Looking ahead, my primary goal for the coming year is to complete the construction of our two-room house. This will give us a safe, spacious home to live in. I have joined a savings group where I contribute monthly, and the money gains interest over time. I plan to use both my savings and the interest earned to buy the remaining iron sheets by the end of the year. Through these efforts, I’m hopeful that my dream of building a new home will come true soon. I’m incredibly appreciative of the financial support that is helping me achieve these important goals.

Last month, I lost a dear relative, and as part of the family, I contributed $19 towards the burial expenses to ensure a proper and respectful send-off. I’m relieved that everything went well, and the send-off was fitting. On another front, I saved $54 in a savings group as part of my ongoing plan to build a new home for my family. So far, I’ve purchased 19 iron sheets, with just 11 more left to buy. Once the iron sheets are complete, I’ll move on to purchasing building poles and then begin construction. My husband works as a casual laborer, pulling a cart to transport goods, but his income is very limited. It’s not enough to cover our daily needs or the cost of building the house. Despite these challenges, I’m proud of the progress we’re making toward owning our new home. In addition, I spent $4 to pay exam fees for my two children in primary school, ensuring they can sit for their exams without any issues. I also bought $25 worth of food for the family, making sure we had enough to eat, and thanks to the financial support, we haven’t gone hungry. I am deeply grateful for the financial transfers, which have helped me meet my family’s needs.

Ever since my house collapsed due to heavy rains, I have been living in a makeshift shelter, which has been quite disheartening. I often find myself dreaming of having a new home that is comfortable, just like other people in my neighborhood. To make that dream a reality, I've been gradually purchasing building materials using my transfers, with the goal of constructing a new house for my family. This year, I plan to continue buying materials using a portion of my transfers, and I’m excited about the progress I’ve made so far. It feels amazing to see my dream taking shape. Additionally, I intend to save another portion of my transfers in our local savings group. Once my savings mature, I hope to use that money to buy goats. My plan is to let these goats multiply and increase in number and value so that I may use them in the future to take care of my family's needs and also for educational purposes. Once this program comes to an end, I want to have something valuable that I can be proud of.

Since my house collapsed due to heavy rains, I’ve been living in a makeshift shelter. I’ve always dreamed of building a new home, but doing it all at once is quite expensive. To make it more manageable, I decided to gradually buy building materials. Recently, I spent $30 of my transfers on additional iron sheets for my future house. I also have children in school, and it was important for me to ensure they could continue their education. I therefore paid $36 of my transfers to cover their school fees, so they wouldn’t be sent home to collect fees but instead stay in school and continue with their studies undisrupted. Additionally, I saved $30 in our local savings group, which I’ve been contributing to for some time. My plan is to use the matured funds to buy goats, hoping they will multiply and provide a valuable source of income for my family in the future. Finally, I used the remaining $6 to buy food for my family, ensuring we wouldn’t go hungry. I’m truly grateful for the support from GiveDirectly; it has given me the opportunity to make progress and improve our situation.

My primary focus is on constructing a new house. With the current one on the verge of collapsing, I see the cash transfers as crucial support for building another one. Furthermore, I desire a larger house now that I have grandchildren; when they visit, they need a place to sleep. I am grateful that up to this far, I've purchased 15 pieces of iron sheets for the new house using funds from previous cash transfers. I plan to continue saving to accumulate funds for other materials, such as building poles.

Each time I receive the funds, I usually set aside $10 for savings. My goal was to purchase iron sheets, and I'm happy that I fulfilled it, as I recently acquired 15 pieces of them. I intend to use them to construct a new house. The current one is on the brink of collapse, and I believe the cash transfers can help me in building a new, more sturdy home. Also, I have four children in school, and I strive to support their education consistently so they can study well. My husband is the sole provider, relying on casual jobs that barely suffice to put food on the table, and sometimes struggle to pay school fees. This is why I mostly allocate the remaining $24 towards their studies, ensuring their education continues without interruption.

Looking ahead, my primary objective is to construct a new house for my family. The deteriorating condition of my current house, exacerbated by heavy rains, forced me to move in with relatives recently. The leaking grass-thatched roof made the space swampy and cold, rendering it unsuitable for habitation. Over the past year, I've been saving some of the cash transfers through a self-help group. When the group dissolves next year, I plan to utilize the savings to purchase building materials such as iron sheets and building poles, initiating the construction of a new two-room house for my family.

