My primary goal right now is to build a two-room house for my family. The current house has only two small rooms, which barely accommodate my family of six. We’ve been squeezing into this space for a long time, and I feel it’s time my children have the privacy they need, especially now that they are growing up. To achieve this goal, I already have 12 iron sheets, but I need at least 20 to complete the construction. I plan to purchase the remaining materials using funds from my upcoming transfers, savings from the small business I run, and additional support from my husband. I believe that once this dream becomes a reality, it will bring my family the comfort and happiness we’ve been missing for so long. As a mother, completing this house will not only restore my dignity but also bring me a sense of fulfillment that has eluded me for years.

Over the past few months, I have developed a strategy to save at least $20 in one of the savings groups in my village. My goal is to accumulate enough cash to eventually buy goats in large numbers. I aspire to have a thriving herd of goats on my compound. Since I don’t currently have the money to purchase them outright, I believe this saving plan will eventually make my dream a reality. I chose goats because they suit my region’s favourable weather conditions and reproduce quickly. This makes them a reliable investment for the future, especially in case I face financial challenges. One of my main priorities is ensuring I can pay school fees for my children. Both my husband and I lack permanent jobs, so we cannot fully depend on our income to meet our children’s needs. I have five children still in school, one in secondary school and four in primary. Recently, I used $20 from a cash transfer to pay their fees on time. I had been warned that they might be sent home if the arrears were not settled, so I am incredibly relieved and grateful that they can now attend school without interruptions. Additionally, I used $12 to buy food, as feeding my family has been an ongoing challenge. The recent drought has severely affected our farms, leaving us without a harvest. On top of this, I spent $4 to buy a nice dress for myself. It has restored my self-esteem, as my older clothes were worn out and no longer presentable. Finally, with the remaining $6, I bought some chickens I now keep at home. I hope they will multiply quickly, providing a dependable source of income or food in case of an emergency.

The house we're currently living in is small and cannot accommodate us comfortably. Despite it being a two-room house, the rooms are incredibly cramped. As a family, we have set a goal of building a more spacious home that will provide us with the living space we need. To achieve this, we plan to buy building materials in bits every month once we receive our transfers, using a portion of the funds for this purpose. Although it will take us longer to complete the construction process, we have hope that we will finally be able to move into our new, more comfortable home. Once the house construction is complete, I intend to continue using a portion of the transfers to buy more goats. I am hopeful that these animals will multiply and increase in number and value over time. In the future, I can then sell them to support my family's needs. In addition to the livestock investment, I also want to use another portion of the transfers to expand my food-selling business. By reinvesting in this venture, I can increase its revenue and further support my family's well-being.

The transfers from GiveDirectly came in at a very important time when I was stranded because my daughter had been sent home to collect school fees and I did not have money to give her to go back to school. To ensure she could return to school, I allocated $30 of the transfers to pay her fees. Additionally, I spent another $8 to pay for my other children's school fees, ensuring they would not be sent back home to collect fees. I then used $34 of the transfers to buy a goat, with the hope that it will multiply and increase in number and value over time. In the future, I plan to sell these goats and use the proceeds to help take care of my family and support my children's education. Also, we currently live in a small, two-roomed house, and I have always wished to expand it to accommodate all of us comfortably. To achieve this, I have been buying building materials gradually because I couldn't afford to buy them all at once due to their high cost. Recently, I spent $26 of the transfers to buy iron sheets, which will help with the expansion. Finally, I spent the remaining $4 of the transfers to buy food for my family, supplementing what we already had. This investment ensures that my family has access to the sustenance they need to stay healthy and strong.

The house we're currently living in is small and it cannot accommodate us comfortably. Despite it being a two rooms house, the rooms are so small. Currently, we have a goal of building a more spacious house as a family. We're planning to buy building materials in bits every month once we get our transfers using a portion of it. Though it will take us a longer time to achieve this, we have hope that we will finally complete the construction process. My husband provides taxi services to people using his motorcycle. With this work, he is able to pay school fees for our children and cater to some of our needs. Without GiveDirectly, I will not be able to help my spouse achieve this goal and it will take us more time since we will be depending on only one source of income to cater to all our needs.

My daughter was joining high school recently. Due to this, I spent $ 34 from my most recent transfer plus what my spouse had received to buy for her the school necessities that were needed since she was joining a boarding school. Aside from this, I am planning to start building a more spacious house for my family since the one we're currently living in is small and cannot accommondate us comfortably. With my recent transfers, I used $ 30 on buying three pieces of iron sheets and I am glad that so far, we've managed to buy eleven pieces. In addition, I used $20 in paying school fees for my four children in primary school school, used $10 to boost my grocery business in order to increase my profits and spent the remaining $4 on food after investing $ 4 on a hen.

Looking ahead, my objective is to build a new and bigger house. Our current house is quite small, with only two rooms, and these rooms are also small in size. The space is insufficient to accommodate my family, which includes six children, my husband, and myself. The children's room can only fit one bed, and for all six of them, it's quite cramped. My wish is to have a new two-room house where my husband and I can have our own space, and we'll let the children use the old house. I have already bought nine iron sheets from previous cash transfers, and my goal is to continue allocating funds whenever possible to purchase more building materials for the house.

