Currently, my family and I reside in a small one-room house. I have always wished to build a better and more spacious house for us, but due to limited income as a peasant farmer, this has not been possible. However, since I joined the GiveDirectly program, I have gained hope and determination to work towards constructing a new house in the coming year and beyond. My plan is to build a new house to provide my children with their own space and to give the adults in the family their own space as well. To achieve this, I intend to allocate my transfers towards paying school fees for my children and purchasing building materials for the house. This way, I can gradually work towards constructing a new home for us. Additionally, I have aspirations to own cows for plowing my farm. To accomplish this, I have been investing in chickens, hoping that they will multiply. In the future, I plan to trade the chickens for goats, allow the goats to multiply and increase in value, and eventually trade them for cows. Achieving these goals means a lot to me and will bring me great happiness.

When I received my most recent transfer I spent $20 to buy goat. This is because our transfers are soon ending and this project will act as my future financial support. I also bought two chicken this is because they multiply very fast and one day I will sell them and buy goats. Since I have school going children , I have started planning oh what will help me support them when it comes tp paying their fees that is in the future. I also bought bought five chicke at $15, investing in chicken reraing adds me an additional source of income in addition to goat rearing With the remaining amount I spent $34 to pay fees fo my five children, diving the amount amongst them to ensure that they are not sent home for the fee balances I slo bought a pair of uniform for my child in junior secondat with $24, this is because her clothes were now tone. Lastly I bought food worth $10 because I did not have flour to use for family consumption.

I have five children, and we all share a small house. My plan is to build a new house so my children can have their own space, and we, as adults, can have ours. To achieve this, I intend to balance my transfers between paying school fees for my children and purchasing building materials for the house. This way, I can gradually construct a new house for them. Additionally, I aspire to own cows for plowing my farm. To accomplish this, I have been buying chicken, hoping they will multiply. In the future, I plan to trade the chicken for goats, let the goats multiply and increase in value, and eventually trade them for cows. Achieving these goals means a lot to me and will bring me great happiness.

With my children in school, the transfers have become crucial to our lives. Their education is my priority, and I ensure they attend school without interruptions due to unpaid fees. I spent $64 of my transfers on their school fees, with a larger portion allocated to my daughter, who is in secondary school. Additionally, I spent $10 on a new school uniform for my child, whose previous one was completely tattered. Seeing him happy in his new uniform brings me great joy. I also used $20 of the transfers to make payments on a bed, as I currently only have a mattress and wish to sleep on an elevated surface. To supplement our food stores, I spent $4 on groceries for the family. Lastly, I invested $4 in buying a chicken adding to what I already have, hoping they will multiply. My plan is to eventually trade the chicken for goats, let the goats multiply and then trade the goats for cows, which I can use for plowing my farm.

My goal is to ensure that I can afford school fees for my daughter Pendo, who is in her first year of education. Before, I would have had to make and sell charcoal to contribute to her education, but things are better with the cash transfers. I also want to build another kitchen structure. The current one is not only old, but the grass-thatched roof has become damaged over time. My only blocker from achieving this goal before was the concern about enrolling Pendo in high school. Now that she is settled, I plan to start saving some funds to begin buying building materials like iron sheets and building poles for a new cooking space.

My eldest daughter, Pendo, recently joined high school and required new school uniforms, shoes, and admission fees. As a motorcycle taxi rider, my husband could not raise enough funds to purchase these items, as the business was not doing well. So, I allocated $34 towards these requirements, ensuring that my daughter reported to school and started her learning on time. I also paid $10 for her three siblings in primary school to settle their school fees for the ongoing term. I am relieved that I only have to worry about their next term school needs now. I spent $24 on a goat and two hens. I hope that these animals will reproduce wealth that I can use to provide for my children in the future. I am also glad that my children enjoyed the last Christmas in new clothes and shoes that I acquired for $34. With the cash transfers, it has been easier to bring such joy to my family that before seemed challenging.

I'm presently residing in a tiny house that cannot accommodate my five children. They are currently staying with neighbors and relatives, which is a very distressing situation. I'm working towards saving enough money to purchase building poles and 14 sheets of iron. I intend to build a house and save them from the troubles of seeking shelter during the night. This will provide them with the comfort and security of having their own place to sleep in. Additionally, I recently acquired a new mattress and I am in the process of buying a new bed to replace the old, uncomfortable traditional bed I've been using for years.

