My house was very old and in very bad condition. The aged iron sheets were full of holes, which were causing leaks during the rainy season. Other parts of the house were also falling apart, making me determined to build an entirely new home for a safe and comfortable living space for me and my family. I began saving with my local savings group and recently saved $60 from my transfers, aiming to take out a substantial loan to build my house. I'm thrilled to have acquired the loan and embarked on the house-building journey, and I'm immensely impressed with the progress. Also, since I don't have a job, I decided to start a dried fish selling business using my previous transfers to sustain my daily household needs. Recently, I invested $30 to boost the business's revenues and increase profits. Lastly, I spent the remaining $12 to buy soap and oil for cleanliness and some sugar so we could have breakfast before starting our day.

My house was very old, and the aged roof, full of holes, was a constant source of distress due to leaks during the rainy season. The rest of the house was also on the verge of collapsing and slowly falling apart. Determined to build a new house for myself, I devised a strategy to save money. I saved my transfers in a local savings group to eventually take out a substantial loan for the building. I'm happy to share that I finally acquired the loan, and my house is making great progress. It will soon be complete. Once it's finished, I plan to continue saving my transfers in our group to repay the loan and then acquire another loan to buy goats. I'm hopeful that these goats will multiply and increase in number and value, providing me with a reliable source of income, especially when this project comes to an end.

Before I joined the program, my family of six relied heavily on me as the breadwinner, especially with my elderly husband unable to work. Occasionally, my elder sons would lend a hand with our family's needs. However, our financial situation was precarious, as I lacked a stable income. I used to work on other people's farms for pay and also sold charcoal to make ends meet. Since starting my fish-selling business in the village, there has been a significant improvement in our lives. I invested $30 to expand the business, and it's currently thriving, providing much-needed income for my family. Additionally, I diligently saved 50% of my earnings in a savings account, with the hope of accumulating enough funds by the end of the year to purchase new iron sheets to improve our house. With $18, I purchased food to ensure that my family never went hungry. Moreover, I bought new clothes to replace the worn-out ones, allowing me to look neat and presentable. I am immensely grateful for the financial support I have received from the program, as it has truly transformed our lives for the better.

The aging iron sheets on my roof have developed significant holes, causing water to leak into the house during rainfall. This has led to various challenges, including damage to my furniture. To put an end to this ongoing problem, I have decided to save a portion of my upcoming transfers to purchase new iron sheets and replace the entire roof. I am optimistic that with the assistance of the transfers, I will be able to accomplish this goal and ensure a safer and more comfortable living environment for myself and my family.

I allocated a significant portion of $38 from my transfers to procure food and partake in festivities with my family of six during the holiday season, fostering joy and unity within our household. The moments spent together were truly gratifying. In addition, I invested nearly $54 in replenishing my business stock, focusing on the sale of silver cyprinid. I am delighted by the success of my business, as it enables me to provide for my family's requirements. Furthermore, I set aside $10 within the savings group "Chama." The primary purpose of this saving is to acquire new iron sheets and repair the deteriorating roof of my residence. The current iron sheets are old, rusted, and riddled with holes, allowing water to seep into the house during rainfall. As the sole provider for my family, given my elderly husband's inability to work, I am immensely grateful for the financial assistance, which greatly aids me in meeting our needs.

I aim to buy 24 iron sheets to repair my house's roof, ensuring peace of mind and convenience during the rainy season. In addition, I intend to invest in goats due to their rapid breeding, which will serve as a future financial asset. Upon multiplication, I can sell some of the goats to address my future needs. I am thankful for the financial assistance provided by Give Directly.

In August, I used my entire transfer to buy food and water for my family's household. Despite planting maize on my four-acre farm, we faced a tough situation due to erratic rainfall over the past three months, resulting in a failed harvest. This unfortunate turn of events has left us in a difficult position, compelling us to buy expensive food from stores using our limited funds. My small vegetable business generates meager income, barely sufficient to meet our family's needs. My husband, who is elderly and retired, doesn't receive his pension, making me the sole provider for the family. Nonetheless, I'm grateful for the financial support, as it has enabled me to cover school fees for my children and purchase food for our household.

In the upcoming year and beyond, my primary goal is to completely renovate the aging, corroded, and leaky iron sheet roof that currently shields my house. This objective hinges on my ability to access the savings I've been accumulating throughout the year from a savings group consisting of ten members. I am profoundly thankful for the financial assistance I received through this contribution, as it has enabled me to purchase food during this challenging period marked by rising food costs in both local stores and due to the poor yields from our farms.

