I'm grateful for the opportunity GiveDirectly has provided me to improve my family's living conditions. Currently, my house has a roof made of polythene papers, but it has always been my dream to provide my family with a well-roofed house using good materials like iron sheets. My plan is to therefore improve the standards of my house, and to achieve this goal, I've been saving a portion of my transfers in our local merry-go-round group. Once I receive the pooled funds, I plan to use them to build a better roof for our home. Given the hunger challenge we're facing due to the lack of rain, which made our crops die and our farms not produce anything, I intend to allocate another portion of my transfers to address food insecurity. My plan is to use this money to buy food for my family until we are blessed with good harvests and have enough food to sustain ourselves. After completing the house renovation, I plan to redirect a portion of my transfers to buy goats. My hope is that they will multiply and increase in number and value over time. In the future, as I get older, I can sell these goats to provide for my family and have a reliable source of income, especially once the GiveDirectly program comes to an end. I am happy to see that my dream is becoming a reality, and I am thankful for this opportunity.

This year has been challenging for us, as we faced a lack of rain that resulted in poor harvests, leaving our crops dry and exposing my family to hunger. As a result, a significant portion of my transfers goes towards buying food to ensure that my family does not go hungry and therefore I had to spend $46 of my recent transfers to buy food to keep my family nourished. In addition to this, I have three children in school, and I spent another $18 of my transfers on their school fees. I want to ensure they can focus on their studies without the worry of being sent home for unpaid fees. I have also been saving part of my transfers in a merry-go-round savings group, where I saved $30 this time. Once I receive the pooled funds, I plan to use that money to build a decent house for my family. Currently, we live in a house made of polythene, and I have always dreamed of improving our living conditions. Furthermore, I recently took a solar panel and lighting system on credit, and I’m excited that we now have a well lit home. This time, I used $6 of my transfers to pay off a portion of that debt, and I also spent $2 to cover an overdraft from my mobile money account.

I'm currently facing challenges providing enough food for my family due to the limited maize harvest from my farm. As a result, we're forced to purchase expensive food from the shop. With my next transfers, I intend to prioritize purchasing food to ensure that my family's nutritional needs are met. Additionally, I plan to allocate funds towards paying school fees for my three children, ensuring they can continue their education without interruption. Moreover, I aspire to improve our living conditions by constructing a spacious three-bedroom house to replace our current dilapidated dwelling, which is covered with polythene paper for roofing. This endeavor will provide my family with a safer and more comfortable living environment. I am deeply grateful for the financial support provided by the transfers thus far, as it has been instrumental in enabling me to care for my family's needs. This assistance has provided a lifeline during difficult times, and I am committed to utilizing it effectively to improve our quality of life and secure a brighter future for my loved ones.

As the sole provider for my family of six, I rely on selling building poles harvested from the forest for our livelihood. However, this occupation is unpredictable, as it is contingent upon receiving orders from clients. There are periods, sometimes lasting up to a month, where no orders are forthcoming, leaving us without any income to support our family. Last year, despite my efforts to cultivate two acres of maize, our harvest was severely impacted by heavy rains, resulting in a meager yield. This compounded our struggles, particularly in terms of food scarcity. To address this, I allocated $22 towards purchasing food, ensuring that my family had enough to eat and alleviating some of our financial strain. Additionally, I prioritized investing in my children's education, allocating $48 towards school fees payment for all three of them. This ensured that their schooling remained uninterrupted, despite our financial challenges. Recognizing the importance of financial planning and community support, I contributed $30 to a savings group comprised of seven members. Each month, one member receives the pooled funds to undertake projects of their choosing. Lastly, I settled a $2 debt with the remaining amount. I am deeply grateful for the financial assistance provided by the transfers, as it has been instrumental in meeting our family's needs during challenging times.

My objective for the upcoming year is to ensure that my son enrolls in Junior Secondary School. I firmly believe that investing in education is pivotal for a brighter future. To achieve this goal, I have consistently set aside savings each month in a dedicated savings club. Fortunately, I am scheduled to receive the total accumulated amount this January, perfectly timed for the commencement of the new school term. With these savings and additional transfers, I will be able to procure the necessary items such as uniforms, books, and other essentials for my son. I express gratitude towards this organization, as it has profoundly assisted my family in realizing this important educational milestone.

I make a living by selling building poles, but my business has faced challenges due to a scarcity of trees. By diligently saving these earnings, I aim to provide an education for my four children and construct a new home. In the past, financial constraints made life difficult for my family. With a wife and four children, managing expenses became especially challenging. To address immediate needs, I allocated $38 towards purchasing food when we found ourselves without sustenance. Additionally, I used an additional $34 to repay a debt incurred from the purchase of a cow, a transaction that had yet to be settled. The remaining funds were prudently saved through participation in a savings club, ensuring a secure financial foundation for future endeavors. I am happy that GiveDirectly has played a pivotal role in positively transforming my life.

First and foremost, I want to invest in keeping goats, which will provide me with a valuable source of income in the future. With the income generated from selling goats, I aim to build a better and more stable house for my family. Currently, our living space is far from ideal, with a roof made of a polythene bag and just three pieces of iron sheets. Beyond improving our living conditions, I have always had a dream of working as a driver. To achieve this, I would be happy to start driving college. I am determined to work hard and use the opportunities presented to me, including the cash transfers, to build a better future for my family.

