Looking ahead, I have a piece of land, and my goal is to build a house on it. Over the next year and beyond, I plan to purchase building materials and start construction. To make this happen, I will save part of my future transfers and set that money aside for the materials. I also plan to put away some of the profits from my business to contribute towards this goal. I’m incredibly thankful for the financial support, as it has allowed me to take care of my family with ease and improve our quality of life.

I run a small business buying and selling hens at the market. Before receiving the transfers, my business was struggling, but thanks to the financial support, I’ve been able to inject more capital into it and make better profits. I'm proud to say that the income from the business now allows me to take care of my family's needs much more easily. Recently, I invested $45 to purchase more hens, which helped me increase my profit margin, and I'm happy with how the business is doing. I also used the remaining $57 to buy food for my family, ensuring that we always had enough to eat. We've never had to go to bed hungry, even during these challenging economic times. I’m deeply grateful for the financial support, which has not only helped me provide for my family but also improved our overall living conditions.

My main goal for the coming year is to build a rental house on the plot of land I already own. This is a dream I've had for a long time, and now, with the earnings from my chicken-selling business and upcoming transfers, I see it becoming a reality. Each month, I carefully set aside a portion of my profits, knowing that every small saving brings me closer to my dream. I also plan to save a part of the GiveDirectly transfer to contribute to this goal, as I believe the house will be a long-term investment that can provide a steady income for my family. Furthermore, I see this rental house as the foundation for a brighter and more secure future, where I can rely on its income to support my children's education and our daily needs.

I am a father of four children, and my priority is ensuring their basic needs are met and they receive a good education. To achieve this, I run a chicken vending business, buying and selling chickens during market days. With the last three transfers amounting to $102, I paid $45 in school fees for my four children. They had significant balances, and I didn’t want them to be sent back home. It was a relief to see them stay in school, knowing that their education was secure. With the remaining $57, I decided to strengthen my chicken vending business. Each month, I’ve been using $19 to buy more chickens to sell during market days. This investment has paid off, allowing me to keep the business running smoothly and provide more consistently for my family. The extra income from this business has been a great help in meeting our daily needs, and I am grateful for the support that made it possible.

The transfers presents a golden opportunity to fuel the growth of my chicken business, paving the way for increased returns that will bolster my family's well-being. Injecting these funds into the business fills me with optimism, knowing that each investment propels us closer to our goals which is to be able to support my children education and household items. As the business thrives and expands, so does my ability to provide for my loved ones. It's not just about financial gain; it's about building a legacy of support and security for my family, a mission that drives me forward with unwavering determination.

I've been in the chicken buying and selling business for some time now, and my biggest dream has always been to see it grow. Recently, I took $45 from a transfer and invested it back into the business. Witnessing its expansion has brought me immense joy and satisfaction. With the remaining $57 from the transfer, I made sure my family wouldn't have to worry about going hungry by purchasing enough food to keep their bellies full. It's a wonderful feeling to not only see my business thrive but also to provide for my loved ones in such a meaningful way.

I am presently in the process of building a house at my residence. The construction of the walls has been completed, leaving only the roofing to be done. My intention is to utilize the upcoming transfers to procure the necessary quantity of iron sheets, thereby completing the construction of the house that will serve as the residence for my three young children. I express great joy and appreciation for the support I have received through the transfers thus far.

In the previous year, I had two children enrolled in secondary school – the elder completing his final year, while the youngest commenced his first year. I allocated $34 to cover their respective school fees. As the new year commenced, only one child remained in secondary school, and I disbursed another $34 to ensure his educational needs were met. Furthermore, I invested $34 in purchasing hens for my business, where I specialize in buying and selling them at a profit in the market. However, the business poses challenges, notably the occasional scarcity of hens. During such periods, sales decline, and meeting my family's needs becomes a challenge. The financial support from Give Directly has proven crucial in addressing these immediate needs, and I am grateful for the assistance it provides.

One of my primary aspirations is to expand my poultry-selling business by investing more resources into it. This endeavor necessitates acquiring additional funds and purchasing a larger quantity of hens, as doing so will enable me to generate higher profits when selling them at an increased price. I am delighted that the unconditional transfers from Give Directly will provide me with the means to realize this goal. With the knowledge and experience I have gained over the past two years, I am confident in my ability to overcome the significant challenges associated with occasionally struggling to source an adequate number of hens from various buyers. This experience will serve as a valuable asset, facilitating my growth and success in the poultry-selling industry.

