The festive season is approaching, and I truly want to make this time special for my family. To make this happen, I plan to use my transfers over the next few months to buy clothes and shoes for my children. I want them to feel happy and enjoy the holiday festivities. Additionally, I plan to prepare special meals for them so that they too can celebrate this season with joy and warmth. Beyond this, I am also planning for the future. I intend to use a portion of my future transfers to buy goats. I am hopeful that these goats will multiply, increasing both in number and value. In the future, I hope to sell some of them and use the proceeds to help me achieve one of my long-held dreams of joining college. My goal is to study beauty and hairdressing, where I can gain the skills needed to open my own salon. I believe that with this training, I will be able to provide valuable services to people in my community, earning an income that will support my family and help us thrive. I am deeply grateful for the support I have received from GiveDirectly. This assistance is making a real difference in my life, allowing me to care for my family while also working toward a brighter future. I am filled with hope and determination, and I look forward to seeing these plans come to fruition.

With two children in school, my main priority has been to ensure that my children continue their education without interruption. To achieve this, I used $30 of my recent transfers from GiveDirectly to pay for their school fees making sure that they were not returned home to collect unpaid fees. In addition to their schooling, I also spent $10 to buy them new school uniforms. Their old uniforms were worn out, and I wanted to ensure they had the proper attire for school, so they could attend with pride and comfort. I have always dreamed of owning livestock that I can rely on in the future. To take the first step towards this goal, I used $5 of my transfers to buy two chickens, and I also spent $30 to buy a goat. My hope is that these animals will multiply and increase in both number and value, providing me with a valuable asset that will support my family in the future. Given the current situation in our region, where we are experiencing a prolonged dry spell and facing the threat of hunger, I used the remaining $27 of my transfers to buy food for my family. Our food stores were empty, and this support ensured that we did not go hungry during such a challenging time. I am incredibly grateful for the assistance from GiveDirectly. I feel hopeful and empowered knowing that I have the opportunity to work towards a better future for us all.

It is a wonderful thing to have the cash to sustain my family thanks to the transfers. I however would want to still have the same security the cash gives even when the cash comes to an end. My aim is to buy more animals to rear and also get a chance to go to beauty school. I want to learn how to make hair as well as know other beauty skills which I can use to generate an income. Additionally animal rearing means increasing animal numbers to allows for me to sell them when a need arises. This will allow my children go through school and for them to also have food.

As someone who did not have a source of income to now owning a few animals which I am currently trying to rear, Givedirectly has given me a purpose. I have been able to educate my children, who have just recently started school, I have bough some animals such as goats and also bough food and clothes from the cash received. I recently spent $40 from my transfers on school fees, I spent $38 on goats and chicken, I also spent $14 on clothes. We were also able to get some food at $8.

My plan for the coming year and beyond is straightforward yet crucial for my future and that of my children. I intend to continue tending to my goats and chickens diligently, nurturing them with care and attention. By next year, I aim to sell some of them to raise funds for college. My dream is to enrol in a beauty therapy course, a field I'm passionate about. I believe that acquiring skills in this area will not only open doors to job opportunities but also provide me with the option to become self-employed. With my dedication and hard work, I'm confident that I can excel in this field and create a better life for myself and my family. Ultimately, this empowerment will enable me to provide the best possible care for my children as they pursue their own studies, ensuring a brighter future for us all.

My dream has always been to provide my children with the opportunities I never had. With the recent cash transfer, I took a step closer to realizing this dream by investing in their education. Paying the $35 school fees for my two younger children filled me with pride, knowing that each day they spend in school is a step towards a brighter future. Alongside this investment in their education, I ventured into animal husbandry, purchasing a goat and two chickens. As they multiply, I see the potential for this small investment to grow into something substantial, providing additional income for our family. Acknowledging the importance of self-care amidst responsibilities, I indulged in a small luxury for myself, purchasing a dress to uplift my spirits. Enhancing my appearance is not merely vanity but a testament to my resilience in the face of adversity. Lastly, with the remaining funds, I secured the most basic yet essential necessity: food. As a family of four, this provision alleviated the burden on my husband, a casual labourer, and myself. With each decision guided by our aspirations for a better tomorrow, the impact of the cash transfer extends beyond material possessions, weaving a tapestry of hope and determination for our family's future.

I have two goals I hope to accomplish with this transfers. I would love to get my children through school. My husband is the one who is employed as a casual labourer while I am a farmer. His pay is sometimes delayed and this means I end up covering coast for important things like school fees for our children. My goal is to ensure this cash gives my children the chance to go through school. I also would love to start tailoring classes, I plan to use this cash to start of on the training so I am able to make an income for my family.

I am a mother of three young one with my second born having joined school recently in January. Most of my transfers go to taking care of my children's education. In November paid school fees of $10, in January I paid $4 to a kindergarten for my child's admission fee while paying that terns school fees of $15 and I also paid for my oldest $8 in school fees. I have also used this cash to buy animals, in November I got 4 chicken at $10 and a goat in December at $20. Food has also been something this cash transfers have given me an access to, spending $14 on food in November and a similar amount in December while in January I only spent $6.

