This year, my main objective is to transition to agribusiness. During the previous planting season, I achieved remarkable success, harvesting twenty-two bags of maize from just two acres of land. The abundance of food ensures that my family will be well taken care of for several months, which brings me great satisfaction. My strategy moving forward involves investing in improved farming techniques to attain an even greater harvest, allowing me to sell surplus produce and provide additional support for my family. To accomplish this goal, I intend to utilize upcoming transfers. A higher income will enable us to meet our family's essential needs, including food, medication, and better housing. I am sincerely grateful for this assistance, as it has positively transformed my life in numerous ways.

Twelve years ago, I retired from my role as a teacher and turned to farming to support my family of nine. Life was exceptionally challenging back then, as my pension was not sufficient to cover our basic needs, including food and medication. The financial assistance we have received has been instrumental in supplementing our income and significantly improving our quality of life. With these funds, I have been able to purchase food regularly and afford the necessary medication for my hypertension. With careful budgeting, I managed to save $15 in a savings cooperative, providing a safety net for future financial needs. Furthermore, I allocated $49.5 towards purchasing the necessary medication for my hypertension and $25 for acquiring seedlings and preparing the land for cultivation in preparation for the upcoming rainy season. I then spent the remaining funds on replenishing our food supply and essential household items. These transfers have truly transformed our lives, and I am incredibly grateful for the support.

I allocate about $5 from the cash transfers every month to the savings and credit cooperative (SACCO). My goal is to obtain a loan from the cooperative and venture into the agricultural business when the timing is right, particularly when the rains come in the future. I wish to start by planting maize crops since they perform well in my region and are a staple food source in my community. This will be a great avenue to generate income and produce food for my domestic consumption.

I am happy that the recently concluded planting season allowed me to harvest from my two-acre piece of land. At the time I received one of the cash transfers, I needed additional storage sacks for the maize produce. I obtained 10 sacks using $25 to store and preserve the maize. Now I do not have to worry about the produce going bad or being infested by bugs. I also usually buy medication to control my high blood pressure, and I spent $5 to buy a month’s refill. Furthermore, I used $25 from one of the three recent cash transfers to buy paint for my house, intending to upgrade its appearance. The last time I painted it was in 2015, and the paint is fading. Additionally, I saved $15 from the three cash transfers through a savings and credit cooperative (SACCO). I'm doing this to be able to obtain a loan in the future to start an agricultural business when the time is right. The remaining funds, around $37, were allocated to purchasing additional food supplies like wheat flour, sugar, and vegetables that I was not able to cultivate on my farm. As a retired teacher who solely relies on pensions to provide for my family, the cash transfers have lifted some weight off of my shoulders. I can now afford things like renovating my house and other foods and vegetables other than the typical staple cornmeal that was impossible to afford before the cash transfers.

I want to start a poultry faming business,so I'm hoping to secure a loan with the money I have saved up in the Sacco. I will be able to sell and supply to the nearby eateries and hence earn from it. My family will be taken care of financially as result of this.

As a retired person,I am appreciative of Give Directly for allowing me the opportunity to make changes in my life. I recently spent $39 to prepare some land I own for the purpose of cultivating maize. I also had eye issues, and i paid $10 for medical care and medication. I then spent $38 on food for my family and saved $15 with a Sacco where I hope to acquire credit facilities in the future.

Being in a state of joblessness has always posed the challenge of raising money for my family's support. I had to bear with that situation before my enrollment in GiveDirectly's program. Therefore, with an assurance of a monthly transfer for this year, my main goal is to invest a portion of my transfers in poultry farming. It is a viable project that I can easily undertake while at home. From it, I am hopeful that I will be in a position to raise money for our nutritional needs, and also meet my medical expenses.

Immediately after I received my transfer, I prioritized buying maize flour. I, therefore, spent $10 on food because my family had run out of food. As a result, we feel slightly relieved from the severe famine that is currently sweeping our region. I am glad the food will last my family for some days. In addition, I have saved $15 for my land preparation in anticipation of the next planting season. Previously, we never had sufficient rain translating to the current hardship we face. Lastly, I have planned to use the remaining cash for my medication since I suffer from a chronic condition. With the past three months' transfers, I could easily acquire food and buy medicine. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial support.

I am grateful to GiveDirectly for providing me with the unconditional transfers and helping me out financially. After I lost my only source of income, life in the village became intolerable, making it challenging to survive. The money is essential for helping people escape poverty and live better lives. I urge the organization to take on more members, especially from drought-affected areas, in order to improve those people's lives.

As a farmer, I was forced to stop working after the drought started three years ago. Due to the meager income I receive from selling charcoal, I have found it difficult to support my family (my mother and wife). The majority of the customers I serve who buy charcoal prefer to use readily available fuels like firewood because it is very affordable and available. I work manual jobs like fetching water, building houses, and raising livestock in addition to selling charcoal to make ends meet. Because I don't work a regular schedule of jobs, I occasionally don't have enough money to feed my family, which forces us to go to bed hungry. So when I got my transfer, I bought food for the family with a sizable portion of $23.5. The unpredictable nature of the jobs I work on is what prompted me to buy food in bulk. This was done to make sure that my family wouldn't go hungry while I looked for a job. The remaining $6.5 went toward mending my house's door. I feel secure knowing that I fixed the door, making my home and family safe and secure.

I had spent the previous two days looking for work without success, so I spent the whole day inside my home recuperating. My wife and her friend were talking about transfers from GiveDirectly when I overheard their chat. I hurriedly leaped out of bed and grabbed my phone. I examined the text message I had gotten on my phone and was pleasantly surprised to learn that I had received my first transfer. I grinned widely as my heart thumped loudly against my chest. I shared the good news with my wife who had also received her transfer.

I'm appreciative that the transfer gave me a significant financial boost by enabling me to feed my family. I was troubled by the indicators of malnutrition my kids were displaying, such as their underweight. The main reason for this was that they ate little since I couldn't afford to feed the family well. I'm glad that the transfer I'll get will enable me to feed my family healthily.

For the past thirty years, I have mainly relied on crop farming to provide for my family and generate an income. The terrible consequences of the drought have made it difficult for me to support my family for more than three years. I'm now starting a poultry farm to supplement my income and provide for my family. I purchased a lot of food for the family with the KES 1350 I received on my first transfer. I am still in the beginning stages of my poultry project, therefore my income is low, which prevents me from being able to completely support the needs of my family, including the purchase of food. We only eat one meal a day since I cannot afford to feed them three times a day. In addition to the meals, I spent KES 650 repairing my home. I purchased a bag of cement to repair a house wall that was split. I'm grateful for the money because it allowed me to buy food for my family and fix my house.