I still have school-going children who will soon transition to secondary school, so I’ve developed a plan to ensure I can cover their fees. Understanding that everything has a beginning and an end, I want to use part of my monthly transfers to invest in something long-lasting that will remind me of the support I received. In the coming year and beyond, I plan to start rearing goats. I chose goats because they multiply quickly and adapt well to our environment, making them resistant to diseases when properly cared for. Goats are also easy to manage and inexpensive to maintain, so even when the transfers come to an end, I’ll still have a source of income. If a financial crisis arises in the future, I can sell some goats to resolve it. Additionally, I hope to buy a dairy cow once my goat project is well-established. To achieve this, I plan to sell some goats once I have a good number and use the money to purchase a dairy cow. This is my goal for the coming year and beyond.

I want to express my gratitude to GiveDirectly for their financial support. My spouse is a casual laborer, relying on low-paying jobs to support our family. I also run a small fish business, but the income from it is quite minimal. Before GiveDirectly's assistance, there were times when we went to bed without food because we had to prioritize paying school fees and other basic needs. With our eldest child in secondary school, the fees were particularly high, placing a heavy burden on us. Being enrolled in the GiveDirectly program alongside my spouse has significantly eased our financial struggles. We have four school-going children, and when I received my most recent transfer, I spent the entire $102 on their school fees. My priority was to ensure they could focus on their studies without disruption. Given that our income is unpredictable, I didn't want to risk postponing their fee payment, as it might have become even more challenging later on when I wouldn't have the necessary funds.

My main goal now is to start keeping goats. I believe they can help me support my children's education. Right now, I don't have a steady income to pay for their schooling, but I think with the goats, everything will become possible. I don't want my children to grow up blaming me for not sending them to school. My dream is to ensure that, despite the challenges, they all get an education. Education is the only thing that can change their future and the future of generations to come. So, I'll work hard with these goats, knowing that they're not just animals; they're the key to my children's brighter tomorrow.

Running my coconut-selling business, I often found myself trapped in a cycle of financial strain, especially when it came to providing for my children's education. The burden weighed heavily on me, knowing that their future depended on it. However, when the unconditional cash transfer arrived, it felt like a lifeline. Without hesitation, I allocated $76 towards their school fees, ensuring all five of my children could continue their education without interruption. The relief and joy I felt seeing them back in school were immeasurable, knowing that this opportunity wouldn't have been possible without the support of the organization. Seeking avenues for additional income and personal growth, I invested in chickens, drawn to their promise of thriving in our environment. With $10, I began building a small poultry operation, envisioning a future where the surplus could be exchanged for a goat, further diversifying my assets. This step towards self-sufficiency filled me with hope and determination. With the remaining funds, I secured enough food to sustain my family, easing the daily pressure of providing nutritious meals. The impact of this assistance was profound, not only alleviating immediate financial strain but also instilling a sense of stability and empowerment for the future. I am deeply grateful for the organization's support, which has transformed our lives in ways I never imagined possible.

In the coming year and beyond, I hope to purchase livestock, particularly goats. These animals have helped me raise funds to pay for my children's high school fees in the past. I used to own some goats, but due to the financial burden of school fees, I was forced to sell them. However, I am grateful that my children are now enrolled in school, thanks to the goats and the transfers. I intend to buy more goats, breed them, and let them multiply. They are a way to save for the future of my children's education, as they are still young. Although it may be difficult to meet their educational needs, with the goats, I can sell them to pay for my children's fees.

Since I began receiving GiveDirectly transfers, my family's life has drastically improved. The relief these transfers have brought is immeasurable. Out of my seven children, five are currently attending school, but paying their fees has been a significant challenge for my husband. Additionally, providing for our family's basic needs, such as food, has been difficult. I work as a fishmonger, but it doesn't pay well, and my husband's casual construction work is often unpredictable. He is the sole breadwinner, and sometimes he only works twice a week. I'm delighted that, thanks to the recent transfers, I was able to spend nearly $60 on buying food to help us through the unreliability of our income. The transfers ensured that my family was well fed even when my husband was unable to find work. We were able to save some food for later, which was incredibly helpful. I also used $30 to clear the fee arrears for my five children, which gave us enough time to plan for their education. Finally, I spent $20 on buying good stock and other items to boost my fried fish selling business, which is currently my only source of income, and I hope to improve it and increase profits.

I aim to buy more goats by saving from my transfers soon. I once had fifteen goats, but drought forced me to sell some for food, and the others sadly perished. Investing in goats feels like securing my family's future.

I am a mother of seven children, with five of them currently attending school. When I received my transfers, my first thought was my children's school fees. I spent $20 to ensure their education remains uninterrupted. I used $5 to buy a chicken, increasing my poultry to two. With the remaining $9, I purchased food for my family and ensured they were well fed.

