Considering my age, I realize that I am getting older, and I fear that once this program ends, I may lack something to rely on in terms of assets. I have set a goal for the coming years: to save at least $15 from my monthly transfers for several months to buy more goats. I currently have four goats on my compound, and acquiring more will increase my benefits. Once I achieve this, it will be easier for me to pay the school fees for my children who are still in primary school, even after the program ends. Additionally, having livestock will provide me with security, as people will be more likely to trust me and lend me their items knowing I have assets.

I have five school-aged children: two are my own, and three are my grandchildren. I have been their sole caregiver for a long time. My life has been tough, as I do not have a permanent job and rely on casual work. At my advanced age, it is sometimes difficult to find jobs that require a lot of energy, which I no longer have. When I received the cash transfer, I used a total of $34 to settle the arrears that had accrued, as the children might have been sent home at any time to collect fees. Knowing that I am providing for them gives me peace of mind and lifts the burden I carry. Additionally, I used $58 to buy enough food for my family, which is a crucial basic need we have consistently lacked due to the unending droughts that have rendered our land unproductive. I am pleased that we can now have at least two meals a day, whereas before, we often managed only one meal or sometimes went without food entirely. Finally, I gave my son $10 to buy iron sheets to finish roofing the house he was building, which had a deficit of one sheet. I am glad that my support helped him complete his house.

For now, the dream that I have is to buy another ox so that I can have a pair. I believe they will help me a lot, especially with my farming activities, as I am now old and no longer as productive on the farms as I used to be. Through the incoming transfers, I am confident I can make this dream come true in the coming few months. Having a pair of oxen will significantly reduce the physical strain on me and increase my farm's productivity. This change will not only improve my livelihood but also ensure that I can continue to provide for my family more effectively. I am hopeful and excited about this new chapter and the positive impact it will have on our lives.

I have been using my hand for so long in preparing my farm, and in my old age, I was no longer proficient, which led to poor farming products. Therefore, to put this problem to an end, I opted to buy an ox for $70 so that it could help me in my farming activities. I am so glad that this dream has finally been achieved, and I am now looking forward to buying another one so that they can be a pair. With the ox by my side, my farming tasks have become much more manageable, and I am optimistic about the future harvests. The satisfaction of seeing my fields ploughed efficiently has rekindled my hope and determination. Also, I bought a few building materials to construct a kitchen since, previously, my wife used to cook outside since our house was small. I felt this was not hygienic, and I was able to construct the kitchen for her. Now, she has a proper place to prepare meals, which has significantly improved our living conditions. The smile on her face as she cooks in her new kitchen is priceless. Later on, I bought a solar panel. Though I still owe money for it, I am glad to own it, and we are now getting enough light at night. The solar panel has brought a new sense of security and comfort to our home, allowing us to carry out evening activities without the worry of darkness.

In the coming years, my main focus is to finish building a house for my children and to pay off all the debts I owe.To ensure a stable future for my family, I plan to invest more in our farm. Right now, our harvests haven't been great, so we end up buying most of our food. By putting more effort and resources into farming, I hope to provide enough food for my family without relying too much on buying everything from the market. It's important to me to create a secure and comfortable life for my loved ones.

Firstly, I used $24 of the transfers to buy a strong door for our house because thieves had stolen from us many times, and I wanted to keep my family safe. Then, I spent $10 on paying my children's school fees so they could focus on their studies and do well in school. I also bought building materials worth $25, hoping that one day I could build a proper house for my family; right now, we all squeeze into a small two-roomed house, and having more space would give us privacy and comfort. With some of the money, I bought food, like relish and sugar, since we already had maize from our farm. One thing that made me really happy was buying a goat for $30; which is a little savings account for emergencies and for my future plans. My son works as a casual laborer and is the main provider for our family, so every bit of help counts towards our future.

I express gratitude for the transformative impact of the transfers on my living conditions, having transitioned from residing in a compact dwelling to a more spacious one. This improvement has been possible through consistent savings from the transfers received each month. Presently, I am setting my sights on saving for a quality wooden door to further enhance the comfort of my home. In addition to managing my living arrangements, I bear the responsibility of supporting my five daughters, who depend on me for their educational fees. With no stable source of income, my goal is to ensure their uninterrupted education by diligently covering their fees. This commitment is driven by the desire to provide them with the opportunity to stay in school and achieve academic success.

A significant portion of my recent transfers went to purchasing iron sheets to complete the construction of my new, more spacious house. The dwelling I previously occupied was quite small, and my intention was to build a more comfortable home. Acquiring the necessary materials would have been challenging without the financial assistance from my recent transfers. I am now content and elated to have moved into my new residence, with plans to soon install a door. The joy stems from the fact that I now have a secure house with an iron roof, eliminating concerns about where to store my belongings—unlike before, when some items had to be left outside. Additionally, I allocated $30 to cover the educational fees for my five children, bringing me peace of mind knowing that I settled their fees promptly, affording me ample time to prepare for the upcoming term. I also ensured the payment of their examination fees, enabling them to successfully complete their exams. Lastly, I spent a portion of it on shopping, acquiring essential food items such as flour and beans, and ensuring that my family is well-provisioned and does not face any shortages.

