In the coming year and beyond, I plan to open a shop selling colorful African fabric to help cover my school fees. With my mom selling charcoal and my dad supporting her, finances have been tight. I intend to buy African fabric in bulk and have my mother sell it for me, using the profits to fund my education. Additionally, I’m raising two goats and waiting for them to breed so I can sell the offspring and save for my future, as I aim to attend college. Next year, I also want to start buying pigs with part of my monthly transfers. I’m interested in pig rearing because they produce many piglets at once, and with proper care, they can provide a good income. I see this as an extra source of income to enhance my savings, which I plan to use to support my college education after finishing secondary school.

My parents make and sell charcoal to support my two siblings and me. Since this work doesn’t provide enough income for our family, I decided to help them when I started receiving financial support from GiveDirectly. Now, I pay my school fees and occasionally help buy food for the family. I’m in my third year of secondary school, and because I had some fee arrears, I used part of my recent transfer $34 to cover those costs. I’m very grateful to GiveDirectly, as these transfers have allowed me to stay in school without interruption. I also spent $34 on food for my family since we had nothing to eat when I received the transfer. With the remaining $34, I purchased building materials because I plan to build a pig pen. I intend to invest future transfers in buying pigs, which will be a financial investment for me once these transfers end.

I am eager to start my own shop of selling colorful African fabric, aiming to ease the burden of paying my school fees. With my mom selling charcoal and my dad currently unemployed, finances have been tight. My plan is to buy African fabric in bulk, have a trusted family member sell them for a profit, and use the earnings to fund my education. Alongside this venture, I also have two goats that I am raising and I am waiting for them to multiply so that I can sell them and raise enough money to support myself in the future, after I complete my studies and plan to join college.

I am currently a student at Kirumbi Girls' Boarding School, studying in Form Three. To ensure I wouldn't be sent home from school, I paid $60 to clear my school fees. Additionally, I spent $28 on essential items like sanitary towels, soaps, detergent, and sugar to sustain me throughout the term, keeping me active and focused on my studies. I also prioritize saving for my future education. I set aside $10 in my savings account, which will help me cover college expenses once I complete high school. With the remaining $14, I spent as my pocket money, purchasing things that I need from my school canteen.

First and foremost, I aim to invest in my future by purchasing land and constructing a home, and leave a legacy for my children. Currently, I'm setting aside part of the GivDirectly transfers to enable me continue with my education. To generate income, I've decided to focus on livestock rearing, as a sustainable source of income. Furthermore, I intend to buy a television, not just for entertainment but as a means to stay informed about global affairs. Lastly, I plan to engage in a small business within the village by purchasing items from town to resell as an additional source of income.

With $30 a portion of cash transfer I received from GiveDirectly in the last three months, I purchased livestock seeing them as potential sources of income. My plan is to rear them carefully, wait for them to reproduce, and then sell the male offspring. The proceeds from these sales will be my college fees. Growing up in a household where my father earns $2 when he finds work as a casual laborer, and my mother's income from selling charcoal fluctuates unpredictably, financial stability has always been impossible. With younger siblings who depend entirely on our parents' earnings, I feel a responsibility to contribute to the household while also striving for my own educational plans. I spent $30 of my monthly cash transfer to purchase food. This supports my parents' efforts ensuring there's food on our table. Additionally, I paid $42 of the cash transfer towards my school fees. Before GiveDirectly 's assistance, I would be sent back home for months due to lack of fees payments, putting my education on hold. It was a struggle, one that weighed heavily on me and my family. Now, thanks to the consistent support from GiveDirectly, I no longer face the uncertainty of being denied education and for this I am grateful.

My primary goal is to start a business that will not only provide for my family but also create an opportunity for my cousin to earn a living as I will employ her to run the business. I hope to generate a profit of $3.5 from every item sold. This will secure a more stable financial future for us all.Additionally, I plan to use some of my savings, around $42, to renovate my parent's house. The roof has been leaking for a while, and I want to them to live in a comfortable home. These cash transfers have given me the means to invest in my family's well-being and future.

