My dream is to build a new house. I have a three roomed house made out of mud. It is unfortunate that our house is now falling apart. I need to get a house that can withstand both wind and rain. This means only a stone house which we will need about $1000 to start the construction. My husband and I are saving towards this goal and we hope we can have this starting up by the beginning of the next week.

I would never in my wildest dreams dreamt of owning animals to rear. Givedirectly transfers have allowed those like myself who dud not make much and could not own animals on our own earnings own animals. I have been able to buy a goat and a sheep at $47 from my most recent transfers increasing my number of goats and sheep to four. I was also able to buy my children new sets of uniform as they were constantly being harassed for having old worn out uniform at $20 for four of them. This cash also allowed me to buy them some books at$2 and some food at at $6.

In the coming year and beyond, my biggest dream is to build a strong and secure house for my family. Our current home is not very stable, especially during the harsh winds and rains in our area. It's been a constant worry, but now I'm determined to change that. I want to create a safe environment where my family can feel protected and comfortable, no matter what the weather brings. So, I'm setting my sights on saving up to make this dream a reality.

With the recent transfer I received, I made sure my children could take their end-of-term exams by paying $24 for their school fees. It was crucial for their education, and I couldn't risk them missing out. Then, I spent $14 to buy new school uniforms for two of my kids whose old ones were torn. Seeing them happy and confident in their new uniforms filled my heart with joy. Another $9 went into purchasing sugar, ensuring my children could have tea every morning before heading off to school, keeping them energized for the day ahead. For the future, I invested $35 wisely. I bought a goat for $30 and a hen for $5, seeing them as assets that would provide for my family down the road. With the remaining $20, I decided to save it in a merry-go-round, aiming to secure our future. As casual laborers, my husband and I often struggled to find consistent work, making it challenging to support our family of nine. But now, with the support from GiveDirectly, we have a glimmer of hope for a more stable future.

I have 3 school going children, one in grade 6, another in grade four and the other in grade two. My husband and I both sell charcoal to make ends meet. This business of selling charcoal has been greatly affected by the drought and then the heavy rainfall. We have an almost nonexistent income with school going children. It is difficult to predict if we will be able to cater for their schooling but we hope through the transfers we can get them through school and also buy a number of chicken that can be sold to make an income to be used to educate my children.

My transfer in September went into the purchase of a goat at $2900. I used the rest of the money $4 to transport the goat home and got sugar $2. I also bought a mattress for my kids which is now replacing the old and torn mattress. It was transported home at $5. In November I got two pairs of shoes and I also got fabric to sew new uniform for my children.

In the upcoming year and beyond, my main goal is to utilize my monthly transfers to make substantial investments in livestock. By acquiring livestock, I can establish a sustainable source of income that will persist even after the financial aid concludes. My ultimate aim is to leverage the income generated from selling livestock to provide education for my five children, who still have a considerable journey ahead to complete their schooling.

During the previous term, my children had to attend school wearing worn-out and torn uniforms. However, with the financial assistance I received in August, I was able to allocate $20 to purchase brand new school uniforms for them. Today, their faces were filled with excitement as they proudly put on their new uniforms and headed off to school for the new term. In addition to buying the uniforms, I utilized the remaining $14 to purchase stationery items for my five children. The twins, who are the eldest, are in class five, while the others are in classes three, one, and nursery respectively. The stationery items included 32-page exercise books, pens, pencils, and erasers for each of them. As a mother, it brings me immense joy to know that my children will have a positive experience as they begin the third term at school. In the past, we were burdened with debt, and most of my income was spent on basic necessities like food and water due to our challenging circumstances. I am incredibly grateful for the financial support that has allowed me to take care of my family and provide for their education.

Five years ago, I used to sell sardines during market days, where I made at least $50 in weekly profit. I would mostly spend this income on school fees as most of the food came from our farm. Things were catching up well until the drought kicked in, which impaired the growth of food crops. As a result, I started spending more money on food, which eventually depleted my capital. Life became tough. The only hope for survival sat in the hands of my husband, who actively made charcoal for our sustenance. I feel like the responsibility burden is weighing more on him by the day and I wish I would support him more. This is why I want to revive my business of selling sardines. Despite the financial constraints, I hope to accumulate savings of at least $90 to buy my initial stock. 

