality. With this support, I am optimistic that I can make a positive impact on their lives and contribute to their success and well-being.

To be completely honest, the most significant issue my family is currently facing is hunger. Despite the occasional assistance we receive from two of my sons who work as casual laborers in Mombasa, the food they provide rarely lasts for the entire week. My husband takes on odd jobs, like making charcoal, to earn money for food, but these opportunities are infrequent, making it difficult for us to have regular meals. I used $24 to purchase food, which helped alleviate our immediate hunger. Additionally, I sent $5 to my daughter, who recently joined a hairdressing college, to support her with her daily expenses. I decided to save the remaining $5 to accumulate enough savings to buy a decent wooden bed. Currently, I find it uncomfortable to sleep on the sisal-twined bed I have, and I hope to improve my sleeping arrangements in the future. The cash transfer has provided some much-needed support in addressing our hunger and offering assistance to my daughter. It has also allowed me to save for a better bed, which will enhance my comfort and well-being. I am grateful for this relief and the chance to improve our living conditions.

I have always desired to own a wooden bed and a cozy mattress but lack of finances and financial constraints burden me. The sisal-twined bed that I use is old and broken on one side, which gives me uncomfortable sleep and deprives me of sufficient rest. Before the year ends, I wish to have bought a more decent bed and a fitting mattress so that I can finally enjoy my nights. As I save for these items, I will also save towards the college fees of my daughter. I would be happy if she graduates next year having had a smooth learning experience with no frequent interruptions to pick up tuition money. 

Whenever I receive a transfer, I usually budget the money for my daughter’s college fees and food at home. This is because I lack a reliable source of income to meet these basic needs. Though with the help of my husband, we make and sell charcoal for a living, our earnings cannot reach some needs like the school fees. Sometimes, my sons support us whenever we are stuck, but this only happens occasionally, which leaves us struggling most of the time. Hence from each of the recent three transfers, I have directed $20 toward the education of my daughter and spent $14 on food. I cannot attest enough to the relief these cash transfers have brought into my household; we rarely miss meals and my child never misses her classes. 

I have been looking forward to continuing with my project of poultry farming. Therefore as soon as I realized I had received the transfers I went ahead and used KES 900 and acquired three hens. Afterwards I remained with a balance of KES 2,100 which I completely invested on ensuring that nourishment for my family and I was catered for because hunger was one of our biggest tribulation. I ended up spending KES 1,100 on purchasing six packets of maize flour because the cost of living has gone extremely high and as for the balance, I bought sugar, groceries, two kilograms of beans and drinking water because it was scarce.

Before meeting GiveDirectly I made a living through cutting wood and burning it to charcoal then after selling the coal. But almost everyone is involved in this business back on the village and to be honest the wage is quite minimum. Thankfully this organisation came to our rescue through the funds they deliver and can now manage to cater for our needs and that of our families more than compared to before.

After I received the funds from GiveDirectly my first decision was ensure that I had a meal I'm the house because nutrition was a problem times due to the on going drought. So I bought a sack of maize worth KES 940 and I took it to the mill for grinding it and making flour which cost me KES 100. I opted for the maize instead of purchasing maize flour because buying was way more costly and was barely enough to sustain me and my family over a long period. Afterwards I went to one of the stores in our neighbourhood where I had a debt since I had asked the storekeeper to loan me some items when we barely had food in the house. Luckily he had agreed and that is why I went a paid my debt of KES 540. Lastly I decided to save my balance of KES 1,000 because I planned in purchasing a new bed and mattress because mine was old since I bought it over twenty years ago and it was broken to the point I had to tie it so that it could hold me when I slept.

I was exhausted and starving after fasting the whole day. When my husband came back and told me he had no money to buy food, I was heartbroken and tears rolled down my cheeks. I drank a jug full of water to fill my stomach and ease the situation. I head straight to the bedroom, where I took a nap. At around 10 pm, my husband woke me up, giving me the good news that I had received my first transfer. I felt relieved and thrilled. I knelt down and prayed as thanked the almighty God for the miracle.

It is the joy of every Muslim to observe the rights of the holy month of Ramadhan. At one point, I forwent fasting, as I found it challenging due to the lack of food. However, I am very happy that the funds came in at a good time when really needed it. I have plenty to eat and I continued to fast as I observe all the rights throughout this holy month. Buying the food is the biggest difference in my daily life since I received the transfer.  

I am currently jobless and fully dependent on my husband. My husband works as a casual laborer selling charcoal. Owing to the enormous size of my family (husband, co-wife, and 8 children) he cannot meet all the needs, especially providing food while earning very little. Being the only staunch Muslim in a family of Christian members, I found it very challenging to exercise my religious rights. The lack of food is a major setback for me in my fasting. When I received my transfer, I spent KES 2000 buying plenty of food. The food has helped me to observe fully the norms during the holy month of Ramadhan. Other than buying food, I spent the remaining KES 1000 to pay a deposit for a new bed. The bed I am currently sleeping on broke and I fixed it by tying it up with a sisal rope. Buying the new bed will ensure I sleep comfortably, with no fears of falling down during the night.