Upon receiving the cash transfers, $2 was automatically deducted to repay a mobile money loan. From the remainder, I allocated $12 for food, $10 to save for future expenses and $9 to cover school fees for my four children. While the transfers have provided some relief, our situation remains challenging, especially in terms of food security. We are yet to harvest, and hunger continues to be a significant concern. Unfortunately, due to my lack of formal education and expertise in other areas, my options for earning a living are limited.  My main source of income is cutting and making building poles, relying on orders from people who need them for construction. In July, the situation was particularly tough, and my family even experienced two consecutive days of going hungry. However, the cash transfers have brought some improvement, allowing us to at least afford a meal on most days. I have also been saving money on the merry-go-round, which will eventually enable me to purchase goats for rearing. These goats will serve as an additional source of income. Despite the challenges we face, I remain hopeful that with the support of the cash transfers and my efforts to save and buy livestock, we can gradually improve our living conditions.

I wish to construct a new house for my family. My current shelter is roofed by polythene paper, something that embarrasses me. I need to build a more decent two-room house with mud walls and a tine roof. For this to be successful sooner, I pray for the rains to come and support food crop production. This will allow my wife and me to save enough from the cash transfers to build the new structure. After the house is done, I plan to enroll in driving school. Regardless of my advanced age, I have always been passionate about driving and I believe the skills could earn me a better job to support my family. 

To make a living, I cut and sell building poles. Unfortunately, following the persistent drought in my region, most people shy away from building houses. Many are more focused on providing for their families that constructing new structures. As a result, there is not much I can make from my job. This has made me mostly rely on cash transfers to buy food and pay school fees for my four children. Recently, I spent $20 on maize flour as the household had run out of food for the last two days. Am grateful, there is still enough food in my house. Next, I saved $10 through a merry-go-round club. In August, I plan to withdraw my accumulated savings to build a new more decent house. 

I can't fit my entire family in my grass-thatched shelter (wife and four children). This year, my main objective is to make sure I have enough money saved from my subsequent transfers to purchase ironsheets, building poles, and nails that will help me build a new house. After constructing a house, I also want to purchase some livestock. The devastating effects of the drought have rendered our farms no longer productive. By engaging in livestock farming, I will have a different source of income that I can use to earn a living through selling the livestock later on at higher prices.

I was relieved to get the transfer because my obligations and debts had begun to weigh on me, and it had been a month since my last $6 sale of tree poles. In addition, the $20 that my daughter had sent me had been exhausted. Thanks to the transfer, I managed to clear a $4 airtime debt that had remained unpaid for three weeks, enabling me to make calls again. I also paid back $4 that I had borrowed from my mother earlier in the month to purchase food for my wife and four children. $3 was used to settle an outstanding school fee amount for my fifth-grade son, who had been missing lessons as a result. I contributed $10 to a merry-go-round club in my community in the hopes of earning a lump sum amount next year to replace the polythene paper roof on my house with iron sheets. Finally, I spent $13 on food for my family, who had survived on a single meal for the previous two days due to a lack of funds. I am grateful that I no longer have debts to bear, that my kid is studying peacefully, that the household has enough food for the next four days, and that I can now afford tea for breakfast.

I spent the majority of my transfer on necessities such as food (KES 1,600) and school fees (KES 800) for my three children. This is because I lack a stable source of income to fully cover such expenses, which makes hunger the biggest issue in my household.  I support my family by cutting and selling tree poles for house construction. Sometimes, it takes an entire week to earn an order for KES 300; so am forced to ask for financial help from friends and relatives to buy food.   Mercifully, the food I secured through the transfer lasted us eight days, and my children were able to continue their studies peacefully. I saved the rest of the money through a self-help group. The goal is to raise KES 12,000 in a lump sum to purchase goats for rearing.

GiveDirectly is doing well by providing this support program on a monthly basis,but in my opinion with the problems am going through it would have done better if they offered the funds in Lumpsum.I would be grateful if I managed to build my house in the next few months before the rains come.

Poverty and education are inextricably linked , I am born and and raised in poverty hence dropped from school when I was class three.The only way have been earning income has been cutting trees and selling them.My wife is also not educated and dropped from school as well ,she struggles to work as charcoal burner which earns her at most KES 500 for a sack of charcoal.Financial constraints have been the biggest hardship we have to go through as a family because with the charcoal business it may take two weeks before getting any income ,on the other hand I only cut trees on order and I earn KES 300 on the higher side.I spent KES 2000 on food which included various types of vegetables and used KES 1000 to pay some of the debts I had.I was at ease for a moment because providing food for my family of six members has not been a bed of roses.

I was on my way to attend a village meeting because am elder.Earlier that morning had sent one of my children to charge my phone and hence I didn't have my phone with me at that particular moment.It was 9am when one of my relatives that we attend the meeting with was excited and said she had received the transfers. I Immediately told her to go with me where my phone was charging in order for her to check for me if I received the funds as well because I am unable to read or write.She agreed and it was that moment that I learned I received the funds.I was happy and went home to share the information with my wife .

The biggest difference in my daily life is with my current financial constraints, GiveDirectly has given me monthly transfers that are helping me provide food and educate my children.

Due to famine faced in my area,upon receiving of this transfer I bought food with KES 900 and the remaining KES 300 I partly paid the school fees arrears of KES 1290 for my eldest son.Its been quite a struggle to support my family because my work entails cutting of trees and selling them for KES 60 per piece.On a good day I only get orders which pay a maximum of KES 300 and its normally not consistent and not enough to sustain my family of seven members