Thanks to the support from GiveDirectly, I was able to acquire twenty iron sheets. Our chama, where we contribute monthly and invest in projects of our choice, also played a significant role in this achievement. Without GiveDirectly, I wouldn't have been able to do this. My spouse is a casual laborer, and I do small-scale farming to support our three children. The income we generate is not enough to provide an adequate meal for our family. I have always dreamt of building a house with an iron roof, and now I am optimistic that this dream will soon become a reality. I am overjoyed at the thought of how this house will transform our lives. Currently, we live in a one-room grass-thatched house, which leaks a lot during the rainy season, making it uncomfortable for us. We have persevered, but now it seems our prayers have been answered. In the upcoming year and beyond, I am determined to build a spacious house with a sturdy roof. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial support that has empowered me to work towards achieving my life goals for myself and my family.

I’m planning to build my house, and to achieve this goal, I’ve been setting aside part of my monthly transfer. This month, I saved $60 in our chama group specifically for this project. I also paid $15 toward the school fees of my three children, dividing the amount to cover their outstanding balances. Since we were out of food when I received these transfers, I spent $13 on groceries for the family. Additionally, I used $10 for my medication because I was sick, and I purchased a chicken for domestic rearing for $4. I really appreciate GiveDirectly for this financial support.

In my small, leaky-roofed house, my ultimate goal is to utilize a portion of my transfers to construct a respectable dwelling for my family. There's a deep-seated desire to provide my loved ones with a safe and comfortable home, free from the worries of leaks and inadequate shelter. With each transfer, I'm driven by a sense of determination to make this dream a reality, infusing every step with passion and purpose. It's not just about building a house; it's about creating a haven where my family can thrive and flourish, imbued with warmth, security, and the promise of a better future.

I live in a small leaking grass house which is not enough for our family thereby forcing my elder child to find a place to sleep from the neighbors. My biggest dream is to have a two-roomed house which will be spacious and conducive for my family. To achieve this dream, I've been saving gradually from my transfers. I put $60 of my transfers into savings, intending to use them in the future to buy building materials for a decent house where we can live happily and comfortably, without worrying about the rain leaking through. Additionally, I purchased 2 iron sheets for $18, taking another step towards building our dream home. With our food supplies depleted, leaving us with nothing to eat, I spent $14 on food to ensure we wouldn't go hungry. Lastly, I used the remaining $10 to cover school fees for my child, ensuring he can continue his studies without the burden of unpaid fees.

My family of six, myself , my husband and my four children live in a one room, grass thatched house. Every time it rains the room leaks massively and this has made our lives unbearable over the last rainy season. I would want us to move into a new tin roofed house. I have bought 11 iron sheets which I am still adding to with the savings from my savings group and I hope to finally gave enough to build a two roomed tin roof house which is bigger and can accommodate all of us as well as not have a leaking roof.

In November I saved $10 to my village savings group, I bought clothes for 2 children at $15 and in December bought two of my other children at $15. I used the rest of $9 to buy food. In December I bought my own clothes at $6 and used the rest of the cash on toiletries and food. In January I saved $10 to my village savings group, I used $10 to pay school fees for my children, I also got three chicken at $6 and sugar at $2, the rest of the cash is still unused and I plan to use it when my children have emergency school supply needs.

As a mother of four, we live in a deteriorating grass house. I am determined to secure a brighter future for my family, so I have already obtained ten metal sheets and plan to acquire more. This is all for the sake of providing my loved ones with a better home and a better life.

I have been working on my house project, gradually accumulating one metal sheet at a time, each costing me only $0.95, and thanks to GiveDirectly, I have acquired ten of them now. I bought a chicken for $0.50 and added it to the existing ones. A portion of my transfer, $10, was dedicated to covering my children's school fees. I made sure to set aside $0.50 for savings, and the remaining $0.45 went towards purchasing soaps and lotions for my family. It's been quite an eventful journey, managing my expenses while taking care of my home and loved ones.

The roof of my tiny, mud-walled, grass-thatched house is terribly leaky. Our village has experienced significant rainfall for the past two weeks. The rainfall is a disaster for me because it gets inside my house through openings on the roof and damages my property. My temporary solution of covering the roof with a polythene bag has failed because the bag cannot retain the water for an extended period of time. This is the reason I made the decision to gradually purchase some iron sheets so that I could construct a new home. I spent $16 to purchase two pieces of iron sheeting for my family's new home after receiving my transfers for December. I bought two pairs of clothes for each of my two sons last month during the holiday season in addition to the iron sheets. I'm happy that my kids finally got to wear new clothes after a long time. Last but not least, I used the $8 left over to buy food for my family, which we consumed over the holiday season. Since my husband and I both work as casual workers, we hardly ever have enough money saved to cover all of the family's expenses. I am appreciative to the organization for the financial assistance.

GiveDirectly is one of the many organizations that has made it possible for people to have plans and objectives and work towards them. They have given me a way to plan to own a home at the end of the support program.

Paying school fees has been one of the major challenges and this is because I am unemployed and mainly depend on my husband. He is unemployed and we survive from hand to mouth. As soon as I received my cash transfer, I used $8 to pay for school fees for my two children who are at school and bought a layer with the remaining $2. With plans to build my home; I used $13 to buy 4 pieces of iron sheets and the remaining cash went to food.

I was very happy and thankful when I received a message from GiveDirectly that confirmed the receipt of my first transfer. My children had been sent back home for school fees which got me worried because I had no means of raising the fees. The transfers were sent right on time.

I'm so grateful for the support, without the transfer my children would have not gone back to school, and they would still be at home without food. The transfer has brought a huge difference in our lives. My charcoal business has been slow for the past few weeks and this made it challenging to meet my family's basic needs. Having met my family's most basic needs is the biggest difference in my daily life.

We are currently a family of three, I and my two children. My husband is a casual worker and does not reside in the village. I burn and sell Charcoal to fend for my family. For the past few weeks, the business has been slow and meetings my family's basic needs has been a struggle. A few days before receiving the transfer, my children were sent back home due to having school fees arrears. I didn't have any money to enable them to go back to school. You can imagine the excitement I had after receiving the transfer. I immediately paid kshs.500 for their fees and spent kshs.670 on foodstuff.