I have a new goal: to start a vegetable business in my village. I’m excited about this venture and have already begun saving for it. Currently, I have $20 set aside to kick off the business, and I’m confident that with the additional transfers I expect to receive, I’ll be able to manage it smoothly. Once the business is up and running, I’ll be able to provide for my family’s needs more comfortably, including covering my children’s school fees and their other essentials. I’m looking forward to launching the business in the next few weeks and starting to earn a steady income.

My son has been struggling with epilepsy for some time, and as his father, it was incredibly stressful to see him unable to attend school. However, I'm relieved to share that I was able to get him the care he needed at a better hospital, and he’s now doing much better and back in school. I’m grateful for the support that made his medication possible, which costs nearly $34. Without this help, I can’t imagine where we would be. I also gave one of my sons $10 to help with the dowry payments to his in-laws, as he’s been facing financial challenges. Additionally, I paid the school fees for my three other children, so their education is on track without any issues. With $23, I bought food for my family, which has been another significant challenge. The remaining $20 is being saved to start a vegetable business selling tomatoes, potatoes, cabbages, and onions in my village. With the ongoing drought, these vegetables will be in high demand, and having this business will provide a reliable source of income for us, moving away from casual work.

I have set my sights on two primary goals that I believe will significantly improve my family's quality of life. First and foremost, I aim to save $10 every month diligently. This disciplined saving is part of my larger plan to build a new house for my family. Our current house is old, with a leaky roof that brings more stress than shelter. I know achieving this goal won't be easy; it'll demand perseverance and resolve, especially when faced with the challenges of our current living situation. But I'm determined to push through until I've saved enough to provide my family with a safe and comfortable home we can truly call our own. Additionally, I've recognized the need for a more stable source of income beyond farming, which has proven unpredictable. To address this, I've decided to venture into the vegetable business. By starting this new enterprise, I hope to bring some financial stability to my family and reduce the uncertainty that comes with relying solely on agricultural activities.

My major concern as a farmer has always been ensuring my family's security in the face of uncertainty. With this in mind, upon receiving the cash transfer, I wasted no time investing in assets I could rely on. Acquiring two goats seemed like a prudent choice, envisioning them not just as animals but as lifelines in times of need. Despite the unfortunate loss of one due to illness, I hold onto hope that the remaining goat will thrive and multiply, becoming a sustainable source of support for my two wives, eight children, and myself. As old age begins to catch up with me, the importance of having dependable assets for my family's future becomes increasingly clear. Additionally, the cash transfer provided a means to address pressing health concerns. Battling an eye problem had been a source of immense difficulty, affecting not just my physical well-being but also my ability to provide for my family. However, with the financial support I received, I was able to seek medical treatment, and the transformation has been profound. The clarity of vision I now enjoy is more than just a relief; it's a symbol of newfound hope and opportunity. Furthermore, being able to use the remaining funds to pay for my son's education brings me immense pride and joy. Seeing him continue his studies, especially as he progresses into Form 3, fills me with hope for his future and gratitude for the support that made it possible.

This year, my objective is to establish a small enterprise focused on vending vegetables and smoked fish. This venture will provide additional earnings to complement my income from crop cultivation. Diversifying my income streams will enhance my financial stability, enabling me to provide for my family's requirements without hardship. Words are insufficient to convey the depth of my gratitude for the positive impact of the transfers from Give Directly.

Supporting the education of my five children is my priority. I disbursed $44 for their school fees, ensuring their continuous education. I am delighted that through education, they can aspire to fulfilling careers and secure good employment in the future. Despite the unfortunate loss of the goat and kid I acquired, I maintain optimism about not encountering such losses in the future. Furthermore, I allocated $19 to purchase food, enabling my family to partake in a festive feast. I am deeply grateful for the financial assistance from Give Directly, which has significantly improved my quality of life.

I aspire to build a better and more dignified living space for my family. Currently, our house has a grass-thatched roof, and I would like to upgrade it to a structure with a tin roof. I have concerns about the long-term durability of the grass-thatched roof on my house, which could potentially lead to leakage issues. This is why I aspire to own a house with iron sheets, as they are more reliable and less prone to deterioration over time. And, this would greatly improve our living conditions. To achieve this goal, I am focusing on my chicken-rearing efforts. I currently have three breeding chickens, and once their chicks mature, I plan to sell them to obtain funds for building materials to improve our home.

I do casual work on people's farms, although my ability to do physically demanding tasks is limited due to my advancing age and health condition. Despite these challenges, I am responsible for providing for my six children, all of whom are in school and depend on me for their tuition fees. However, recently I have been struggling with complications in my legs, which have caused swelling and made it difficult for me to work properly. So, after I received the cash transfer, I used $23 to cover the medical expenses for my treatments over the past two weeks. It was a relief to be able to address this health issue as I can now walk properly. With the remaining $11, I purchased three chickens to restart my rearing efforts. Unfortunately, some of my previous chickens had perished due to pox disease. Some of the hens I bought have already started breeding and I could never be happier.

