My son has recently enrolled in high school, and since I don't have any other means to cover the fees, I rely on monthly transfers. I plan to support his education for as long as I am part of this program. The low-paying odd jobs I mostly undertake do not generate enough income to meet all the needs of my household. Being a widowed single parent, I have been solely responsible for raising my children and have often supplemented my income by working on other people's farms. Despite my financial constraints, I deeply wish that my son can fulfill his educational aspirations.

As a single parent with a low income, I faced a significant challenge in raising fees for my son's final exams. I had to work casual jobs, including working on other people's farms, to make ends meet. Being a widow, I didn't have any additional support aside from the assistance I received. To prepare for my son's education, I consciously tried to save money. I began saving $20 at the start of the year, even while he was still in primary school. By diligently saving, I accumulated over $200, which enabled me to cover expenses such as purchasing essentials for him, new school uniforms, and paying for his admission. I am happy that he is currently in school, having also paid some of the fees in advance. Thus, this financial support from GiveDirectly played a crucial role in ensuring my son's education. It has been a lifeline of support even in the absence of any other assistance.

My goal at the moment is to prepare for my son Onesmus's high school admission, which is scheduled for next year. He will soon be graduating from the eighth grade towards the end of this year. I anticipate that the admission procedure will be costly, so I intend to start saving a portion of the cash transfers to accumulate the necessary funds. Furthermore, I aspire to expand my herd of goats and cows to generate more wealth, which can continue to support my son's high school education even after his admission.

I primarily used the recent three cash transfers to support the education of my two children, who rely on me for their financial needs. As a widow, I don't have anyone else to help me provide for my children's education. My main source of income is making charcoal, which I rely on to provide for my two children but the income is barely enough to cover all needs. Therefore, I allocated $19 to clear the debts that my children had accumulated for their education by the time I received the funds. Additionally, I invested $5 in purchasing a hen for poultry farming. My plan is for this hen to breed and expand my flock so that I can eventually sell chickens to further support my children's education. I also used $60, along with some funds I obtained from trading 3 goats, to acquire a cow. Am happy that through this initiative, I have grown my cow herd to five. Having two children who rely on me for financial support, I believe the wealth I could generate through cattle keeping will help me contribute, especially to their tuition. Lastly, the remaining funds were utilized for purchasing food supplies such as sugar.

My ultimate goal is to ensure that my son, Onesimus, who is currently in grade eight, has the opportunity to attend high school next year. It would break my heart if he were unable to continue his education due to a lack of funds. Moreover, I do not wish to burden his older brother, who already has his own family to provide for. As the cash aid is currently my sole source of income, I plan to utilize it to pay for Onesimus's studies, ensuring his educational journey continues uninterrupted for the next four years until he completes high school.

I am incredibly grateful for the cash transfers as they have allowed me to install a solar lighting system in my house, replacing the old paraffin lanterns. To ensure a steady supply of power, I allocate $5 each month to pay the solar company. As soon as I received the recent funds, I promptly paid the $5 fee, and I am delighted that my house has never experienced a shortage of power since then. I believe that education is of utmost importance to children, and I used a portion of the funds to settle the outstanding tuition fees for my son in grade eight, which amounted to $9.5. Additionally, I paid $4 for my grandson in kindergarten, who was frequently being pulled out of classes due to unpaid fees. Settling these balances has provided my children with the stability they need to continue their education uninterrupted. Give Directly's support has not only enabled us to meet our basic needs but has also helped to build trust with the teachers. They now allow my children to attend classes with the confidence that I will pay the fees upon receiving the transfers. I also used $3 to purchase a hen to expand my flock. By allowing them to reproduce, I can sell the chickens when needed, providing financial support for my family during difficult times. With the remaining funds, I bought food for my family. We had experienced going to bed hungry that week, and I am grateful that the cash transfers have alleviated that struggle.

I am so glad and grateful to God for being among GiveDirectly's cash transfer recipients. So, as I continue to receive my transfers this year, my primary goal is to save part of them for the enrollment of my last son, Onesmus in High School next year. He is currently in eighth grade and will take his exams by the end of the year. Since my husband passed away, he has always represented hope in my life. He had just turned one year when his father passed on and seeing him always gives me hope for the future. I know when he succeeds in his academics, he will be able not only to support himself but also to give support to me as I advance in age.

The transfers have helped my family over the last four months. Despite being a widow, I have not had a difficult time providing for my family. Despite the fact that there has been a famine in the area, I had no trouble getting food; however, this would not have been the case if I were not a GiveDirectly recipient. I have been paying my two school-going children's tuition with a lot of ease, $10 every month. I am glad they were not sent home during those months to collect fees. I have also started raising goats and hens courtesy of the transfer. So far, I have invested $6 in two hens and $33 in a goat for a project I had only been hoping to start.

According to me, the organisation did a very good job by coming up with the idea of offering us unconditional cash transfers. Also, the money was sent directly into our Mpesa accounts which I feel made it easier for us to access the cash. Also, there were no cases of bribes and theft as a result. Therefore, in my opinion, I do not see anything that GiveDirectly failed in its operation.

I spent the whole of my recent transfer on buying a goat. Previously, I couldn't afford to buy any at my own cost and this is because of the financial difficulties I have been undergoing. I settled to purchase it because it is a very precious asset that I can rely on when a financial need arises. Also, goats reproduce twice a year, unlike other domestic animals. This is an assurance that I will have many of them within a short period. I will therefore be in a position to sell some and cater to my family's basic needs without straining like before.

I was in the field sitting under a tree watching over livestock. I received a text message on my phone at around 4 pm. I was very exhausted and very weak because I had eaten nothing that day. I went back home and asked my son to read the message out loud. When he told me I had received my first transfer, I was very excited. Tears of joy rolled down my chubby cheeks as I murmured a short thanksgiving prayer, thanking the lord for the miracle.

The money from the transfer made an enormous impact on my son’s life. By paying the school fee arrears, he could return to school and continue with his education. Were it not for the transfer, he would still be at home, affecting his performance in school.

I am a widow earning a living through the sale of charcoal. I have a son who fully depends on me to cater to his basic needs (paying school fees, buying clothes, and medication). I earn very little from the job (KES 350 per sack of charcoal). Making charcoal is very tedious and takes a long time (2 weeks). On average, I sell two sacks every week. This means the money I earn is enough to only buy food. Often my son is sent home due to school fees arrears which disrupt his learning in school. When I received my first transfer, I paid a KES 500 school fee debt for my son. Due to my job, I often run out of money and this happened a day before receiving my transfer. We had nothing to eat, and we survived by drinking a cup of hot porridge for the entire day.