My family relies on my husband, who engages in casual jobs carrying luggage for travelers in town with his cart. However, the inconsistency of his income, with some days yielding nothing at all, poses challenges for our household expenses. The cash transfers have proven to be a crucial support, enabling me to contribute to our family's needs despite not actively engaging in work. In the recent three cash transfers, I allocated $15 to pay school fees for my two children, one of whom was preparing to sit for final examinations. Additionally, I have two young grandchildren who require three meals daily, and the cash transfers have played a vital role in ensuring they are well-fed. I used $34 to settle debts at a local shop where I had previously taken food on credit and spent $16 to purchase more food. The remaining $32 was saved through a self-help group, to accumulate enough funds to build a new house, as my current grass-thatched house is leaking.

My ultimate goal is to construct a new house to replace the current one, which has a grass-thatched roof that is in a deteriorating condition. However, with many children in school—six in total—and their father working as a water hawker in Mombasa, financial limitations persist. Am excited about harvesting enough food this planting season that will serve my family for at least four months, offering some relief amidst the challenges we face. This will open the door for me to start working towards building the new house. I want to buy the building materials like iron sheets and building poles then hire someone later to complete the task.

I am currently facing pressure from my child in secondary school who has an outstanding balance of approximately $140 in school fees. Lacking a stable source of income has worsened the situation, as I need to cover both his fees and those of his siblings. Gladly, whenever I receive the transfer funds, I allocate $14 to reduce the debt for my child in secondary school. Additionally, I set aside $8.5 to cover the tuition fees for my other three children attending primary school. I am relieved that my children have been able to remain in school over the past two months without being sent home due to fees. I also usually save $5 through a self-help group, as I plan to accumulate enough to build a new house. The remaining amount goes towards the purchase of food.

My husband and I have been talking about building a more decent house for our family given the poor condition of the current one. Whenever it rains, water leaks through the roof which dampens our sleeping space. I recently had to move some household items to my in-law’s house as I feared the dampness would damage them. I have already started saving for the construction of the new house. I purpose to buy at least 20 pieces of iron sheets first, then acquire building poles and nails. After that, I will hire someone to complete the task

After I received the money, I paid $10 and $8 in school fees for my son in high school and my three children in primary school respectively. They had been in debt since the term began, which had made some of them miss classes. My husband and I had not made enough from our casual jobs to settle the deficits. Am grateful that my children have never been sent back home again. Since the household lacked food that morning, I spent $6 on maize flour. Finally, I saved the remaining $10. The aim is to accumulate enough funds that will help build a better house for my family. The current structure is in poor condition as the worn-out grass-thatched roof lets it water when it rains. I would be happy if I built a decent two-room mud house with an iron sheet roof, instead of grass thatches. 

The arrival of the transfers this time around meant the world to me especially because I was in so much debt when it came to tuition for my children. Unfortunately four of my kids who happen to be in primary school had already spent three days home meanwhile my eldest daughter who was in high school had already spent a fortnight at home. That is why I went ahead to spend KES 1,700 to pay for the younger ones in primary school and then paid KES 1,000 for my daughter. I remained with KES 700 on me which I ended up using on purchasing three packets of maize flour and sugar since we hardly had any food left in the house.

The organization does well by helping the needy in society. My children would not be in school were it not for the money from GiveDirectly. I recommend that the organization hastens the process of enrollment for the members who were left so that they benefit from the transfers.

I have a total of six children who are studying. The eldest is in secondary school while the others are in primary school. My daughter who is in secondary school owes the school arrears amounting to KES 5000 while those in primary have a total debt accumulating to KES 1800. Upon receiving my transfer, I spent KES 2000 to partially clear the school fees arrears my children owed their respective schools. I could not raise the money because my husband and I have no permanent jobs and depend heavily on selling charcoal to earn a living. Strict government restrictions and low demand for charcoal are the major catalysts to the dip in the business. Besides paying school fees arrears, I bought food worth KES 800 for the family

I was sitting outside my house in the afternoon engulfed in thoughts about how to raise money for school fees. I received a text message on my phone and requested my brother to read it. He broke the good news that I had received my first transfer. I quickly stood up and ululated at the top of my voice. I broke into a dance as a celebrated the propitious moment.

The transfer made a vast difference in my life by helping me pay school fee arrears for my children. Had it not been for the transfer, my children would still be at home. This will give them the confidence and motivate them to work even harder in school.

I spent my entire transfer on paying school fees for my two children. One is in secondary school while the other is in primary school. I earn a living through the sale of charcoal. I earn very little (300 per bag) which is not enough to cater to all the needs of my six children. My husband earns a living through building houses. He has struggled to get a job for the past two weeks, making it difficult for him to pay bills. A day prior to receiving my transfer, they sent my eldest daughter home from school because of school fees arrears. I did not have money to give her, so she had to stay at home. When I received my transfer, I gave KES 2000 to my eldest daughter and 1000 to the younger so that they would go back to school and resume their studies.