As the only breadwinner in my family of six, I face significant financial pressure to meet everyone's needs. My elderly husband is unable to work, so I run a small business selling vegetables and silver cyprinids. Unfortunately, extreme weather conditions have caused a shortage of vegetables, and my business is not doing well. When I received my April transfers, I decided to use the entire amount to buy food and water. Unfortunately, a 20-liter jerrican of water costs $0.5, which is expensive given how much water we use for daily chores like washing utensils, clothes, and bathing my children. Our nearby water sources have dried up, forcing us to walk up to 30km in search of water. However, I am grateful that the transfer money helped avert a hunger crisis in my family. The food I purchased will last for more than three weeks, and I am waiting to earn enough money from my business to buy more food.

Currently, my house is in a dilapidated condition and too small to comfortably accommodate all members of my family. However, my long-term goal is to save enough money from both my business and the transfer to purchase the necessary materials for constructing a three-bedroom house with an iron sheet roof. This has been a long-standing dream of mine, but my financial situation has prevented me from making it a reality. I am eagerly anticipating the start and completion of my new home so that my family can move in and enjoy a better living environment.

While my husband works as a casual employee at construction sites, I run a little business of buying and selling small fish. The majority of the time, it is difficult to raise money to support the upbringing of our eight children because we do not receive enough revenue from our sources. We are forced to remain in our current home, which has an outdated roof covered with holes all around, because we are unable to construct a better one due to our poor income. We are grateful that GiveDirectly came to our aid. I've been saving $30 for the past three months in order to build a new house. The remaining $34 I spent on food, and I used the remaining $30 to grow my business.

I opened a small kiosk business selling silver cyprinid "omena" last year. I'm glad that now that the business is up and running, I can complete little tasks like purchasing food, clothing, and school supplies for my 4 children who attend Kabatheni primary school. I would love to grow this business this year by bringing in more clients and adding more stock. In addition, I want to use some of the transfer proceeds to build a large, respectable house by purchasing cement, sand, building poles, iron sheets, and other materials.

I started up a small business of buying charcoal from the villages around and later selling them in various markets. Since then, I have been using 2000 KES to boost it whenever I receive the transfers. I, therefore, used 6000 KES of the past three months' transfers to boost the business. It has grown and I currently earn a profit of KES 1200 weekly which has been of great help, especially in paying for my children's school fees. . 3000 KES I used to purchase 30 kg of corn flour for my family. My household income has improved and I owe it to GiveDirectly.

When I got enrolled into this program, I so it fit that this would be a nice opportunity for me to start my business. This is because I wanted to avoid being completely dependent towards GiveDirectly and I knew if I kept on buying stuff then I would hardly be able to invest and by the time the program was done I would probably be at the same place thr organisation found me or even be at a worse position because I would be completely dependent on the funds I had receiving to survive. Therefore a business seemed like a bright idea. I decided I would buy charcoal on bulk and then sell it to schools since it was common to use charcoal in preparing meals in the kitchen and schools, especially secondary schools were always in need it. I bought charcoal worth KES 2,500 and then used the balance of KES 500 that remained to use it as transportation transportation fee to the location of delivery. I bought each batch at KES 400 and sold it to schools at KES 700 making me a profit of KES 300 which was more than great business if you ask me.

The achievements of GiveDirectly are quite evident if you ask me. Before our village knew this program we were helpless. There was so much drought and hunger and barely any jobs. Most of us relied on making charcoal to earn a living and provide for our families. But now, the entire village has taken a complete turn. We have started businesses, our kids get to stay in school, people have built netter homes and the rate of starvation has reduced immensely. GiveDirectly has been the light at the end of the tunnel for us, we are and will be eternally grateful for the generosity we have witnessed.

Farming has been the only source of income for me and my family for the longest time. The drought came in and made it difficult to continue working on the farm as it was no longer productive without the rain. I shifted to burning wood to make charcoal for sale. This job is very tiresome and the earnings are very little to cater to all my needs and that of my children. Upon receiving the transfer, I spent KSH 1000 to start a small business where I sell Omena to my neighbors. I started this business because I wanted to have a solid source of income. With this business, I am hopeful of making huge profits and use the money to invest into other money making projects. I then spent the remaining amount of KSH 200 to buy 1 packet of maize flour and 1 ¼ kilogram of sugar. I did not sell any sack of charcoal for the past three days and I did not have money to buy food. Buying the food was necessary as I would not starve of hunger.

There is a big difference in my life brought by the transfer. I am now self-employed and I run my own small business. This has been a dream for me for the longest time of my life. Now that I have achieved it, I want to use this to ensure that I am financially stable. 

It was during the lunch hours. I was resting under the tree to avoid the direct rays of the scorching sun. Thoughts of where I would get money to buy my next meal crisscrossed my mind. While still thinking hard, my phone rang loudly, and I turned around to check it out. I called my son, who was not very far away from where I was sitting, to read me the contents of the message. He delivered the good news that I had received my transfer. I was thrilled, and I quickly sent him to go withdraw the money and buy the food to eat.