I am living in a dilapidated house that almost collapsed during the recent rains and strong winds. While I have made some repairs, these will not last long. My accomplishment for the coming year is to build a spacious, permanent house to accommodate my family of five. With a permanent house, I will no longer have to worry about their safety during heavy rains. I am very appreciative of the financial transfers from Give Directly, which are making this goal achievable.

I am the sole breadwinner for my family of five members, earning a living as a motorcycle taxi driver. This job is full of challenges, especially since few people currently use this means of transport in our village. Turning to farming is not an option due to harsh weather conditions that hinder crop growth. Before being enrolled in the program, I could barely meet all my family's needs. My two children were often sent home from school due to the accumulating debt, and we struggled to have three meals a day, often surviving on just one meal. I also incurred significant debt by buying food on credit. I am very happy that with the financial support, I can plan accordingly and ensure that I take care of my family's immediate needs. I spent $20 to pay school fees for my daughter, who is currently in secondary school. Additionally, I purchased two goats for a total of $60. This is a valuable future investment because the goats will multiply, doubling my initial investment. In the future, I can sell some and use the money to attend to my needs in case of an emergency. I also spent $22 to purchase food for my family, ensuring that they have enough to eat. I am very appreciative of the financial transfers, which are helping me take care of my family and improving the quality of our lives.

With the rainy season looming, I'm determined to build a new house. The fear of losing my current one to the downpour pushes me forward. Thankfully, I recently fulfilled my dream of owning another goat, which boosts my spirits. My plan is to kickstart the construction process as soon as possible. When our monthly transfer comes in, I aim to gather materials by pooling $30 from each of us. This collaborative effort will hopefully set us on the path to a safer, more secure home before the rains arrive.

With $16 of the quartely transfer, I bought a uniform for my son who was starting junior secondary school, ensuring he feels confident and ready for this new chapter. Another $19 went towards buying food, sustaining us during lean times. Together with my wife, we pooled $25 from the transfer to purchase a goat for $50, seeing it as both a future investment and a means to handle emergencies. Additionally, I used $30 to pay school fees for my daughter, knowing that missing school could set her back significantly. As a rider earning a modest income, sometimes as little as $1, it's tough to make ends meet, but GiveDirectly's support has been a mean of survival. I'm truly grateful for their help and pray for their continued support.

The abundant rainfall this month has brought both blessings and challenges. The force of the water has eroded the muddy walls of my house, weakening the supporting poles. The imminent risk of the house collapsing compels me to gather resources and construct a new dwelling before such a disaster occurs. The funds from my upcoming transfers will be instrumental in realizing this goal of building a new home. I am deeply thankful for the assistance from the transfers, which has enabled me to lead a more fulfilling life free from poverty.

I allocated $30 to plow one acre of my land in preparation for farming. Fortunately, I experienced a bountiful harvest in July after timely planting at the onset of the rainy season. With the abundant rainfall in our village, I am confident of another bumper harvest. Additionally, I covered the school fees for my daughter, who is currently in form 3 at Kaloleni Girls Secondary School, ensuring her uninterrupted education. Furthermore, I made an investment in a goat, foreseeing its potential to multiply and serve as a valuable asset in times of financial need. I am content with the financial assistance, which supplements my main income as a motorcycle rider, enabling me to adequately provide for my family.

In the upcoming year and beyond, my primary focus and greatest achievement will be directed towards significant investments in livestock rearing. The recent rainfall has been favorable, allowing us to plant maize, and we are grateful to expect a bountiful harvest this month. With this upcoming surplus, I intend to redirect my expenses from food purchases and instead allocate the funds towards acquiring livestock. This strategic move aims to provide a safety net for any unforeseen emergencies, as I can sell the livestock and utilize the funds to address urgent situations as they arise.