As far as personal development is concerned, I want to venture deeply into chicken rearing as a means of livelihood. Although my previous flock of 24 hens perished through a chicken disease, it never discouraged me from buying more. To me, it was a learning experience as I gained more knowledge and skills on how to prevent or control it. The zeal to support the education of my eight children is what motivates me to keep trying and keep buying more chickens. Am grateful to God for allowing me to be part of this financial program that has so far brought an incredible transformation in my family’s well-being. 

I always prioritize obtaining a chicken every time I receive my transfers. Am usually afraid that I may end up spending everything on basic needs and forget to invest. Were it not for the chicken disease that swept away my entire flock, I would be owning at least 24 hens as we speak. Unfortunately, I only have four chickens, with the hope that they will breed and increase in number. I believe that whenever such a tragedy incepts, I will be in a better position to control its spread as I gained some tips from my neighbors. So, as a norm, I spent $4 on a hen from the recent transfer. As another norm, I paid $10 to the school where three of my children attend to reduce the tuition debt that had accrued from previous terms. Although there is still an outstanding deficit, am happy that my children regularly attended classes as the administration always trusts me to make monthly payments. Next, I paid someone $10 to clear the shrubs on my farm in preparation for planting, as the rainy season just started.  Lastly, I used the remaining amount to buy maize flour as my household had run out of food.  

I have six children who are still in school, and on occasion when I fail to pay their tuition due to lack of finances, they have to stay home for days or even weeks. My top objective right now is to make sure that I will use this month to pay their tuition so that they can continue attending school. Additionally, I want to pay a few people to assist me prepare my property so that I can cultivate during the rainy season and ensure that my family is well fed.

I work as a casual laborer, along with my two wives, making a living off of selling charcoal and tending to the farms of others. The severe effects of the drought make it extremely challenging to find these temporary jobs. Due to the lack of rain, I am no longer required to work on the farm. The meager amount of earnings my wives make from charcoal sales cannot support the needs of the entire family. My financial situation was very bad at the beginning of last month, so I was forced to purchase $12 worth of food on credit. I took $12 out of my December transfers right away to pay off the debt. For my son, who was taking his final primary exams at Mnazimwenga Primary School, I paid $5 in unpaid school fees. In the end, I used the money that was left over to buy food and a chicken that my family and I shared during the holiday season. Like the other families in our neighborhood, I am happy that my family members, including my children, were content that they had a good meal.

One day prior to receiving the donations from the Organization five of my children had been sent back home, therefore when I received the money the following day I decided to pay KES 1,000 for their tuition. I was left with about KES 2,000 which I decided that I was going to use on nourishment because it was a challenge so I bought six packets of maize flour, two kilograms of beans, two kilograms of sugar, one kilogram of peas and cooking oil.

Give Directly does a good job of assuring people of monthly transfers. Being unemployed, receiving this money on a monthly basis boosts my confidence in meeting the needs of my family. In my opinion, the organization is doing nothing wrong.

As the primary breadwinner in my family, I rely on casual house construction jobs to make ends meet. My earnings are only enough to feed the family and barely cover other expenses such as school fees. It has been difficult to pay off my son's pending school arrears of KES 15,400. When I received the transfers, I contributed KES 1,500, and with the help of my two wives, we raised a total of KES 8,000 to slice the balance off to KES 7,400. Also, the household was out of food, and I had no money from my hustles, so I spent KES 700 on maize flour. I also spent KES 600 to purchase two chickens for rearing. When these begin to reproduce, I plan to sell them and use the proceeds to pay for my children's education. I used the rest of the money to buy books for the children because the school had just resumed and they did not have any.

That day is almost still very vivid to me because I remember I had left home that early morning in search for a job since I barely had any money and there was no food at home. I knew if I did not leave to go find work then probably my kids would go to bed hungry that evening. I got a gig where I was asked to clear someone's farm for minimum wage, and as I was working there that is when I heard the message come in. I could not read the message myself so I asked my son to assist me and that is when he confirmed that I had received money from GiveDirectly. You should have seen the smile on my face, I was overjoyed and it felt as though God himself had heard my prayers.

The funds I received really came in at the right moment if you ask me. I am glad for the transfers because they have played a huge role in helping me provide for my family. I am quite old, but then again when I think of my family starving I cannot help myself but go out and ensure I find even something to work on even though it is for very little pay as long as my kids do not have to go hungry as they have before. Therefore I am grateful for this opportunity because the finances have helped me in providing for my family.

Climate change has really impacted our area in the worst way possible because unlike before, it barely rains anymore which has left the lot of us to starve since we mostly relied on what we made and harvested from our farms to feed our families. So after receiving the money I decided that I should take it upon myself to deal with more pressing issues concerned with my families well being. I took the money and bought seven packets of maize flour for KES 840, two kilograms of beans for KES 280 and lastly used the KES 50 that I was remaining with and bought laundry detergent. After this my money was all done but at least I had the most important necessities and requirements for my families nutrition.