My son, who was the breadwinner of our family, passed away, leaving behind four children under my care. As old age quickly catches up with me, my primary work is raising the few livestock that I have. My enrollment in the cash program has been of great importance because the money from the transfers helps me take care of my needs and those of my four grandchildren. I spent $15 to pay school fees for my grandchildren, ensuring they stay in school and continue their education. When strong winds partially blew away the roof of my house, I had to purchase two pieces of iron sheets for $20, 2 kg of nails for $10, and paid a mason $15 to repair the house. I am glad my house is now back in good condition and safe to live in. Additionally, I spent $95 to purchase a bed and a mattress. Previously, I was sleeping on sacks, but now I have a much better place to sleep, which greatly improves my comfort and well-being. I am very happy with the financial support and the strides I have made in improving my life.

My greatest accomplishment in the coming year and beyond will be to finance the education of my grandchildren. Ensuring they receive a good education means they will have a promising future. I plan on using my subsequent transfers to clear the remaining school fee arrears. Additionally, I intend to purchase poultry, such as hens, which will generate income in the future once they multiply. I am very happy with the steps I have taken so far in improving my life and that of my family with the help of the transfers.

For a while, I had been sleeping on the bare ground using worn-out mats, used sacks, and rags because I couldn't afford a proper bed and mattress. However, I recently committed to setting aside a portion of my monthly income to save up for new bedding. I'm happy to say that I saved almost $100, which allowed me to purchase a new bed and mattress. This upgrade has significantly improved my quality of sleep, which is especially important for my well-being as I get older. I also invested some of my savings in acquiring a goat. I now own a total of five goats, which serve as a valuable source of income for me. Since I'm homebound due to my age, the goats act as a financial safety net. They represent a savings plan that I can rely on in case of any unforeseen financial emergencies. The ability to sell them provides me with the means to address urgent financial needs, bringing a sense of security and stability to my life

As I am getting older, I find it increasingly difficult to engage in manual labor such as cultivation during the planting season. This has forced me to rent oxen from neighbors, resulting in significant expenses. To address this issue, I am planning to buy my own pair of oxen this year. To achieve this goal, I plan to expand my livestock by purchasing more goats, taking advantage of their reproductive capacity, and eventually exchanging them for a pair of oxen. I currently own five goats, which will form the foundation for my strategy. By owning my own pair of oxen, I will be able to cultivate my land in a timely manner and make better use of my acreage. This will eliminate the need to hire oxen from my neighbors, saving me a considerable amount of money and relieving me of the financial burden associated with seasonal hiring.

Since my son, who was the main provider for the household, passed away last year, things have become tough. He left behind his wife, his children, and me, with no support from anyone else apart from the cash transfers. His wife took on casual jobs like doing household chores to survive, but it was still not enough. If it weren't for the cash transfers, I'm not sure how my family would have survived. For the better part of early this year, the cash transfers went towards buying food. However, when the rain came and we harvested food, most of the cash transfers were no longer needed for food expenses. So, I used $50 to buy a mattress. I had been sleeping on the mud floor using sacks as bedding for the longest time, which was uncomfortable. I'm happy that my sleep is better now, and I can comfortably share the space with my two grandchildren. I'm looking forward to buying a bed soon. I also bought a goat worth $40 for rearing purposes. In the future, this goat will help me raise cash for any emergencies. From the remaining amount, I used $5 to help pay examination fees for my grandchild, and the rest went towards food.

After the recent rains, which supported farming in my region after a long period of drought, my family was able to harvest enough food to last us until the end of this year. It was because of this that I was able to use the cash transfers to buy a mattress, as I had been sleeping on the floor using sacks as my bedding. By the end of this year, I hope to have bought a wooden bed to go with the mattress. After buying the bed, I would be happy if I could buy goats as they are a crucial form of investment in my family's future. After the cash transfers end, I can sell the animals to contribute towards my grandchildren's school fees and food.