As the sole breadwinner in my family due to my wife's lack of employment, I make a living as a motorcycle taxi driver. Though my earnings are sufficient to cover our daily food expenses, there is no surplus to save for future endeavors or emergencies. I have two children, one in primary school and the elder in Form Three at Kaloleni Girls Secondary School. Using a significant portion of my July transfers, which amounted to $20, I managed to pay off a considerable portion of my daughter's school fees. Despite the remaining debt of over $180, my daughter has not been sent home for unpaid fees, as I communicated with the headteacher about our financial situation. They now understand that we will gradually clear the debt by the end of each month. With the remaining $14, I purchased food for my family, and I am grateful that despite facing challenges in my job, my family never went without food.

Given the current tough economy, where commodity prices are rising by the day, my income as a motorbike-taxi operator barely secures enough meals for my family. Besides, there are no longer many passengers in my village as people prefer to trek rather than use a motorbike service. This has made me think about raising livestock as an alternative form of investment and source of income. I plan to secure more goats to increase my herd of ten, then later trade some for cattle. 

When I received the money, my daughter who is in form two was in debt of $10 tuition fee at her school. My motorbike taxi business had not made me enough cash to pay the amount; so, I used $10 from the transfer to settle the fee. Also, the household had run out of food that morning. Am glad at how  perfect the transfer’s timing was, which allowed me to buy food and water worth $12 for my family. At least the food had taken us to date. I still have the remaining $12 in savings, which will prove useful in fulfilling the household expenses. 

I'm buying goats so that I'll have an investment by the time the program is phased out. They thrive in our drought-stricken region, which is why they are our main source of investment. I can easily sell them in the future to cover my expenses if I get into hardship. I still have two more kids, one in elementary school and the other in high school, and I think the goats will make it easier for me to pay their tuition. I currently work as a taxi driver on a motorcycle, but as the years pass, I grow older and less energetic, so the goats will help me enhance my income. Since I will be taking care of my goats and depending on them for my financial needs, I won't have to focus that much energy on the motorcycle

The repercussion of drought back here in the village has been quite harsh to our livelihood especially when it comes to matters concerned with our nutrition and even the nutrition of our livestock. That is why when I received the funds I decided to use KES 2,400 in purchasing a bag of maize flour which contained about a dozen packets and then I proceeded to spend KES 200 to buy two kilograms of beans since there was hardly any food left on the house. Afterwards I ended up sending my daughter KES 600 because she had just closed for school and she needed to use the money as fare on her way back home. I still have a balance of KES 200 that I left in my savings.

There has been a great change through the village ever since we came to contact with the organization and our enrollment into the program. The funds came to our rescue especially since most of us were knee deep into poverty and could barely feed our families and not forgetting our kids were almost dropping out of school due to finances. Therefore I totally praise the work that the organization has done so far not only for myself but everyone else in the village.

Prior to receiving the funds I was actually quite worried especially since my daughter who is in high-school was almost on the verge of being kicked out of school due to a pending debt that I was yet to settled. Therefore as soon as I realised the funds had come through I paid KES 2,000 to the school so that she could stay in school. I then went ahead and used the remaining KES 1,000 on nutrition by purchasing five packets of maize flour since we barely had any food in the house.

I was on my motorcycle heading to my place of work in the morning. My cell phone vibrated, and I stopped by the roadside to check out the message. I was shocked beyond words when I realized I had received my first transfer. I did not expect to receive such an amount of money on that day. My heart filled with joy knowing that it would help me in paying school fees for my children.

The biggest difference the transfer has made in my life is to help me pay my son’s school fee debt. Paying ensured that he will stay in school and continue with his studies. Often he would come home crying, having been asked to collect school fees which I didn't have. I am happy that he will stay in school and continue with his education.

I earn a living as a “Boda Boda” rider. For the past three months, the business is on a downward spiral. The price of fuel has soared to a record high, making it difficult to make a considerable profit. Being the sole breadwinner of the family, it has become a challenge for me to provide basic needs (food, school fees, and medication) for my family (wife and two children). Due to the high cost of living, I have lost several customers who opt to use an alternative means of transport. Making less profit means my family lacks food to eat and is unable to pay school fees. When I received my transfer of KES 1200, I spent KES 500 to pay for exams fee for my eldest son, who is in primary school. Besides paying the exam fees, I spent the remaining amount of KES 650 on buying food for the family to avoid them sleeping on an empty stomach.