Our house lacked solar lighting, so I decided to purchase a new system on credit. We previously had one, but it broke, and to avoid living in darkness, I opted to buy a replacement and pay for it in monthly installments of $20. The total cost was $450, and I’m glad I recently managed to clear the debt using these transfers. Now, my focus is on building a business premise. The owner of the land where I currently do business agreed to sell me a small piece, with the condition that I pay in installments as I continue building. I have already bought poles in preparation for construction. Since the space can accommodate three stalls, I plan to build and partition it into three rooms, renting out two while using the other for my business. The income from the rented rooms will help me pay for the land, alongside my transfers. To make this dream a reality, I plan to invest my transfers and part of my business profits into this project.

These transfers have been highly beneficial to my family. The majority of my transfer has gone towards paying my children's school fees, ensuring they are not sent home as they were before GiveDirectly arrived in our village. I have two children in secondary school and two in junior primary. As the school term was nearing its end, I used $58 to clear their fee balances so they wouldn’t be sent home. I also sent $10 to my two secondary boarding school children for their bus fare home when schools close. With the remaining $34, I bought food for my family, as we had none. I am deeply grateful to GiveDirectly for this support.

I currently live in a two-room house, but one side is in bad shape and could collapse. The house is made of mud and metal sheets, and I plan to buy new ones to fix it up. The mud walls are old and need repairs. Recently, a strong wind blew and part of the house fell because the foundation is not very strong. Despite this, we are still living there, and fixing the house is a top priority for me. To pay for these repairs, I will use the money I receive instead of paying school fees for now. I will talk to my children's teachers about this when I start fixing the house. This will make our living conditions much better and give my children a more comfortable home.

As a mother of seven children, with six currently attending school and one too young, I prioritized their education by using $92 from the transfers to clear their school fees. Education is crucial to me, as I did not have the opportunity to attend school myself. I strongly believe it will empower them to shape their lives and secure a better future. After settling their school fees, I allocated $10 to purchase food to keep them nourished and active in class. My primary source of income comes from selling coconuts. Most of my transfers are dedicated to covering my children's needs and household expenses, while my income from my business supports additional household needs. Ensuring my children receive a quality education and providing for their daily needs are my main priorities, as I strive to improve our overall living conditions through diligent work and careful financial management.

My goal is to continue supporting the education of my six children. The oldest one is in form two, and the youngest is in grade one. I am pleased that one of them recently obtained sponsorship for her high school education, which means I will only need to cover expenses for her materials like books and uniforms. This allows me to better support her five siblings, which I plan to do through the transfers and any extra earnings from my palm wine-selling business. I firmly believe that education is essential in ensuring that they secure a brighter future that will expose them to better job opportunities. With education, they can support themselves and even provide support for me back here in the village.

One of my children recently obtained a sponsorship to join a boarding high school. Since the sponsorship covers only her tuition, any additional expenses fell on me. Therefore, I had to purchase boarding essentials such as a mattress, water storage jerricans, a cup, a plate, and books, using $34. Meanwhile, her sibling was also joining secondary school, and I contributed $20 towards her school fees. Also, I allocated $14 to boost my palm wine business, which I had previously used to cover the school fees of my children when they resumed school earlier this year. Furthermore, I noticed that one wall of my house was caving in, posing a risk of collapse. To address this concern, I spent $26 on repairing the wall by purchasing building poles and compensating for labor. I am relieved that the wall is now well-repaired and stronger. I am grateful for the transfers, as they have enabled me to support the education of my children and boost my business, which, in turn, helps me meet their daily needs such as food.

The persistent rains have caused havoc in my village, and unfortunately, I became a victim of the floods, resulting in the destruction of my kitchen. Looking ahead to the coming year, my plan is to build a new kitchen for myself, as I am currently cooking outdoors, which is not the most hygienic arrangement. I intend to utilize the funds from the transfers next year to realize this goal. The prospect of having a sturdy kitchen fills me with a sense of accomplishment, anticipating improved functionality and hygiene for my household.