Every month I receive a transfer, I prioritize paying fees for my four grandchildren and buying food for the family. My son was the breadwinner, but unfortunately, he passed away, leaving behind four children, and their mother is not well off. She has been surviving on menial jobs for her livelihood. Her little income, however, is not enough to take care of the family's needs, such as food and fees. I was worried that my grandchildren may not realize their educational goals because raising fees for them was my biggest challenge. However, with the monthly transfers, they have been able to stay in school without being sent home for failure to pay on time. Currently, I have been able to clear their fee arrears, and I am happy that they are comfortably studying. My joy is to see them progressing well with their studies and eventually realizing their goals despite our financial challenges. The transfer has also ensured that my household does not lack food as I usually buy enough food to last us for some time. I am glad that am now able to fight the problem of food shortages in my home, and my grandchildren can take three meals every day, which has even improved their school performance. Before then, they would go to school hungry, which affected their performance as they couldn't concentrate in class.

I appreciate the support that I have been receiving from GiveDirectly because if it wasn't for the money, my grandchildren wouldn't be in school. Their father passed away, and they are now under my care. At my old age, I cannot work anymore, and I rely heavily on transfers to pay school fees. My objective is to ensure that they achieve their educational goals by paying their school fees on time. I believe that before the program period elapses, they will have almost completed their studies and at the moment, I'm at peace since I have some funds to depend on for their studies.

My only child was sick during the period when I was enrolled in the program and therefore, most of my transfers were spent on his medication. I added part of my savings to the whole of November transfers and paid for his medication. As for the December transfer, I bought a goat for $25 as an investment, and unfortunately, my son passed on. Therefore, the $9 that I had left was mainly used toward his funeral expenses. I am aged, a widow, and now taking care of my four orphaned grandchildren whose father recently died. The little income from my small business can barely afford a whole day's meal, but I am hopeful that with the transfers as our household's additional income, I will not strain to provide for their needs. The goats too will be of financial help in the future since they give birth yearly hence, more goats.

For many years, I have been sleeping on the floor using rags as bedding. This is a tough experience because I have always felt pains all over my body after waking up. In the coming year and beyond, my goal is to purchase proper and modern bedding, specifically a bed and mattress. Similarly, I intend to venture into livestock rearing as a long-term investment for myself.

When I got the second transfer, I used $10 to purchase two chickens so that I also start keeping because I had none. Since they have a short breeding period, I am optimistic about having several chickens soon. Thereafter, I used the remaining $20 for my upkeep. I am an aged widow who cannot do any kind of demanding work for survival like making charcoals. Therefore, I solely rely on the monthly GiveDirectly transfers as the assured source of money.

I have a special request to GiveDirectly, the good work you started has a positive impact on us, and kindly do not step back. Through these monthly transfers, we have been able to tackle different needs which challenged us the most. We are very delighted to have this faultless organization in our village. In other words, I can say that, although the organization does not segregate and it accommodates every legible household; it brought hope to us the widows who had nowhere to lean on.

My four grandkids and I reside in the village with my daughter-in-law. I raise cattle and sell charcoal to make a livelihood as a temporary worker, much like my granddaughter. In the past, we put a lot of effort into our fields to cultivate crops, and we would have enough produce to support the family. This has not been the case since the drought started, and we have had a great deal of difficulty supporting the family. We frequently go to bed with empty stomachs and accumulate debt from buying food on loan to feed the family. When I got my transfer, I used a sizable portion of it to buy groceries. I bought some beans, 1 kg of sugar, 4 packets of maize flour, and some detergent to wash my clothing and kitchenware. Finally, I bought a hen with the KES 200 that was left over. Knowing that I have young grandkids who will need school fees as they advance in their education makes the hen a wise investment for the future. Once they proliferate, I'll sell some and use the funds to cover my grandchildren's tuition.

I'm happy that I was able to buy my family a week's worth of food with the unconditional transfers. We frequently went to bed without eating since we lacked the funds to provide meals for the family. Due to the lack of consumers, our charcoal business was in trouble. I'm pleased to see that everyone in my family is content and cautious after receiving plenty of food as a result of the transfer.

After a long, exhausting, and difficult day rearing animals, I made it home from the field around six o'clock. I received a text message on my phone when I got home, so I asked my daughter-in-law to read it to me. She grinned and told me I had gotten my first transfer. I was so overcome with joy that I started jumping about. I gave thanks to the Lord for sending us that miracle at a time when we were having trouble providing food for the family.