Currently, I live on my relative’s piece of land. This has seen my respect not put into consideration because I am being taken for granted as a squatter. For a while, I have not lived in peace because being looked down upon is a mockery. I had no alternative but to endure the situation due to poverty. Upon getting the recent transfer, I opted to use 88% of the transfer in food crop production because the rains were promising. Since I have a plot but I lacked the resources of building a house, the aim is once I harvest, I will use the next transfers in building a house on my plot. I plan to commit the whole transfer amount from July to the construction so that I move to my place.

Depending on peasant farming in a drought season was the most challenging thing I have ever experienced. Going without food regularly had become a norm at my home. We hardly find any food because of the drought that has afflicted our region. I was able to see some relief after receiving the recent funds. Even though I used $4 to buy some food, I opted to look for a long-lasting solution that could sustain my family in terms of basic needs. Therefore, being a rainy season I saw it prudent to invest in subsistence food crop production. I used the remaining $30 for plowing and weeding. As of now, I am happy because in the next two months from now, the maize will be ready for consumption and I will have access to food. This will enable me to save the monthly transfers for a bigger construction project that I want to start.

Currently, I only have one house that is not spacious enough to accommodate all my children. I have not been having a kitchen, and as a result, my younger children are often forced to spend in the neighborhood. My goal is to build a spacious kitchen that will serve the purpose of cooking and a sleeping area for my younger children. It will save them from the stress of spending in the neighborhood. I also hope to use part of the transfers to promote my farming practices immediately after we begin experiencing some rain.

Two of my children are in primary school currently. As a result, when I received a transfer, I paid $6 toward a portion of their tuition. Due to my lack of a source of income, I have been relying on the transfers to help me fulfill the nutritional, educational, and medical needs of my family. I spent $6 on two domestic birds and $4 on medication because I was ill then. Finally, because what we had as food was insufficient and would not sustain us for a day, I spent $18 on food. I had started to worry about how I would feed my nine-person family, who depend on me despite my advanced age. We appreciate GiveDirectly's financial assistance.

I appreciate the financial assistance from GiveDirectly. My quality of life has significantly improved thanks to the funds. Due to the drought that has persisted for the past three years, I have had to put up with going without food because I lack the funds to do so. I implore the organization to keep enrolling and providing financial assistance to the less fortunate members of society.

The sole provider of income for my family is my wife. Due to my advanced age and poor health, I am unable to work. My wife sells charcoal to make a living. She barely makes enough money from selling charcoal to meet the needs of the entire family. My sons, who ply their trade as hawkers in Mariakani, occasionally pitch in to help take care of the family's needs. I used a significant portion of the $12 from my transfer to buy food for the family due to the worsening financial situation. As opposed to before, when we could only get by on one meal a day, this made sure we ate twice a day. Along with purchasing food, I added $13 to my wife's donation and spent the remaining money on a goat that cost $36. Now that we can no longer work in the field due to the drought, this is a wise long-term investment for the family. I finally spent $5 to cover my kids' over a week-long absence from school due to large school fee balances. I'm happy to see them back in class and pursuing their education.

Since I wasn't feeling well, I was at home relaxing while sitting in the shade of a tree. My son ran over to me and yelled that I had a text message. He delivered the wonderful news that I had received my first transfer after I asked him to read the message. Given that I hadn't anticipated getting the money, I was both astonished and overjoyed. As emotions overcame me, I started crying. We started dancing as we toasted that lucky occasion.

I'm appreciative that the transfer enabled me to get medical treatment, which made a significant impact in my life. My health has declined over the past three months, but I haven't been able to visit the hospital due of a lack of funds. Thanks to the assistance I received from the transfer, my health has improved. I look forward to improving even more and look for a job to lessen the responsibility on my wife to support my family.

Over the years, my health has become worse, and now I can't work because of it. I am completely dependent on my wife, the family's lone provider who makes a living by selling charcoal in the village. She makes very little money from her charcoal sales business, just enough to buy food for the family and with little left over to save or pay for tuition. Due to accumulating school fee arrears, my eldest son was expelled from school and was compelled to spend more than two weeks at home. Therefore, when I got my first transfer, I spent KSH 500 to partially pay off the debt for the school fees so he could return and continue his studies. Along with paying my school tuition, I also spent KES 500 on medical expenses I incurred after being taken to the hospital. I'm glad that the cash boost from the transfer has allowed my health to dramatically improve. I used the last KSH 200 to buy food for my family after using up all of the supplies I had in the house. As a result, the family was able to avoid going to bed hungry.