My primary goal for the coming year and beyond is to significantly improve my health. To achieve this, I plan to use a portion of my transfers to seek better medical care from qualified health practitioners. Accessing quality healthcare will ensure that my health continues to improve and I can recover fully. In addition, I intend to use my transfers to maintain a steady supply of food. Consistent and nutritious meals are essential for my recovery, as they will help me maintain my strength and overall wellbeing. I am deeply appreciative of the financial support, which is enabling me to prioritize my health and access the resources I need for a better recovery. This support has given me hope and the means to work towards a healthier and more stable future.

Since the beginning of this year, my health has seriously deteriorated, leaving me unable to work and entirely dependent on my children for financial support. My daughter, who has taken on the responsibility of caring for me, works as a casual laborer. Unfortunately, her income is very modest, and with her own family to provide for, she has limited resources to support us all. Thanks to the financial support I receive from the transfers, I have been able to address some of my most urgent needs. I spent $68 to pay a hospital bill after being admitted for a week when my health worsened. I am relieved and grateful that the transfers allowed me to clear the bill, and I am happy to report that my health has slightly improved since then. Additionally, I spent $34 on food, ensuring I had enough to eat during my recovery. Proper nutrition has been vital in improving my wellbeing, and I am grateful that I have not had to miss any meals during this challenging time. I deeply appreciate the financial support, which has come at a critical time in my life. It has given me relief and hope as I navigate these health struggles.

Facing the devastation of my house being destroyed by fierce winds was incredibly difficult, leaving me without a place to call home. Taking shelter in my son's kitchen was a humbling experience, but it reignited my determination to rebuild and have a home of my own. My plan is to keep buying more building materials bit by bit with transfers that I receive from GiveDirectly, and eventually have a home of my own. I am aspiring to build a two-roomed house and a space where I can sit and relax during the day. Hopefully, I will achieve this dream, and like many in our village, I long for the sense of pride and security that comes with having my own space.

I faced a devastating setback when my house was destroyed by fierce winds, leaving me without a home. Seeking refuge in my son's kitchen was a humbling experience, but it reignited my determination to build a home of my own. Like many in my village, I yearn to feel the pride and security of having my own place. Thanks to the support from GiveDirectly, I've been able to slowly gather building materials, investing $98 of my transfers towards this goal. Each purchase brings me closer to realizing my dream, and I'm filled with a sense of satisfaction and hope as I witness the progress I'm making. Despite the challenges, I also managed to spend the remaining $4 of my transfers to purchase sugar, a small but meaningful gesture to my family.

My top priority for the new year is to start the crucial rebuilding process for my collapsed house, which sustained considerable damage due to the rains. With the support of these transfers, I am optimistic about realizing this objective. I am pleased to share that I have already commenced the procurement of essential materials, including iron roofing sheets and building poles, necessary for the impending reconstruction. The prospect of rebuilding my house holds great significance for me, providing the assurance of having a home to call my own and instilling a profound sense of accomplishment. I take pride in the progress I have made this far and am genuinely content with the achievements I have attained.

My hearing impairment has presented challenges in my ability to work, leading me to rely on financial support from my children, particularly my dedicated daughter. Before the assistance from GiveDirectly, I engaged in menial jobs for sustenance, but with the coming of this project, I was able to discontinue such work. Through this initiative, I successfully purchased chickens and essential roofing sheets to address the damage caused by heavy rains that led to the collapse of my house. Out of the funds received, $68 was allocated for iron sheets, an additional $20 for building poles, and the remaining amount was used to procure chickens for future rearing. Despite grappling with poor health, I find solace in the accomplishments I have achieved, and I am profoundly grateful for the opportunities given to me through this project.

My most significant achievement for the upcoming year is the realization of owning my own home. Despite a prolonged search for accommodation in my son's house, I am thrilled to announce that I will soon have a place I can call my own. Apart from securing a house, I am eager to fulfill another lifelong dream, which involves investing a substantial portion of my funds into establishing a livestock rearing venture. Having my very own livestock has been a long-standing aspiration of mine, and I am excited to make it a reality.

Using my July transfers, I acquired two iron sheets at $8 each. Currently, I am gradually procuring various building materials essential for constructing my new house. These materials include building poles, timber, nails, and sisal twine ropes. Last year, my house collapsed, and since then, I have been staying in my son's vacant house. However, my financial constraints have hindered me from rebuilding my own home. Being a peasant farmer, I struggled to make ends meet, particularly due to adverse weather conditions in the past year. I also managed to purchase a pair of clothes known as "leso," which I am very pleased about as I had few garments left. This pair now provides me with suitable clothing. Lastly, I allocated the remaining funds to buy food, ensuring that I never had to endure hunger. I am grateful for the financial assistance from the transfers, as it has been immensely helpful in improving my living conditions.

Ever since I began receiving the transfers, my goal has been to build a decent iron-roofed house. To realize this goal, I decided to save a larger portion of my transfer every month and purchase the required building materials. I am happy that I began the construction, and I believe I will be moving out of the grass-thatched house soon. Sheltering in an iron-roofed house is what I pray for every day, and I am hoping to accomplish it soon.

I have been sheltering in a grass-thatched house for years, and the chances of upgrading to a better one were minimal due to my lowly financial status. I had to persevere through harsh weather and cold nights. It was even worse whenever it rained, which at times forced me to seek shelter from neighbours. When I began receiving the transfers, I resolved to save the money to buy iron sheets and building poles. Currently, I have saved more than $100 and I am planning to buy the building materials to start the construction. I am happy that soon I will be sheltering in a stable and decent iron-roofed house because of the transfers.

I commend Give Directly for the amazing job they do in giving money to people living in poverty. The most recent cash transfer pulled me from a financial dilemma that I almost surrendered to. Losing a relative during such a hard time was so stressful but am glad the transfer proved more than useful. In my opinion, there is nothing that the organization does not do well. 

My family was grieving the loss of my brother-in-law when I received the cash transfer. To give him a decent funeral, everyone in the family was required to make a monetary contribution. Sadly, I had nothing to offer at that time because I lacked a source of income. Due to my advanced age, I depend on my son for provision. Mostly, the little he makes from hawking bottles of water barely puts enough food for the family of 15 people, including my two daughters-in-law and their twelve grandchildren. Since he could not raise such emergency funds, I channeled $10 toward the burial arrangements. Am glad because the cash transfers played a crucial role in providing food at the send-off. I also bought a pair of khanga worth $6 to wear at the funeral as a way of upholding our traditions. I saved the remaining amount intending to supplement it with upcoming transfers to buy a goat for rearing to fulfill the goal I placed during enrollment.

My son who had arrived from town after a long time broke the good news that I had received my first transfer. I jumped up and down in excitement as I ululated at the top of my voice. I tightly hugged my son as we celebrated that moment.

I am glad that I received my first transfer that improved my live. I often slept on an empty stomach because of a lack of money to but food. I am happy that receiving the funds ensured that I had plenty of food and I no longer sleep on an empty stomach.

I spent a huge portion of my first transfer on buying food. I am an elderly woman with no job. I heavily depended on farming as a primary source of income but with the emergence of the drought,I no longer work on the farm. I currently depend on my son who works in town selling fruit juices. He makes very little profit from his business which is not enough to take care of my needs. I am forced to sleep on an empty stomach whenever he does notbsend me money. Sometimes I have incur some debts as i buy food on credit and fail to pay on time. Besides buying food, I bought a hen at $4 as an investment. The hen will soon multiply. This will inturn increase my initial investment once i decided to sell the youngones.