Six years ago, my husband passed away, leaving me pregnant and responsible for caring for our five children. To sustain our livelihood, I engage in selling palm wine, a business that has thrived. The support from this organization has been instrumental, aiding in the payment of school fees, purchasing food, and providing clothing for my children. The transfers received significantly assist me in meeting our essential needs. From these transfers, I allocated $64 to settle an accumulated debt for my children's fees. Additionally, $34 was wisely invested in buying more stock for my business, thereby strengthening its foundation. I am genuinely happy and appreciative of the support and assistance I have received.

My primary goal now is to ensure that my six children achieve academic success and pursue their desired careers despite my challenging financial circumstances. As a single parent without any external support, I face this responsibility alone. My sole means of livelihood is burning and selling charcoal, but it only covers our food expenses for a short period of time. Additionally, this work takes a toll on my health, making it impossible to do it every day. My ultimate goal is to ensure that my children can continue their education without any interruptions due to financial constraints. To achieve this, I plan to allocate a minimum of $30 each month specifically for their school fees, while the remaining amount will be for purchasing food. This way, I hope to find some peace of mind even while engaging in menial jobs and meeting other essential household needs.

My husband passed away six years ago, leaving me with six children to care for. Until his untimely demise, I had relied on him for almost everything. He was the main breadwinner, ensuring timely payment of fees and providing for our basic needs like food. His absence left me uncertain about how I would manage to raise our children single-handedly without any source of income. Consequently, I found myself grappling with severe financial hardship day after day. Not only was I struggling to put food on the table, but I also couldn't afford to send my children to school. In an attempt to make ends meet, I resorted to burning and selling charcoal, but it was insufficient to meet our needs. As a result, my children were frequently sent home and missed classes for weeks, greatly affecting their academic performance. Moreover, there were times when we had to go without meals, enduring hunger due to a lack of food. However, the situation changed when I started receiving GiveDirectly's financial assistance. I am immensely grateful for this support, as it has allowed all my children to continue their education. Each month, when I receive the transfer, $30 is immediately allocated to their educational expenses. I spend the remaining amount to purchase essential food items such as maize flour and other cereals, ensuring that my children have enough to sustain them.

I currently have five children enrolled in school, and as their parent, my goal is to see them excel in their education. I am a single parent with no income, so raising fees for them has not been easy. Even providing food for them has been a challenge. My objective is to use the monthly transfers to pay for their education in order to avoid them being discontinued.

I am grateful to GiveDirectly for assisting me financially for the past year. It would have been tough for me to survive the financial hardships. I am a single parent with five children in school. Raising their fees has been a challenge, especially with the introduction of the new education system, which has been expensive to afford. I do not have any other support besides the transfers. I am glad that my children are going on with their studies having paid their fees on time. This has allowed them to stay in school without interrupting their studies for lack of fees.

The organization calls us at least once a month to check if we have received the transfer. They have a good communication channel where we can always call and be heard.

I am a widow, my husband died five years ago. We were blessed with six children. I am now the breadwinner of the family, I have a charcoal business, and I travel once a week to stay in Mombasa for two days sell charcoal at the market and travel back home. In every sack of charcoal I sell, I get a profit of $6 and I roughly sell seven sacks getting $42 a week which helps me pay school fees and food for my children. I used the recent transfer to pay school fees for my child in grade eight and buy food for my family

It was approximately 7 a.m., and I was about to start my day at my local food-stand when I turned on my phone and received my first transfer notification. The phone had died two days prior due to low power, and I recall my neighbors telling me that they had gotten their transfers the night before. In any case, I was delighted to see the message. I promptly sent my daughter to collect the funds from the mobile money agent. 

My children were continually being sent out of class to collect pending school fee balances before I got the transfer. Seeing them miss classes frequently crushed my heart. Fortunately, the story changed after I settled the tuition balances with the transfer money. Their studies were never disrupted again.

As the primary provider for my six children, I run a small food-point business in my village where I prepare and sell local foods for a profit. Considering the rising commodity prices, the KES 400 I earn every day is barely enough to cover my basic needs like food.  As a result, I occasionally struggle to meet other demands, such as my children's school expenses. This is why I used KES 400 from the transfer to pay off unpaid tuition amounts for my two children in grades eight and seven, who had been pulled out of class on a regular basis to collect the money. In addition, to support my business, I purchased KES 400 in charcoal for cooking the meals because it was almost running out. I spent the remainder on food in order to push the remaining stock and provide enough meals for my children.