I save money through a merry-go-round group where we pool our contributions from January to December. At the end of the year, we receive the accumulated amount to enhance our living standards. This December, my plan is to use my share to start a boutique where I will sell official clothing for a profit. I have learned a lot from my neighbor, who owns a boutique, and I am confident I can succeed with the knowledge she’s shared. I estimate needing around $600 to launch the boutique, and I am hopeful that my savings will cover this amount. I plan to set up the shop in town, where there is a ready market for such products. I will ensure all necessary documentation is in place to comply with city regulations. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for their support, and I am excited about this opportunity. I believe starting this boutique will help me avoid the challenges of job hunting after I complete my studies.

I am a student at Kenya Coast National Polytechnic, pursuing a course in Office Administration. Whenever I receive my transfer, I allocate $30 to cover my hostel rent, ensuring I have a place to stay and am not at risk of eviction. I am also part of a savings group where I contribute $10 each month. We save from January to December and receive the accumulated amount at the end of the year. So far, I have saved $30 with the group. Last December, I used my share to buy a goat, and now I own five goats. I believe investing in goats is a smart move since they are resilient during droughts, can reproduce, and provide a source of income. Since I am focused on my studies and my parents are elderly, I hired someone to care for my goats. I paid the lady $30 for her dedicated work in managing and nurturing them, and they are thriving. With the remaining $12, I purchased food to sustain myself while in school.

Since I started saving part of my transfer a year ago, I know that by the time I finish college, I will have raised almost $600, which is my target. I plan to use the money I save to start a business after I finish college. I am counting the months because I will be finishing next year. Through asking and doing a little research, I think starting a boutique would be a good idea. Having this business will help me not to depend on people for financial support and will give me peace of mind as I look for employment. Once this business picks up well, I would also help my parents provide basic needs like school fees for my younger siblings. I appreciate this support since it helps me see that my future is bright, and I am optimistic to achieve my goals in life.

This transfer has greatly helped me meet my needs, especially while in college. It has made my stay in school much easier. When I received my most recent transfer, I used $30 to pay my house rent. Previously, my brother used to help me pay my rent, but now I can manage it myself through Give Directly transfers, which has given him some financial relief. With the remaining amount, I decided to save $60 in our savings group. As I am finishing college next year, I have planned to save a portion of my transfer to help me start a boutique business. This business will provide me with income to support myself before I secure employment, rather than relying on others for financial assistance now that I am a grown up. Finally, I spent the remaining $42 on buying food, which has helped me lead a healthy life. I am grateful to Give Directly for the financial support.

I had harbored the dream of attending a secretarial college ever since I graduated from high school in 2018. Thanks to the support from the cash transfers, I realized this dream when I enrolled in college last September. Given that my parents are not actively employed – my father being physically challenged and my mother serving as his caregiver – the responsibility of covering my tuition fees falls solely on my shoulders. My goal is to complete college within the two-year program without facing any struggles in paying tuition. I am optimistic that the cash transfers, supplemented by potential bursary funding, will enable me to manage my fees, which amount to at least $330 per semester. I believe that obtaining a college degree will pave the way for my dream job as a secretary and, in turn, help support my family in the future.

I completed high school in 2018, but due to a lack of funds, I couldn't pursue further education immediately. Both my parents are unemployed, and my father's physical vulnerability prevents him from working. My mother, focused on caring for my father, also couldn't engage in active work to provide for the family.  The initiation of cash transfers marked the beginning of a goal – saving enough money to enroll in a secretarial college. This dream became a reality last September when I joined college, thanks to the support from the cash transfers. Since then, a significant portion of the transfers at least $20 goes towards paying my school fees and covering my living expenses at the hostel. Additionally, I allocate $7 to compensate our herdsman for taking care of our family's livestock, including my three goats. Another $5 is set aside to purchase chicken feeds for the chickens back home. I'm grateful that, despite my physical absence, my livestock are well taken care of.

I want to join Teachers College in September 2023. I am really happy that I have saved enough that I can proudly join school. I had difficulties in joining school due to the fee but now, even if I don't have enough I still have something to start to get me started. I am planning to save enough to continue with my studies. Thanks to GiveDirectly, I believe I will have a bright future.

