This year, my goal is to expand my goat herd, as goats have proven to be a valuable asset in my village. Additionally, I plan to invest in poultry farming since chickens have a ready market and can provide a financial safety net in the future. To achieve this, I intend to save diligently from my upcoming transfers to increase my goat numbers, which I can later sell for profit. I am deeply grateful for the financial assistance I have received, which has helped me support my family. With continued support from these transfers and by joining a savings group to facilitate the purchase of goats and investment in poultry farming, I am optimistic about achieving my goals and securing a stable financial future. Furthermore, while focusing on these projects, I am committed to ensuring my children receive a proper education by consistently paying their school fees on time.

I have five children, all of whom are in school. My spouse partially engages in farm work while also running a small livestock business. I am also a farmer, but since we practice small-scale farming, our income is limited. These transfers have significantly eased our financial burden, allowing our children to remain in school without interruptions. The consistency of these transfers has also built trust with the teachers, as we can now pay our children’s fees every month without fail. I have carefully planned how to manage the payments since all five of them are school-going. With my most recent transfer, I spent $102 on school fees to ensure they were not sent home for fee balances. I am truly grateful for this financial support.

This year, my goal is to expand my goat herd, as goats have shown great potential in my village. I plan to achieve this by saving diligently from my upcoming transfers to build up a substantial number of goats that I can later sell for profit. I am deeply grateful for the financial assistance I have received, which has allowed me to support my family. With continued support from these transfers and by joining a savings group to help purchase the goats and partially cover school fees, I am optimistic about reaching my goals and securing a stable financial future.

I have ten children who are all in school. To support my family, I used to burn and sell charcoal alongside farm work. My spouse buys and sells livestock. When GiveDirectly arrived in our village, I stopped burning charcoal because I now have a stable income to support my children. The charcoal work was not only tedious but also put me at risk for chest illnesses. With my most recent transfer, I spent $50 on school fees for my children, dividing the amount among them to prevent them from being sent home for unpaid fees. I also purchased a bed for $33, as I didn’t have one. I used $4 to buy food to ensure my children have something to eat when they return from school. Finally, I spent the remaining $15 on books and pencils for their school needs.

My main focus is to secure quality education for my children. Since nine of them are still in primary school, there is a long road ahead until they finish secondary education. I have dedicated all my transfers towards this goal and plan to reserve a portion of my future transfers to handle any remaining school fees or unexpected costs. I firmly believe that education is the pathway to success and by empowering them, they will be able to attain good jobs and become self-reliant in future. Moreover, they will also be in a position to support me in my old age. I am sincerely thankful for this opportunity to positively impact my children's lives and look forward to a brighter tomorrow.

I support my family of twelve through farming and livestock rearing, while my husband works as a trader. Our lives were incredibly challenging before, as I struggled to afford school fees for my children, and we faced food scarcity due to prolonged drought. However, since we started receiving assistance from GiveDirectly, our situation has significantly improved. I am now able to provide education for my children and ensure an adequate food supply for my family, while also benefiting from a stable monthly income from the transfers. I allocated the entire amount of $102 towards settling outstanding school fees for my children, prioritizing their education as I believe it is crucial for securing better opportunities in the future. I am immensely grateful for this opportunity to transform my children's lives through education, made possible by the support we have received.

Looking forward to the beginning of next year, my goal is to initiate a defined savings project for the education of my nine children. Given that most of them are still in primary school, there is a long journey until they complete their secondary education. I aim to set aside a portion of the cash transfers to cover any outstanding school balances or unforeseen expenses. Additionally, I aspire to start a venture in poultry and goat rearing. Currently, I have only one chicken, as financial constraints, such as school fees, hindered me from acquiring more. With the school holidays underway, I see an opportunity to expand my poultry and goat holdings.

My husband and I have nine children, all of whom are still in school. The daily task of providing for their needs, especially school fees, has been a challenging responsibility that the cash transfers have somewhat alleviated. My husband's business in buying and selling livestock has proven to be unreliable, as he operates mainly on market days. When our children recently closed school, three of them had outstanding tuition balances that needed settling before the next academic term. I used $30 to reduce these debts. Additionally, one of our children fell seriously ill with a severe fever, and $22 was spent on medical bills. Thankfully, he is now recovering well. With the onset of the short rains, I allocated $34 to plow an acre of land and purchase maize seeds for planting. The remaining funds were utilized to purchase essential food items. The cash aid has proven invaluable, preventing my son from suffering due to lack of medical attention and enabling me to engage in agricultural activities.