I am on a journey to teach myself hairdressing while managing my animals at home. My goal is to save enough money by selling my goats and chickens to kickstart my own salon. This venture is not just for me; it's a path that will bring opportunities and benefits to both myself and my family.

I decided to enrich my chicken flock, increasing it from twelve to a proud fourteen, with the addition of three new feathered companions. I invested $10 wisely to buy new chicken into the existing ones. With three children to care for, one of them diligently in primary school, I made a thoughtful choice of spending $10 from the transfers to ensure my child is still in school by paying his school fees. The remaining amount of $14 was put to excellent use as I indulged my cherished children with a heavy meal. It was a well-considered decision that balanced our needs and desires perfectly.

I'm planning and hopeful that I will be able to buy cows and more goats. I believe they will be a source of income and this will bring financial freedom. I'm also planning to go to college. I have always had interest in beauty and hairdressing, and my main aim would to learn and perfect the skills so that soon I can open a business. Learning would cost me kshs.1500 every month and I will have to be in school for at least three months. I'm equally focusing on educating my children to the highest level of education. Currently the eldest child is the only in school since the others haven't reached the school going age. I'm hopeful that we will be able to continue paying school fees without any struggles

I have always wanted to rear chicken. For the first time, I bought 3 hens and 2 cockerels each costing kshs.200. That was a total of kshs.1000. The whole idea was to have the chicken hatch and increase in number. I got 15 chicks and shortly after I sold the hens and the cockerels at kshs.500 each. I then topped-up the amount and bought a goat at kshs.3500. I later sold another hen at kshs.500 and paid my child's school fees. My child had been returned home due to fees arrears. I'm so happy and I felt relieved that atleast I could afford to pay the amount. I'm currently doing farming, where I'm have planted maize, vegetables and green grams. I bought maize seeds worth kshs.2000 planting them on 2 acres piece of land. In addition to these, I bought vegetable seeds and green grams seeds worth kshs.400. This has really helped my household, since we never run short of food at home. I'm glad that I have found solution to my daily struggles. Life has become bearable and my household is at peace.

My top goal this year will be making sure I can afford to pay my son's tuition, who just so happens to be enrolled in school. Fees have been a fairly consistent concern for my kid in the past, so I want to make sure that he won't have to deal with them this year and can finish his academic year uninterrupted. Since I personally don't have a job and my husband's job doesn't pay well either, I am hoping that I will be able to utilize this money to address this issue since nutrition has also been a chronic concern as a result of the drought. Last but not least, I'm also planning to purchase a few farm animals, such as goats and poultry.

My three children and I solely rely on my husband, a casual worker at a tent production company, for provision. He makes at most $60 bi-weekly, which cannot cover anything beyond the basics, such as food. This is is due to the high cost of living. By the time I received the cash transfer, Christmas was first approaching and his employer had delayed paying him. I deducted $22 from the transfer to shop for food ahead of the celebrations. Thanks to the transfers, my family enjoyed a change of diet on Christmas. Finally, I spent the remaining amount on four chickens, which increased my flock to ten. I aim to trade some of the chickens, when they mature, for a goat. Having a herd with a blend of livestock would grant me more financial security during needy times. 

I love the fact that GiveDirectly offered to give us unconditional cash. The level of liberation from poverty that the project has resulted in our village is immeasurable. I had given up the dream of joining college because my parents could not afford the fee arrears I owe the school that has led the school to hold back my certificates. Thank God, I am hopeful that I will soon raise the required money, courtesy of GiveDirectly. Everyone in the village is thankful for the support and I have not heard of any complaints.

We have five children who are all in school, and we all depend on my spouse who works as a casual worker in one of the companies in town. I believe that his salary is not enough to sustain our needs because of how often I see him struggle and at times, end up in debts. When I received both the first and second transfer, I bought five chickens for rearing. They will be beneficial in the future after they have reproduced. I also bought foodstuffs worth KES 2000 and cleared the school fee arrears of KES 500 for my son who is in preschool. All these would not have been possible without the support, and we are thankful.

I was actually on my way to bed that evening when the money came in and I was over the moon especially because I didn't expect that money at the time and I really needed it so it felt as though my prayers have been answered.

Tuition was one of my biggest challenges and still is from time to time but I was really glad that this money came in at the right moment and I was finally able to pay and my kid immediately went back to school.

The following day after receiving the funds my child was sent back home due to failure in settling the debt in tuition so I ended up paying KES 500. Afterwards I decided to use some part of the balance and I ended up buying a hen making me have three which I planned to invest in poultry farming. As for the other part of the balance which was KES 370 I decided to use it on nutrition so I bought a one kilogram of rice, half a kilogram of sugar, bread and cooking oil.