My aim is to ensure that my son enrolls in secondary school. I firmly believe that education is crucial for securing a better future, and I am eager to equip him with the skills necessary to achieve his goals. To fulfill this objective, I have decided to invest in poultry farming. By raising chickens and selling them for profit once they multiply, I will be able to generate enough income to cover his educational expenses. For me, educating my son means providing him with the opportunity to secure a good job in the future and become self-sufficient. This thought fills me with a lot of pride.

Together with my husband, we operate a business selling charcoal and chickens to support our family of seven. In the past, our business struggled, and our income was insufficient to cover our expenses. However, there has been a significant improvement since we started receiving these transfers. I have invested in poultry farming, focusing on raising chickens, and our business is now thriving. I am confident that even after the program concludes, the success of our poultry farming venture will leave a lasting legacy for our family. From the transfers received, I allocated $68 to purchase two goats to expand our existing herd. As we already had enough food from the previous season, this investment will further boost our income. Additionally, I spent another $34 to acquire three chickens and four ducks, which I plan to sell later to cover my children's school fees and other expenses. I am grateful for the financial stability these transfers have provided, allowing me to meet our expenses without excessive strain.

In the upcoming year, my foremost goal is to attain financial stability. I am channeling all my resources and savings towards this objective, with a specific focus on securing school fees for my children to ensure they receive a quality education. I consider this investment in education to be the most valuable, as it positions them to secure promising employment opportunities in the future. Reflecting on my achievements this far, I take pride in the progress I have made, and I attribute much of it to the support provided by GiveDirectly.

In my village, we endured a prolonged drought that significantly impacted our sources of livelihood. To sustain my family of seven during this challenging period, I resorted to the laborious task of burning and selling charcoal. Fortunately, with the arrival of ongoing rains, the situation has markedly improved. I transitioned to farming and poultry keeping as alternative income-generating activities and I am happy to report that I currently have a flock of forty chickens and ducks. Allocating $68, I invested in two goats, viewing them as assets for future financial support, particularly for upcoming school fees when the term resumes. The remaining $34 was dedicated to obtaining essential treatment for my differently-abled child, and I am grateful for the notable improvement in his well-being. I am grateful for the positive transformation in my life, a change facilitated by GiveDirectly.

Prior to joining the program, I faced significant hardships as a result of going to bed on an empty stomach due to financial constraints that prevented me from purchasing food. However, my situation has taken a turn for the better thanks to the financial assistance received through the transfers. With this newfound stability, my primary objective is to leverage my improved circumstances by investing in livestock, which I believe will pave the way for financial security. By allowing the livestock to multiply, I can eventually sell some of them and generate a steady income from this investment in the times to come.

In July, a significant portion of my transfers was devoted to purchasing a goat, which amounted to $25. This decision holds great importance to me as it serves both as an investment for the future and as a backup plan in case I require extra funds. The arrival of the rainy season has allowed me to focus on cultivating maize, cereals, and vegetables on my five-acre farm. In the past, during prolonged droughts, I had to resort to selling charcoal to make ends meet. Unfortunately, the income from charcoal sales was insufficient, leading to numerous financial challenges. My husband earns a living as a casual laborer and also sells charcoal, yet even with both our efforts, we sometimes struggle to afford basic necessities like food and school fees for our children. With the remainder of the $9 from my transfers, I purchased food to sustain my family. While we eagerly await the promising maize harvest, having access to funds through the transfers is crucial during this difficult period when food prices are exceptionally high.

Most of the time, I am preoccupied with my children's educational advancement. Before my enrollment in the program, they could be sent home because I could not afford to pay their school fees in time. Therefore, I hope to accomplish the goal of ensuring that they have ample time in school to focus on their study. It is a great investment that will be of great benefit to them. I will achieve this by investing more of my transfers in paying tuition fees for my children. I am so grateful to GiveDirectly for its financial support.

Since I began receiving my transfers, I have been buying livestock, domestic fowls, and goats. I desire to invest more in livestock. With the recent transfer, I spent $24 on a goat. Since I have four school-going children, I also spent $10 on paying part of their school fees. Their arrears had risen to $25. However, I could not pay because I only depend on burning charcoal to raise money. What I get from this is always insufficient to sustain my family's nutritional needs. Unfortunately, my husband's income is equally low. He has been doing an irregular casual job that has low pay. Unfortunately, he is always at home hence fending for the family is always hard for him.

My husband and I work odd jobs and sell charcoal to make a living. In the past, farming was a major source of our income, but since the drought started, this is no longer the case. We struggle to make ends meet due to the bad economy, so we are compelled to go to bed hungry. I spent $20 on food after I received my transfer. We were able to avoid going hungry by purchasing food in large quantities. The remaining $14 I had left over after paying for food was used to send my three kids to school. They had been at home for more than two weeks after being sent there to pick up school fees. I was sorry that my kids weren't in school while their friends were continuing their education. I'm glad to see them back at school, and I feel at peace now.

Giving out cash transfers to the needy is one of Give Directly's important jobs. My family has benefitted immensely from the cash transfers, particularly in terms of my children's education. Unlike before, when they skipped school for an entire month due to a lack of fees, they now happily attend class without interruptions.  From where I stand, there is nothing wrong with the way Give Directly operates.

My husband had been bedridden for a week when I received the transfer. The illness weakened him to the point where he stopped selling charcoal in Mariakani, his sole source of income. We ran out of money to buy food and survived for nearly five days on only one meal per day. This is why I spent KES 1000 from the transfer on food for my family. At the same time, my three children were sent home from school to collect unpaid school fees. I directed KES 1,000 toward paying off their outstanding fees, and they happily returned to class. I used the remainder of the transfer to purchase two hens, which had been a long-term goal of mine. I plan to let them multiply and then sell them to make money to help with household expenses.

Having eaten nothing the night before due to lack of money, my children and I woke up feeling hungry that morning. To this day, I cannot describe how thrilled my heart was when I received my transfer. I remember telling my children that we would finally get food after three days of starving.

Obtaining the hens was the most significant accomplishment I achieved through my first transfer. Charcoal burning has not been a reliable source of income because the earnings, while small, have been highly inconsistent. I believe that raising chickens will be a quick and easy way to raise funds to help with household expenses.

My husband and I rely on burning and selling charcoal to meet the needs of our five children such as food and school fees (three of them are in primary school). Due to the market's low demand, it takes nearly a week to sell one sack of charcoal, which generates at most KES 400 for me and KES 300 for my husband. Given the rising commodity prices, this income barely covers the cost of food for a week. In fact, three days before the transfer, the household had depleted all food and we had slept hungry for three nights in a row. This is why I used KES 1950 from the transfer to purchase food stuffs such as maize flour and sugar. I used the remaining funds to purchase three hens. My plan is to let them reproduce and then sell them to make money to satisfy the family’s needs.