My main focus is to make sure my kids get a good education, so I consistently set aside part of my income for their schooling. I also want to ensure they have nutritious meals because it's important for their well-being. I plan to use some of my income to expand my livestock, including chickens and goats, and take good care of them so that they can multiply. This investment will serve as a future source of income to support my children's education. Ultimately, my children's well-being depends on having access to food and education, and making sure these needs are met brings me great joy. Additionally, I want to maintain my poultry and goat projects as they are essential for my future financial stability. The income support I receive will end in about five years, so I need to invest wisely to avoid falling back into the level of poverty I was in before.

I have five school-going children, and as we rely on small-scale farming, the income we receive is not enough to comfortably support my family. This is because most seasons our crops don’t do well due to lack of sufficient rain, or even no rain at all in some seasons. When I received my most recent transfer, I used $20.50 to purchase food for family consumption, as we were running low on supplies. I realized it is very important to have enough food in the house because it gives parents peace of mind. Seeing your child come home from school and having nothing to cook is not easy. Since I have some school fees arrears, I spent $10 to pay school fees for all five of my children to prevent them from being sent home for fee balances. With the remaining cash, I spent $16 on body oil and bathing soap, as we had run out of these essentials. Additionally, I used $5 to pay for my medication, as I was feeling unwell. Finally, I allocated $15 to buy a school uniform and a pair of shoes for my son. The remaining $5 was used to purchase a spray for my sick cows.

My priority is to ensure my school-going children receive a good education, so I continue to allocate part of my transfers for their schooling. It is also essential to provide them with nutritious meals because a full stomach makes children happy and I intend to achieve this using part of the transfers. Additionally, I plan to use my transfers to expand my livestock, both chickens and goats, and ensure they are well cared for to multiply in number. This investment in livestock will provide a future income source to support my children's education. Ultimately, my children's happiness revolves around having access to food and education, and ensuring these needs are met brings me great joy.

The transfers came at a perfect time, as I had just welcomed a new member into my family. To facilitate my stay at the hospital and transport back home, I spent $5, and I am happy to have returned home safely with my baby. My newborn needed clothes, so I spent $2 on some new clothes for the baby. I also have a child who is epileptic, and we get medical services and medicine from the KEMRI medical facility at no cost, but we have to cover the transportation costs. I spent $6 on transport to the hospital to get the necessary medicine for my child. Once we were home, we had run out of food, so I used $9 to buy groceries for my family to ensure we wouldn't go hungry. Additionally, my children needed their school fees paid, as well as school supplies, uniforms, and shoes. I spent $40 of my transfers to cover all these school essentials, and I am happy that my children are now in school with everything they need. To support cleanliness in our home, I bought detergents and body oil using $3 of the transfers. Finally, to invest in livestock, I spent $8 to buy chickens, hoping they will multiply so I can trade them for goats. I also bought a goat for $29, hoping it will multiply and increase in number. Together with the goats acquired through trading chickens, I plan to use them in the future to fund my children's education.

My foremost priority remains ensuring the fulfillment of my children's educational requirements, including timely payment of school fees and provision of necessary resources to support their continuous attendance. Alongside this commitment, I am dedicated to addressing our household's essential needs, ensuring a stable and nurturing environment for my family. Additionally, I remain focused in my goal of expanding my livestock holdings, recognizing the potential for future financial security and flexibility that this endeavor offers. By strategically adding to my herd, I aim to cultivate a sustainable source of income that can be tapped into in times of urgent financial need. This forward-thinking approach shows my dedication to securing the well-being and stability of my family, both in the present and for the future.

Managing the educational needs of my five children in school has been a primary focus of the transfers I receive. These funds are predominantly allocated towards covering expenses such as school uniforms, fees, and stationery, ensuring that my children's education remains uninterrupted. Additionally, the transfers have played a crucial role in supplementing the modest income generated from my small business ventures, particularly in hairdressing, thereby helping to sustain our household's basic needs. Moreover, through strategic planning, I have successfully expanded my assets. One notable achievement is the acquisition of four goats, which I accomplished through a methodical process. Initially, I focused on poultry farming, rearing chickens with the intention of eventually leveraging them into goats. Through a humble yet systematic approach, I gradually accumulated a sufficient number of chickens, which I then exchanged for goats. This initiative shows my commitment to resourcefulness and financial prudence, as well as my determination to secure a more stable and prosperous future for my family.

My primary objective for the upcoming year is to achieve financial stability through livestock rearing. I plan to invest in additional livestock, primarily focusing on goats and chickens, which I intend to raise until they reach maturity. Subsequently, I will sell them at a profit and utilize the earnings to cover my son's school fees and purchase the necessary books. This is especially crucial as he will be entering junior high school next year. I am genuinely content and happy with the progress I've made this year and am eagerly anticipating the opportunity to accomplish even more goals in the coming year.