I am planning to join school in September this year. I completed my High School in 2018 and since then I have been at home. With the transfers, I have been saving $20 to be able to have my tuition fees. I also spent $4 in personal needs like sanitary pads and lotions so that it will boost my self confidence.I bought chicken feed using $9; currently have twenty chicken that gives me joy above everything else. The remaining amount of $1 added to my savings and I bought a goat. Thank you so much GiveDirectly.

After completing high school in 2018, I found myself without a clear path and remained at home. Recently, I secured a casual job, but unfortunately, it came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, I am eager to embark on a career in teaching, as it is a field in high demand and offers promising job opportunities. I am determined to gain the necessary qualifications and skills to enter the teaching profession and secure meaningful employment in this competitive market.

I am part of a merry-go-round savings group, where we save $10 per month. From the remaining funds, I allocate $10 to personally save to support my colleague's educational expenses, while $5 is used for my personal needs. Although I initially enrolled in Kilif College of Accountancy, I decided to stop pursuing my studies based on a warning from my brother. With the remaining amount of $9, I combined it with my existing savings and invested in purchasing a goat. This decision allows me to explore the potential of generating future income and achieving financial stability through livestock ownership. Through careful choices and seizing opportunities, I am working towards a brighter and more secure future for myself and my family.

My primary goal is to save for my college education. It will help open job opportunities for me so that I can be a self-reliant lady in the future. I carefully considered this goal since my mother is a peasant farmer and my father is a retired teacher. They are not able to adequately support the family by meeting its endless needs. Secondly, I would wish to boost the poultry farming that my mother and I initiated last year. Currently, we have 30 fowls though we aim to raise more.

With my recent transfer, I spent $25 on savings since I did my form four in 2018. I have never enrolled in any post-secondary education because my parents have been overwhelmed with the burden of catering to the educational needs of my younger siblings. I hope to join college soon. I opted for that because my parents are financially unstable, and we are a family of ten members (eight children). I would wish to do a course on accounting and management. The rest of the transfer I spent on buying food and other sanitary items. I opted to support my parents by contributing some money to food purchases.

Based on the way GiveDirectly operates, it does well by considering launching its operation in a poor village. The unconditional cash transfer has a positive impact on the lives of our community members. For instance, when one has a look in the village, many children have managed to go back to school and parents venturing into some businesses. In addition, people can afford food and this has improved our way of life. I have so far not observed what GiveDirectly does not do well. As a matter, most of the village members are always praising its way of work.

Since I have not yet spent my recent transfer, I am planning to spend it on paying my fees while joining a college. I have been longing to pursue a course in accounting. Since I was in high school, this has been my dream course. However, because both of my parents are unemployed, I could not rely on them. They struggle to support a large family of ten members because they primarily rely on selling charcoal. Despite being the fifth child, my two older siblings never advanced past form four because they had the same issue as me. The first and second siblings were the only ones to enroll in college.

I was washing my clothes at around 4 p.m. when I received the cash transfer confirmation message from Give Directly. A wave of excitement rushed over me because the transfer had been sent earlier than the anticipated date promised by the organization, which was September. It was a pleasant surprise.

After four years of waiting to join a teacher's college without success, I was not sure if my dream of becoming a primary school teacher would actualize. However, the tale changed once I received the cash transfer from Give Directly. My hopes were revived. With the monthly cash transfers, I can save up enough money, around KES 25,000, to enroll in the teaching course early next year. I have never been more optimistic about and determined towards achieving my goals.

My dream was to join a teacher’s college after I graduated from high school in 2018, but there were no finances to support my studies. To complete the teaching course, I am required to raise school fees worth KES 100,000. My two brothers, one working as a clinical officer and the other a mechanic, can only support the basic needs of the household, mostly school fees for my two younger brothers in form one. The cash transfer from Give Directly opened a door for me to pursue my further studies. I saved the entire transfer amount to implement this course. The goal is to raise at least KES 25,000 by January next year to earn admission to college.