As the sole provider for my family of seven, which includes my wife and five children, I engage in the buying and selling of poultry birds, particularly hens, in order to generate profit. However, the earnings I make from this venture are insufficient to cover the increasing expenses associated with my growing family. Nonetheless, I am extremely grateful that the funds from the transfers have provided some relief, allowing me to address several important expenditures, such as paying school fees for my children. For instance, I allocated $34 to cover the school fees of my eldest son, who is currently in fourth grade. Unfortunately, he was temporarily expelled from school and spent four days at home, unable to attend his studies. I am relieved that he has been readmitted and is now able to continue his education. In addition, I directed $30 towards boosting my chicken-selling business, enabling me to purchase more birds and increase my potential profits. Lastly, I allocated the remaining $38 to purchase food for my family. With the limited income I earn, it has always been a challenge to provide daily meals for my family. However, thanks to the transfer money, my family had the assurance of regular meals and never went hungry. The financial support from the transfers has been instrumental in alleviating some of the burdens I face as the sole breadwinner, enabling me to fulfill my responsibilities as a provider and ensuring the well-being and education of my children.

My aim for the next few years is to purchase at least four cows. These cows will serve multiple purposes, such as assisting with plowing exercises on our farm and potentially being hired out to others for additional income. I also aim to expand my business further, focusing on buying and selling chickens. I have six children, five of whom are currently attending school. Unfortunately, one of my children has been unable to join secondary school for the past two years due to financial constraints. By growing the business, I hope to earn more and be able to enroll my son in high school, as I support his siblings. 

As the sole provider for my family, I rely on buying and selling chickens during market days to make a living. Whenever I receive cash transfers, my priority is to expand my business. This is the only way I can increase my profits and better support my wife and six children. In line with this, I recently used $15 from the transfer to purchase more chickens. I am pleased to see that my business is progressing and growing exponentially. Also, I allocated $19 for food, which has served my family for the last two weeks. In the remaining weeks, I will rely on the profits generated from my business. 

I have always desired to build a 12-room rental structure in my compound that would help generate a stable income to support the needs of my family. I believe that this rental business would do well because my home is located close to the road and trade center. However, financial constraints have weighed so much on me that it has been difficult to save on this goal. I estimated the construction cost to be around $8000, which I cannot raise given the nature of my income and obligations. Am still hopeful that this vision will actualize in a few years to come. 

I operate a business of buying and selling chickens to provide for my wife and seven children. Whenever I receive the transfer, I find it important to direct part of the money towards the growth of the business to increase profits. From each of the recent three transfers, I have channeled $15 towards the practice. Am glad that I have started realizing some growth. Unlike before, I now successfully make sales thrice a week, generating at least $22 in total profit. Though the cost of living is higher now, this amount at least puts a meal on the table daily. The remaining $19 from each of those three transfers went towards the purchase of food. At least this ensured my family enjoyed regular meals for three weeks in a row. I could never be more grateful. 

For most of the seasons, I am a farmer growing maize, cowpies leaves, and green grams. But during the drought season that we are currently facing, it is expensive to get water for irrigation. I have ventured into a new business, burning timber for charcoal and selling it at $5 a sack. I have eight children that depend on me and it has been difficult to pay school fees for all of them at once. Most days the school sends them home and they miss a lot in school. I use Givedirectly money to buy food for them as I save money to pay other bills.

We were on the literal brink of starvation before getting enrolled into the program and receiving the funds. Thankfully the unconditional use of the funds have enabled us to not only take care of nourishment but also keep our children on school. I commend the program for coming to our rescue.

Nutrition is one of the things I try my best to ensure my family has especially since it is quite challenging because of drought. Therefore upon receiving the funds I instantly went ahead to purchase ten packets of maize flour for KES 1,400 and four kilograms of beans for KES 480 since they was barely in food on the house and were it not for me receiving the cash when I did, we would have probably gone to bed on an empty stomach that evening. I still haven't used the balanced that remained which is KES 1,120, but I plan on using the transfers to pay to tuition for my children especially since I owe KES 10,000 for the one in high-school and about KES 4,000 for the other four in elementary.

I was at home having dinner when I heard the message notification tone. I immediately reached out for my phone. My face shrunk for a moment because I couldn’t believe that I had received some funds. With so much excitement. I shared my phone with my sons to have a glance at the miracle of the day. The night was interesting, for we were happy and giggled a lot with my sons that night.

The difference in my daily life is that since I have got the funds, I can easily depend on the consistent flow of income which will come in handy when my charcoal business is on the low. The funds also give me an opportunity to explore my capabilities in poultry and goat farming. initially before drought and famine had kept some goats which I sold to support my family with food and pay school fees for my children.

I am a peasant farmer who mainly survives on maize farming. The change in climate in the last two seasons has left farmers in awe of the outcome, hence forcing us to seek other ways to provide for our families. Working as a charcoal burner is the only way I saw fit to support my family of seven members. The biggest challenge has been paying school fees and buying food for my children as the current situation is having enough bags of charcoal but without customers since the month of February. I used my transfer of KES 2000 to pay the school fees arrears of KES 12,000 for my son, who is almost finishing his high school. I spent the remaining KES 1000 on food, which at least would last my family the next three days as I seek an alternative on the dead stock.