My life has been a constant struggle since my husband, whom I relied on for everything, lost his job. To make ends meet, we resorted to the laborious task of digging out tree stumps and selling charcoal, which barely met the needs of my family of eight. However, I am delighted to share that our lives have taken a positive turn since I began receiving the transfers. By diligently saving my transfers through a savings club, I've been able to address various pressing needs, such as paying school fees, acquiring livestock, purchasing food, and even starting a small vegetable kiosk in my village. I used $45 to buy essential food supplies, as our previous season's harvest was not adequate. Another $25 was dedicated to purchasing uniforms and covering school examination fees for my children, given that their uniforms were torn and they were about to sit for end-of-term exams. The remaining $12 was used to provide treatment and medication for my son, who suffered from convulsions and required hospitalization. I am profoundly grateful to GiveDirectly for rekindling our hope and transforming our lives.

My primary goal for the coming year and beyond is to ensure that my children's studies are not halted due to financial constraints. It is been difficult raising school fees for my five children because I do not have a single source of income that can help me educate them right now. I rely solely on the monthly transfer to pay their fees on time, which has allowed them to continue their education. I have no other goals aside from this, and I am hopeful that with the money, they will not be sent home due to fees again.

I thank GiveDirectly because, without the transfer, my children would not be in school. I committed to paying $25 per month to reduce their fee arrears, allowing them to stay in school. As a parent, my hope is that they will achieve their educational objectives, which would not be possible if I had to pay on my own. I am relieved because I have plenty of time to plan for next term's fees. I also purchased new school uniforms for them because their old ones were tattered. I am also grateful because the transfer has allowed me to cover medical expenses for my epileptic son. He requires regular checkups and medication to treat his recurring seizures. I was able to provide for his medication, and he has received excellent care and treatment. Finally, after months of saving, the transfer enabled me to purchase some livestock, including a goat and two chickens. My goal is to raise them, let them multiply, and then use them to educate my five children.

My primary goal for this year is to spend my transfers on paying school fees for my children. I currently have six school-going children, and I have been stressed about how to support their education. With the assurance of the monthly transfers, I hope my burden to raise their school fees will be easened. I will, therefore, not have to bear the burdens as it has been before courtesy of the transfers. As a result, they will advance well in their education. I am happy to see that they are currently doing well in school.

Initially, I had a food kiosk though it recently collapsed owing to the myriad needs of my family. I had withdrawn all the business savings to seek medication for my youngest daughter who has been sickling. In addition, I had two children in PP1 and PP2 but did not have uniforms. With my recent transfers, I spent $10 on their school uniform. I also paid their fees of $12. The rest helped me to obtain food for my eight family members. I am glad that despite the fact I do not have a source of income, I was able to meet the needs of my family. I am so grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial support.

GiveDirectly is one of the many organizations that stands out in giving us support in terms of money. I also appreciate the fact that they call us and follow up with us to find out if we have received the cash, which is unique compared to other support programs. I cannot thank them enough for their support and kindness.

They employed my husband casually as a motorcycle rider. We have six children and one of them suffers from epilepsy, which takes up most of our funds at least to pay for his transport to a medical facility that offers free medical checkups every week. I use $10 for transport to and from for both of us and also lunch for him since the exercise takes the whole day. I am unemployed and mostly we depend on my husband’s source of income, which is unstable. He only earns if he leases the motorcycle and works only to share the larger part of his earnings with the owner of the motorcycle. Recently, with the prolonged drought, water has been our challenge, which means when buying food, we also have to include buying water. I have opted to buy borehole water, which is cheaper than tap water; I use it a week for at least $4 for 100ltrs of water every day. Tap water is expensive and $4 is enough for only a day’s consumption. My cash transfer of $18 was used in paying school fees, and I spent the rest of $12 on food and water for only one week. I am happy to be the beneficiary of these support programs because the funds have helped me manage some of the financial problems that were weighing me down.

It was late in the evening, around 7p.m, and I was staying around with my children. Unfortunately, whatever food was available that evening was insufficient for our family. However, we were forced to share whatever was available. When I found out about my transfer, I was overjoyed because I knew it would improve my life. After being assured of the transfer, I became interested in reviving my business, which had failed when my daughter became ill.

Since I received my transfer, I have witnessed a significant improvement in my daughter's life since part of the transfer helped me to obtain medicines for her. Seeing her stronger has sparked a desire for me to revitalize my business. I hope to save some money to use as capital to help my business get back on track. My husband will be relieved of all family responsibility when I resume my business work, despite the fact that what he earns is low and unpredictable. He is a tailor, and his business has been performing poorly in recent months, causing our family to struggle to meet basic needs such as food and school fees for our children.

I previously ran a food-related business. Unfortunately, it collapsed when one of my daughters became ill, and I had to attend to her. I diverted my attention to caring for her, so I was unable to engage in any income-generating activity. It happened two years ago, but the impact on my family is still felt today. As a result, when I received my transfer, I had no food, so I considered spending KES 1,000 on food. The remainder aided in the purchase of books and pain relievers. My family has recently felt better as a result of the transfer.