I have a young family, my tailoring works only needs to support my wife, my mother and I. I make a good amount of money from my business that I also opened a grocery stall for my wife in the same vicinity as my business. She is now also contributing to our income. I would want to increase my income because as much as we have things going well for us now when we begin having children we will need more and so I am saving for a second machine so as to create a small local training space that will earn us an income. I plan to continue saving from my transfers to achieve this goal.

My life has turned around since I started receiving Givedirectly transfers. I used to be a herder, when Givedirectly started giving me cash I started buying my own animals which over time multiplied. I decided to sell a number and start a tailoring business since I already had the skill set. I built a shop and bought the machine for sewing. I spent $30 in December buying African fabric which I made clothes with and sold on profit. I January I bought 2 rolls of school uniform material at $30 which also I used and made uniform that I sold and made a profit. I now make about $20 weekly which is twice what I would make from herding. I got a goat in February at $25 while spending $4 on thread and needle and saved $5 to my savings group.

I've now amassed a total of 17 goats, and my plan is to sell them at the beginning of next year once their count reaches 20. My aim is to generate $500 from the sale, which I'll then use to establish a retail shop offering fast-moving consumer goods and Mobile Money services. Currently, there are only two shops serving our entire village, and there's a significant demand for fast-moving consumer goods. Furthermore, I intend to provide Mobile Money services to reduce the frequent long queues people experience when trying to access money transfers. Occasionally, the existing shop runs out of cash, requiring the owner to make trips to the main town and deposit more funds, which can be inconvenient for customers who have to wait. I'm forever grateful for the transformations that will be happening through GiveDirectly transfers.

Our family consists of five members, with I being the eldest. My father is a casual laborer, which means his income is not consistent. Therefore, we primarily depend on my mother's business, which involves selling traditional brew, although it doesn't generate a substantial income. Given our financial circumstances, I've been allocating $30 each month, for purchasing goats and $4 for food. I've chosen to invest in goats because they are cost-effective animals with a high reproductive rate compared to other livestock. My ultimate aim is to sell them in the future and use the proceeds to establish a retail shop. It's worth noting that our village currently has only two existing retail shops. Despite the financial challenges and responsibilities I face, I take great pride in having successfully constructed a house using the transfers I received.

Driven by the awareness of the distance between my village and existing shops, I, as a motorcycle driver, am determined to open a shop within my community. Through dedicated savings and unwavering determination, I am steadily working towards turning this vision into a reality. Every fare and hard-earned income fuels my passion and brings me closer to accumulating the necessary funds. Challenges along the way serve as stepping stones for growth, and I embrace them wholeheartedly. With a focused mindset and astute financial management, I am paving the way for a future where my shop will bridge the gap between convenience and distance, fostering community and prosperity within my village.

With the support of GiveDirectly, I triumphed over hunger by wisely spending $20 on nourishing food. Seizing the opportunity, I invested $14 in a goat, amplifying my herd from eight to nine. As these goats mature and multiply, I envision a thriving future where I can trade them for a cow, unlocking a realm of possibilities. This journey from scarcity to prosperity showcases the transformative power of determination and assistance, and I am thrilled to embark on this path towards a better life.

In the entire village, I have realized that I am the one who owns a sewing machine, so in the next coming years, my greatest plan is to have additional sewing machines, expand my current working place and have people equipped with the tailoring skills. I will achieve this by expanding my livestock-rearing project by buying more goats and selling them when they reach a certain stage to enable me get enough money to buy the machines.

It had always been my wish to have livestock of my own, and with the business that I have been doing and also other family needs in place, I had not been able to. Upon receiving the transfers, I decided to start with a small amount and therefore bought a goat worth $15 as I work to get more cash to buy more goats who I believe in future would be my source of income. I also bought food worth $10 for my family, added $5 to my tailoring business and saved $4. I was grateful knowing that my livestock-rearing project was finally with me.

Upon receiving my second transfer, I saw it fit to invest in my tailoring business to attract more income. I, therefore, used $550 in stocking up on cloth materials, linings and other essential items for my business and then I used $50 on transportation. Secondly, I bought foodstuffs worth $100 that would last for the remaining days of the month. Finally, I saved $200 for emergencies. I don't have a family yet, but I plan to have one once I am financially stable. I am happy to have accomplished so much in a short period, it was not easy to pull this off before due to financial constraints, thus I am grateful.

Since the transfers were just recently sent out, I got the chance to withdraw the money but I still have not used the transfers. I plan on using the transfers to purchase a goat because I have plans to ensure that I keep purchasing farm animals because back here in the village they're are always on demand and this will help me in the finances since I could always sale the animals because I eventually intend to build a better home for myself since my house is quite small and barely spacious. The goat will cost me about KES 3,000 which is the amount I received from GiveDirectly.

GiveDirectly gives me transfers and I am happy. I now have hens and goats. That shows a lot of progress, which is good. I have now suggestions on how GiveDirectly can improve at the moment.

For the first transfer, I used KES 900 to buy 3 hens for domestic use and the remaining KES 250, I bought clothes with it. For the second transfer, I withdrew KES 2500 and added KES 500 from my savings and bought a goat. I saved the rest- KES 500.

I was woken up from my nap by a message alert. When I checked, I saw that I had received some funds as promised by give directly. Although the money was not enough, I was very happy so I used it to buy some poultry, a shirt and soap

The biggest difference I have had in my daily life is that, for the longest time, I have never had money in my mobile banking wallet. Now, I not only have that privilege but I have also made my first savings of 50 shillings.

I used to study tailoring but when my parents could no longer afford the fee, I was forced to drop out. Since I had learnt the basics of tailoring, I opened a shop to continue with my practice as a way to earn a living and perfect my skills. Since my shop is still new, I do not have many customers. Therefore, I still depend on my mother, who is a traditional wine Brewer, for financial support. I also practice poultry farming so I used the funds to buy three chickens at KES900, the remaining KES250, I bought a t-shirt and soap.