There are no words to describe the excitement I feel when I receive my monthly cash transfers. As a mother of six children, my happiness and satisfaction come from meeting their needs, especially food, and education. Even though their father works hard to provide for us through charcoal burning and selling sardines, the little he makes from these activities barely covers all needs. Thankfully, through the cash transfers, I have been able to actively contribute; recently I used $15 to settle school fees for five of my children. Ever since I started getting the funds, my children have never missed a day of school, which brings so much relief. Next, I used $14 to buy a sheep, bringing the number to four sheep. I prefer to rear sheep more than any other animal because they have the shortest gestation period, with the ability to give birth at least thrice a year. I hope that by the time my two children are joining junior high school next year, I will be able to sell these animals to raise school fees. I spent the remaining amount of food to boost the little that was left in stock, which bought time for my husband to look for more. 

Despite the significant financial demands of the ongoing projects in my household, I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the consistent support that has increased my confidence in planning ahead. I am currently building a new house that is still lacking doors and final furnishings. On the other hand, I am also paying primary school fees for my four children and hope to enroll our youngest son in nursery school classes this year. In addition, I am looking forward to generating additional income by restarting the fish business that I was operating before my stock ran out. I will be able to pay my four children's school fees and buy food for the entire family of eight with the proceeds from the business.

For the past three months, I have been relieved from the burden and stress of raising school fees for my five school-going children. Every month, I set apart $10 to offset their fee arrears. I am overjoyed that my children have been able to learn comfortably from the transfer. There is a total change that I am experiencing which was not so before. Unfortunately, I used to struggle to raise fees. With some of the transfers I received in the last three months, I managed to look for some money and built a 20 iron-sheet roofed house. My family could not stay comfortably in the previous house because it was too small and in a bad state. We were sleeping in an old structure with grass inside because there was nowhere for them to spend. I am so appreciative of GiveDirectly.

The current house we have is on the verge of falling. The better part of the wall has fallen off, and we are afraid it might fall and harm us. Besides, our security is not guaranteed with the fallen wall. We are planning to construct a single room since the income we earn from casual labor is not enough to facilitate the construction of a bigger one. I, therefore, spent KES 3700 on four pieces of iron sheets, timber, and nails which we are soon using to construct the house. We shall use the single house in the meantime as we raise money for extending it. KES 1000 I used to purchase 3 chickens for rearing so that I can sell some of them in the future to raise money for my children's school fees. I bought my family 10 kilograms of corn flour and other foodstuffs at KES 2600. We had nothing in the house and raising money for food has been a challenge because we do not have a reliable source of income. My spouse and I are casual laborers who earn us little money (KES 200 per day). Moreover, at times we take up to 2 weeks before we can get another job which translates to sleeping hungry or skipping meals. Besides that, I spent the remaining KES 700 to pay school fees for my children to clear the fee balance arrears.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly is incredibly effective at alleviating poverty. It provides financial assistance to the poorest people of society without any strings attached. Many people benefit from the financial assistance it provides, which helps them improve their living standards. For example, life in our neighborhood has greatly improved since I started working there. I have not yet noticed anything GiveDirectly does not really do well.

My husband and I solely rely on the sale of charcoal to support ourselves. Unfortunately, there is currently no ready market for charcoal. We are often compelled to skip meals since we are unable to sell charcoal for a living. My family had no food on the day the transfer was sent, and we had no expectation of a source of income. When I learned I had received my transfer, I decided to spend the entirety of my transfer on food that would last us a month. I am delighted that, despite the fact that I may not be able to readily sell the charcoal we made, we can still sit down and eat a meal together as a family.

It was one early morning while I was on my way to my normal work routine.I was not expecting any call when I had my phone vibrate.I was filled with joy when I read the Mpesa message and in contentment I left everything as it was and rushed home to make merry with my family.

The biggest difference brought by this transfer in my life is my living standard has been uplifted and my deepest fantasies have come to life. It has been my dream to have a different job and retire from the charcoal business. Goat farming is one of my aspirations actualized and I believe with the support program am able to multiply my investment and rely on this business to support my basic needs like paying school fees for my children and providing food for them.

Life has been quite a struggle with my husband and we have been working as charcoal burners.Our source of income has not been consistent because charcoal is produced by burning wood in the absence of air and its a complex process that consumes time and energy.On weekly basis we have only managed to make as little as KES 800 which is not enough especially with the large family of seven members.Upon receiving this cash transfer I spent a large part of my transfer of KES 2000 in buying a Doe because I have a plan of leaving charcoal business and starting goat farming.Due to financial issues we have been going through I used the remaining KES 1000 to buy food which would last my family for the next one week.