Prior to enrolling in the program, I was leading a challenging life. My bedding was inadequate, and my household often experienced food shortages. My children frequently faced the threat of being sent home from school due to unpaid fees. It was heartbreaking to witness my children enduring these hardships at such a young age, and my financial struggles made it difficult to provide the support they needed. I resorted to sleeping on old rags and worn-out mats, which offered no comfort at all. Receiving financial assistance transformed not only my living conditions but also improved my economic situation. Firstly, my children are no longer at risk of being sent home from school due to unpaid fees. I was able to pay their fees promptly and cleared their boarding dues. Currently, I have four children enrolled in school, and I used $31 from the recent transfers to settle their fees. I am delighted that one of them recently successfully completed their national examinations. Secondly, I invested in a new mattress for $45, replacing the old, worn-out bedding that I have been using for years. I am now planning to purchase a new wooden bed, completely upgrading my sleeping arrangements. I also acquired a goat for $40, which serves as an asset that can provide financial assistance if needed. With the remaining funds, I purchased essential food items such as maize flour, beans, and sugar, ensuring a consistent food supply for my family.

I hope to establish a livestock business in the near future,.This would mean financial security for me and my family.

I work as a casual labourer,and lately it has been difficult to find work. Thankfully, with the aid of your transfers, I was able to spend $24 on school fees for my children who had been sent home for not having paid their tuition. I also spent $20 on a goat,which I added to my expanding herd. Additionally, I used $20 to buy food for my family,as we had been going to bed hungry before. I want to buy furnishings with the remaining money I have saved, along with some extra cash for unexpected emergencies.

My biggest accomplishment this year and moving forward will be opening a kiosk business where I'll be selling various products like maize flour, sugar, and tea leaves. As I contribute to the household bills, this will help my relieve husband financial burden. In addition to opening a business, I'd love to construct a larger kitchen where I could prepare meals for my family. The one I currently possess is inadequate and in poor shape.

It has been very challenging for my husband and me to navigate life without a reliable source of income. I hardly generate enough revenue as a casual worker selling charcoal to meet the needs of the family. Due to declining clientele and rising fuel costs that discourage people from choosing motorcycles as their primary mode of transportation, my husband also encounters challenges in his line of work as a motorcycle rider. We've been compelled to skip meals as a result of these issues because we don't have enough money to provide our family with enough food. I spent $6 on three packets of maize flour after receiving my February transfers. This gave us sufficient confidence that we will have enough food to last us a full week. Along with purchasing food, I also spent $15 on primary school tuition for my four kids. Finally, with an eye toward future investment, I paid $14 for three hens. I'm confident that in three months the hens will have multiplied and I'll have enough money to buy some goats. Since the goats will sell for high market prices, I will recover my initial investment many times over.

Compared to other conventional approaches, the GiveDirectly cash transfer model is far more beneficial and has a direct impact in my opinion. It follows a novel practice of enrolling recipients and providing them with a direct cash transfer with no strings attached. It has made a significant contribution to the well-being of the people in my community. Furthermore, the beneficiaries have the freedom to choose what is more beneficial to them. GiveDirectly excels at all of these best practices. So far, I have not noticed anything GiveDirectly does not do well.

My family of seven was struggling to find food before I received my transfer. This is due to my inconsistent income. In addition, my husband makes a living by operating motorcycle taxis. However, that sector has been underperforming for the better part of this year. As a result, when I received my recent transfer, I decided to spend $10 on food because we didn't have any at the time. We had skipped lunch the day before. I also spent $10 on paying fees for my four school-age children who were stranded at home due to unpaid fees. Finally, I spent $10 on water, which is in short supply due to the prolonged drought.

Around 5 p.m., I was undoing my hair when my phone rang with a message alert. Words cannot express how relieved I was upon realizing I had received my first transfer from Give Directly. Getting such a sum of money for which, I did not have to work filled my heart with gratitude and admiration for the organization's efforts. In fact, I have taken a break from making charcoal since the money covered the most pressing needs at the time.

It broke my heart to see my five children miss school for an entire week due to unpaid tuition balances. My husband and I had not made enough money from our hustles to cover these arrears. However, the transfers added a ray of sunshine to my life by allowing my children to resume their studies. The fact that they have never been sent home since then is the most significant difference.

My husband, who works as a motorcycle rider, is the sole provider for our family. Because his pay is based on the number of trips he makes, he sometimes comes home empty-handed on rough days. On such unproductive occasions, we are forced to sleep hungry. He can earn up to KES 800 on a good day. To supplement his inconsistent earnings, I make and sell charcoal to support the family's needs, a business that earns me about KES 500 per week. It has been difficult to meet household needs such as school fees and food with these meager earnings. In fact, by the time I received the transfer, my five children had missed an entire week of school due to unpaid tuition fees. Also, my family had slept hungry for two consecutive days before the cash transfer since the household had run out of food. Therefore, I used KES 1,000 to pay off my children's school fees and KES 200 to buy food.