I'm extremely thankful for the cash transfers because they have been a crucial support, filling a gap that my husband and I might have struggled to bridge. His job as a motorbike taxi rider and my small business of making and selling donuts often don't generate enough income to cover our basic needs, particularly when it comes to the school fees for our six children. Most of the cash transfers have been primarily allocated to this purpose in the last three months. I used $49 from the cash transfers to pay various school fees for the children, including boarding, meals, and tuition fees. I'm delighted that the children have been able to continue their education without interruptions, and they are making good progress in school.  Additionally, I managed to save $20 through a savings club, specifically for my eldest daughter, Mvera, who is currently in grade eight and will be joining high school next year. My goal is to accumulate enough funds to cover her admission fees when the time comes. I also invested $14 to boost my small business, which led to an increase in profits. I'm pleased that my weekly profit doubled from $3 to $6, making it easier for me to provide for my family. Moreover, I used some of the cash transfers to purchase three chickens and pay for the plowing of my farm, as the rainy season had just begun, and I wanted to start planting. The cash transfers have made all of this possible, and I couldn't be more grateful.

With the wellbeing and comfort of my six children in mind, I embarked on a mission to construct a new house. The current dwelling, though lacking in space, inspired me to create a better living environment for my beloved family. Determined to provide them with the comfort they deserve, I meticulously purchased the necessary items to bring this vision to life. The dream is to build a spacious two-room house, a place where my children can thrive and feel at ease. Through my unwavering dedication, I am taking concrete steps towards realizing this aspiration and creating a home where my children can truly flourish.

As a proud mother of six amazing children, I prioritized their education by utilizing $15 from the transfers to pay for their school fees. Dividing the amount among my five school-going children, I ensured their educational journey continued with unwavering support. Additionally, I invested $15 in purchasing metal sheets, a crucial step towards realizing my upcoming project. With thoughtful consideration, I allocated the remaining $4 to provide nourishing food for my family, ensuring their well-being. Guided by love and determination, I embarked on a path of building a brighter future for my children and pursuing my own aspirations.

I started my business because I needed a source of income. I had stopped selling charcoal as now it takes quite a while before you get stumps to make charcoal. I started a business selling general groceries which has allowed me to get an income. My aim this year is to expand my business by making monthly addition to it from my GD transfers. I also believe that animals are a good way of making money. I want to be able to buy some more goats which I will trade later or trade their offsprings in case of need.

I used to be a charcoal seller and I did this for quite some time but due to the drought production went down and I stopped. I started a business selling vegetables. I spent $20 of my December transfers on this, and have been adding on to it in the subsequent months, I used $20 in January in the business and $9 in February in the business. I used the rest of the money to buy maize flour and toiletries and paying school fees for my children. In February I spent $25 for my five children. I bought maize flour which is our staple here at $12 in December, and $14 in January.

Give directly did well to provide the funds in my village because most of us have different challenges and the funds have supported us. I believe that in my family; the funds have covered the education of my children and provided us with food. Besides, I would have never thought of a business idea if they did not enroll me in the village.

My husband works as a motorcycle rider and later he bought the motorcycle through a hire purchase. The business has been on the low ever since we experienced the prolonged drought. I work as a charcoal burner to assist with the finances since all the money he makes has been going to pay for the Motorcycle. We have six children and it’s been a struggle to provide for them. As a woman, I joined a savings group to save some funds received. The savings group entails one saving $3 every week. Because of financial constraints, I used $15 to pay for my savings for the last five weeks and had not contributed and paid $5 towards school fees. The remaining cash was enough to buy my family a 4kg packet of maize flour and vegetables, which was food for the next two days.

That evening, around 8 p.m., I was cooking supper when I switched on my phone, which I had been recharging all day. It immediately buzzed with a message alert. Words cannot express how delighted I was when I confirmed that Give Directly had sent the first transfer. I was ecstatic. The money would take a substantial amount of responsibility pressure off my shoulders.

Skipping meals had become a routine in our household throughout the month, up until the day I received the transfer. We would fail to take lunch in order to save the little food that was available for dinner, so we would not go to bed hungry. The narrative changed after the transfer. I am thankful that my family has never skipped a meal since then; we eat all three (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).

As the breadwinner, my husband works as a motorcyclist to support the family.  Because of the inconsistency of his earnings, he sometimes comes home empty-handed, and we end up going to bed hungry. To help provide for the family, I take on charcoal burning, which generates about KES 1,200 every three weeks, which is still inadequate for sustenance given the tough economy. That is why I began raising poultry to let them breed, grow the flock, and later trade them for goats. When the goats multiply, I will be able to sell them and supplement our household income in times of need. So, I used the KES 600 transfer to buy two hens for this purpose. The remainder of the transfer was used to put food on the table. We had run out of maize flour that afternoon and had no means of obtaining food for the next day, so the transfer proved useful.