As a mother of ten children, I am determined to improve our lives by buying and selling goats. Although I currently have only one goat and faced the loss of another, I refuse to give up. My plan is to cultivate crops, sell the surplus produce, and gradually grow our livestock. With unwavering determination, I am committed to providing a brighter future for my family through hard work and perseverance.

As the raindrops gently fell, an opportunity for kindness presented itself. Feeling compelled to lend a hand, I graciously gave $20 to someone who owed a cow. In return, they willingly joined me in the noble task of tilling the land. Inspired by this unexpected bond, I set forth with a purposeful intent to purchase seeds, investing $10 in the hope of a prosperous harvest. Remaining mindful of my responsibilities, I carefully allocated the remaining $4 to fulfill a sacred obligation: paying my beloved child's school fees. My little one, a first-grader, deserved nothing less than a solid foundation for their educational journey. With unwavering determination, I ensured that their path to knowledge and endless possibilities was paved with care and commitment.

Having no alternative sources of income sufficient for my children's educational expenses, I resolved to divert all my transfers to paying school fees. I, therefore, hope to ensure that all my children have ample time. As the year progresses, I will be sacrificing all my transfers to offset their fee arrears to limit the possibility of them being sent back home. Consequently, they will experience positive academic progress, courtesy of the monthly transfers.

I am a mother of ten children, and we have been living in extreme poverty. Both my husband nor I do not have regular sources of income hence paying school fees has been a tall order for us. Our children are school-going but are always at home due to the lack of school fees. My husband and I did not have money for school uniforms for my two sons in Junior Secondary School. When I got my latest transfer, I spent it all on the school uniform. I am always glad to see them going to school when they are well-dressed and presentable. I am so grateful to GiveDirectly for the timely help.

According to me, sending unconditional transfers is what Give Directly does best. Given that I do not have a source income, the cash transfers support the most crucial need my family could ever have; food. I am eternally grateful and content with the effort the organization puts in. I pray that Give Directly never lacks so that they can continue supporting needy people like myself. 

I remember rushing to the shop to buy maize flour worth $22 after I saw the transfer notification that evening. My family of twelve (ten children and two parents) had not eaten anything the entire day and sleeping hungry would not have been an option had it not been for Give Directly. As our sole provider, my husband had not earned anything from his business of buying and selling cattle. Gladly, the transfers proved so useful that we consumed decent meals for an entire week. Besides, I restocked the maize flour before it was fully depleted, which lasted us another half a week. To say I am grateful would be an understatement. God bless Give Directly!

It was in the evening around 5.30 pm and I was busy at home, ready to prepare our evening meal. As soon as I walked to my kitchen, had a notification of a message in my phone as I turned to locate where I had placed my phone. The light from my screen drew me and saw a message from Mpesa. I was so eager to read the message and Alas! The message confirmed I had $30. I was delighted and ululated, jumping up and down. My neighbor came running into my house looking alarmed and worried, but joined me in celebration when she saw the message. She ran back to her place to check if she had received her share because they enrolled her in the program. I could hear her singing as well and that was enough sign to know she received her share as well. As the night crawled in, my family was happy and my husband agreed with my idea of spending the cash.

The biggest difference in my daily life is having the bicycle repaired, which has made things easier to fetch water. My son would struggle to bring enough water for the family without the bicycle because of the distance. I am also grateful because, before the funds, food has been a major challenge for my family, but the funds reduced the number of days would have slept without food. I am pleased to be in this program.

I am married with ten children, but one of them got married. The other seven are in lower primary school and two of them are twins who are not of age to be enrolled in school. My husband works as a livestock trader and that’s the main source of our income. It is difficult with the current economy to provide for such a big family. Besides the financial issues, water has been a major problem because of the drought which has caused most of the nearby rivers and wells to dry up. As soon as I received my funds, I used $26 to buy food for the family for a whole week and the remaining cash was used to repair a bicycle that would help my sons to fetch water. We normally fetch water during weekends because of the distance. It takes 6 hours to be home with four 20 liters of plastic Jerrican, which is hardly enough for the family