Before GiveDirectly's monthly cash transfers, my family lived on the brink of despair. My mother, in charge of our school fees and school requirements, relied on a small business producing charcoal from tree burning. The income from this venture was never enough to cover our needs. My father, working as a casual laborer, did his best to support the household. However, we often went for days without food, and there were times I couldn't attend school for over a month due to lack of funds. With the $48 I received from the cash transfer, I paid my school fees, aiming for a better future. I also contributed $20 to help with our household needs, providing some relief to my parents. Furthermore, I wisely saved $34 in my bank account, which I plan to use as capital to start a business. GiveDirectly's support has been a lifeline for my family, ensuring that we no longer go hungry and that I can continue with my education. I'm immensely grateful for what they've done for us.

My ultimate goal is to further my education until the university level. As a form two student, obtaining the necessary funds to pay for school fees has proven to be quite challenging. I am determined not to burden my parents, considering their current financial situation. To achieve my goal, I have devised a plan to save at least $10 from my monthly transfers, with the intention of accumulating enough money to support my educational aspirations.

As a secondary student facing difficulties in paying for my school fees, receiving money from GiveDirectly was a significant relief. Through the assistance, I managed to reduce a substantial balance from the previous term with the recent transfers totaling $20. In addition to addressing my educational needs, I decided to invest in poultry rearing to support my future education. With $3.50, I purchased a chick to begin my venture. With the remaining $11.20, I bought food for my family, alleviating our immediate scarcity. I am immensely grateful to GiveDirectly for their invaluable support during this entire period.

My dream is always to further my education. I am currently in high school and after the completion of my high school education, I would like to join college or a university to continue with a course of my choice. Though the finance could be a major challenge looking at the current situation at home. Therefore, I want to buy goats every month I receive the transfers and by the time I would be done with secondary education, I would be in a better position to pay my college fees with the money I shall have received after selling my goats.

I wanted to start a livestock rearing project but I haven't been lucky to get the financial support to start me off, therefore, with the transfers that I received, I could not hesitate and therefore I bought a goat worth KES. 3100 and saved the remaining amount of KES. 370 in my savings account for my future use. Was so grateful for the support so far from GiveDirectly.

I commend Give Directly for giving unconditional cash to families living in poverty. The money helps to alleviate the daily hardship we face and I could never be more grateful. I am more thankful for the chance to benefit from such a program because not many suffering youth of my age experience such a relief. In my thinking, there is nothing wrong done by Give Directly. 

Being the first child in my family to ever get to high school motivates me to keep climbing the academic ladder even higher to the tertiary level and make my parents proud. However, the little earnings my father and mother make from house construction tasks and kiosk business, respectively, can barely see me through high school. There are two siblings behind me in primary school who need financial support and the constraints may prove heavy on my parents’ income. To help, I have always desired (from two years ago) to raise livestock that will multiply and provide funds in the future, especially for my education. Give Directly turned this dream into reality through the cash transfer, from which I deducted KES 2500 to buy a goat. There is nothing that gives me more joy than owning livestock at the young age of 18 years. I spent the remaining money to boost the little food left in stock. At least it lasted my family of five at least three days. 

It was around 9.00 a.m. when I had just come home from school to collect money for school fees when I popped into a message alert that had been on my phone for a while. I checked it and found it was money from GiveDirectly and could not hide my joy. I felt so happy having qualified as one of the successful beneficiaries of GiveDirectly.

The biggest difference in my daily life is an improved performance brought about by the GiveDirectly transfers. Paying school fees enabled me to be in school like the rest of the students making me concentrate on my studies with great peace of mind. As a result, my performance improved from C plain to C plus.

I am a secondary school student currently in form one. I am the fifth born in a family of seven. My parents are the ones who pay my school fees through their income from casual labor. My father earns a living through perennial jobs in the village while my mother burns and sells charcoal for income generation. My elder siblings dropped out of school due to a lack of school fees and are currently working as casual laborers to help my parents support the family. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for sending me the transfer that I used part of to reduce my school fee arrear. Through the transfers, I paid KES 2000 school fees and bought two ducks and two chickens for KES 1000 for investment. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for redeeming my hope in education.