My goal is to establish a stable source of income that will sustain my family even after the cash transfers cease. One way I plan to achieve this is by expanding my existing business of selling fish. I also intend to start selling other products like sardines to diversify my income streams. Furthermore, I aim to venture into livestock farming, starting with the purchase of chickens and gradually expanding into other types of livestock. By pursuing these opportunities, I hope to create a sustainable income stream and wealth for my family and secure our future.

In my family, lack of food is always a concern, which is now compounded by the rising prices of basic commodities. Aside from this, my husband and I struggle to maintain a stable source of income to meet the needs of our seven children. The cash transfer has been instrumental in supporting us in providing for our family's basic needs. Recently, I allocated $29 towards the purchase of food, and I am grateful that this has ensured that we never run out of food. It allows us to carry out our farm work with full stomachs, promoting productivity and well-being. Additionally, I used the remaining funds to reduce a school fee debt for my four children who are in primary school. This payment bought them more time to stay in school, and I am confident that the school will allow them to continue their studies as I have committed to pay the school fees every month.

For many years, I have been relying on practising subsistence farming which ensured food security in my household. However, we have been experiencing a drought which has made our lives hard. I have been selling sardines as a source of income but haven't been doing well. My husband does casual construction jobs with little pay. We have been struggling to balance buying enough food for the family and paying fees for my four children. Getting the transfers was a huge relief to me because I can pay the fee expenses, and look for money to buy food. My goal currently is to ensure that my children get the best education and that they achieve their career goals. I believe that I will be able to pay for their education on time to avoid interruptions or stoppage to their studies.

Food is scarce as a result of the ongoing drought, which has raised the cost of the food that is available. We are dependent on my spouse, who works on building sites because not many people build homes. On the other side, I ran a fish-selling business, but when my husband lost his job, we spent all the profits from it, along with the cash, and I had to shut it down. Since the money has made it easier for us to purchase our daily meals, I am grateful for it. Therefore, I spent $60 on groceries for my family and $4 on my daughter's school fees to pay off the $14 in arrears.

Since the inception of GiveDirectly's program in our community, we have experienced a tremendous change in our way of life. By giving direct cash transfers, most of the people from my village have been spending the transfer on food and paying school fees for our children. In my view, it was a brilliant idea for GiveDirectly to issue cash so that we can be at liberty to decide how to use it in a manner that can give us a direct benefit. All the GiveDIrectly processes are simple and quite open. However, I can only suggest that it considers making periodical visits to our community and witnessing the positive change the community members experience.

In the coastal region where we dwell, we have been experiencing unpredictable rainfall patterns, which discourages farmers from practicing crop farming. Consequently, we have had to bear with a harsh condition following the failure of our crops. To keep supporting my family of nine members and seven children, my husband and I have been focusing on casual jobs that are also rare to get. Initially, he used to work as a conductor. Unfortunately, the vehicle he used to work at got a mechanical breakdown in July this year. Due to an unpredictable casual job, we occasionally go without meals or are forced to share the little that my husband gets on a lucky day. Therefore, as soon as I received my recent transfer, I spent $25 on maize flour and vegetables. In addition, I used $5 to pay school fees for my four children. They had some arrears worth $40, and I never knew where I could obtain money to offset the arrears. I am indebted to GiveDirectly for its charitable deeds.

I was so excited, and I jumped up in celebration when I received the first transfer. The children came running asking what had happened and I shared the information with them the news. It was at around 6 pm when I was preparing the Children to clean up. At that moment I had no idea of what they would have for supper. My husband had promised to send some money if all would go well on his end. This was not guaranteed since he relies on casual jobs at a construction site. I then went to the nearest shopping center and bought 10kgs of corn flour together with some other foodstuff worth KES 1200 for the family.

The biggest difference in my daily life is the ease of payment of the school fees, especially the vast sum that I paid for my children. This would not have been easier without the support from GiveDirectly, which has given us relief after paying with ease. Most likely, they would still be at home. My spouse who is responsible for their fees has not been lucky to get some construction of work of late.

At the time when I received the first transfer I had no idea of what we would have for supper. My husband had promised to send some money if all would go well on his end but his was not guaranteed since he relies on casual jobs at a construction site. When I received it bought 10kgs of corn flour together with some other foodstuff worth KES 1200 for the family. The next day, I paid KES1000 for my children's school fees so as to reduce the arrears of KES 3500 they owed the school that caused them to be out of school. They still owe the school KES 2500 which I will pay with the next transfers. I also managed to purchase poultry worth KES 800 that I'm currently rearing for business.