I am currently undertaking a diploma course in early childhood education. I need $450 total to complete this entire training. For each semester we pay $80 and once the semesters are done we need about $170 to do our final exams. My hope is that this transfers will be sufficient to clear all my semesters in school and then even if it may require me to take loans to clear the exam I hope that my next year transfer will cover debt repayment.

I am an early childhood teacher and I have a certificate level training. I decided to upgrade so over the holidays I attend school so as to get a Diploma. I used $30 of my November transfers in school to pay for this particular course. The remaining $4 was used for my feeding while there. I December I bought clothes for my children at $20 and I also got them a duck at $10, $4 went into savings. In January I paid school fees for my two children and saved $22.

I appreciate the financial support provided through the cash transfers, which has allowed me to afford medical treatment for my son. My income alone was insufficient to meet our financial needs. My main objective is to enhance our sources of income, enabling us to cover both our regular expenses and unforeseen emergencies. I plan to accomplish this by investing what I save from the transfers to buy cattle, which we can use for farming and will rent out during the planting season to earn income.

My son was diagnosed with a hernia at the beginning of this year, which necessitated quick medical treatment and surgery. Regrettably, I was unable to provide him with the essential treatment due to financial constraints. My husband and I are both teachers, but even with our combined wages, we were struggling to make ends meet, let alone afford the cost of surgery. I am delighted to report that, through this project, I was able to save $68 from the transfers, allowing us to schedule the hernia surgery for November. This gives us hope that our son will receive the critical treatment he requires. In addition, I set aside $14 to buy new school uniforms because the old ones were in poor condition and another $10 to cover their school tuition, ensuring that their education remains uninterrupted. Finally, I spent $10 on two chickens, which I intend to sell when they reach maturity, providing our family with a source of income.

As a dedicated primary school teacher at Ikanga Primary School, my current endeavor centers around saving diligently and expanding my livestock. With three goats already in my care, my aspiration is to grow my flock further, paving the way for a brighter future.Amidst my commitment to shaping young minds and imparting knowledge, I am mindful of the financial constraints that weigh on my own children's educational journey. Fueled by this concern, I am driven to gradually increase the number of goats I possess.Each additional goat represents not only a valuable asset but also resilience and growth. They embody the promise of a more prosperous tomorrow, enabling me to alleviate the burden of my children's school fees. With every new member of the herd, I move closer to realizing my vision of financial stability and providing my children with a worry-free education.

In a heartfelt and compassionate act, as soon as the funds were transferred, a transformation took place for my nephew, who had been forced out of school due to insufficient funds. He was enrolled in Marikani Secondary School, and this incredible gesture moved our entire family deeply. With resolute determination, we joined forces and contributed $34 each, rallying around our young scholar. The sheer joy and relief that washed over him were immeasurable, replacing tears of despair with tears of gratitude. Now standing tall in his final year of high school, he is fueled by renewed hope, ready to conquer any challenge that comes his way. Our united support has not only changed his life, but it has also reinforced the profound strength and unity within our family.

Since I had signed up for the program, my objective had been to use the transfers to buy cattle. As a preschool teacher, I am currently employed with the Parents Teachers Association. When the schools are open, I make $70 a month, but when they are closed for a holiday, I am not paid. I need to start saving now so that I can pay for my three kids' school expenses in the future. I like goats and cows because they have offspring every year, which increases their profitability. Additionally, when the cows give birth, we will be able to utilize them to plow our field and acquire enough milk for our family's usage, saving us money on labor costs. Since it's hard to save money, I'd prefer to buy the cattle.

It has been a challenge to raise money to purchase food for my family members. December was worse due to the drought that we are currently experiencing and in addition, I and my spouse have not had salaries for the last two months. We are both employed as early education teachers by the parents and teachers association and therefore, we are only paid when the school is opened. Since the pupils have been on holiday for two months, we were not on pay too. We are grateful because if it was not for the transfers, then our children would have gone without food for a good number of days. The whole of December transfer was spent on foodstuffs for our household while $14 of the previous month's transfer was spent on clothes for our children so that I could replace the old ones that they had outgrown. I still have $20 saved in my phone hoping to add it to this month's transfer and purchase a goat for rearing. Since we do not have a stable source of income, the goats will be of financial help in the future especially, in paying for our children's school fees.

GiveDirectly does well in giving direct cash transfers to the community where it works. The practice contributes towards enhancing people's goals. For instance, many parents have found it easier to re-enroll their children in school since they began receiving the transfer. They feel relieved from the burden they initially bore of raising fees even though they never had any source of income. Climate change has made crop farming unprofitable thus life is unbearable to many. In addition, GiveDirectly does well in reminding the elderly and perceived vulnerable people of the Mpesa security concerns. As a result, fraud cases are very minimal among my community members. Though all GiveDirectly does is well, I can only suggest that if possible, it may consider raising the transfers even to $40 a month.

I am a mother of three children; two, Aniri and Husna are enrolled in school. The third child, Samiri is 11 months. After I received my transfer, I spent $10 on paying their outstanding school fees. Therefore, they have comfortably managed to learn for the past month without being sent home. The transfer was of great help since I did not have money then to pay their fees. Unfortunately, my husband and I were struggling to raise cash due to delays in our payments since we both work as PTA teachers. I also spent $10 to buy two hens, and I am glad I have four hens now. I am optimistic about raising more hens to diversify my sources of income. Lastly, I spent $10 on food since the foodstuff available could hardly take us for a whole day. I am grateful for GiveDirectly's transfer.

At around 9.07 p.m., I was awakened by a message alert on my phone. Upon checking its contents, I confirmed that Give Directly had sent my first transfer. My heart was filled with so much excitement that I awoke my husband to tell him the wonderful news. The money was a first step toward achieving my long-term aim of providing my children with their own space.

For a long time, I hoped to give my three children their own room. We have been living in a one-room house, which is becoming insufficient for our growing family of five. Previously, it was difficult to complete this mission due to financial constraints. However, the transfer allowed me to obtain building materials such as tree poles. My goal is to have the room built to completion within the next week so that my children may enjoy their new space. This marks my greatest achievement so far.

I had always wished for the opportunity to add one more room to my house to accommodate my three children, as the current area is small and feels cramped. However, the KES 7,000 each that my husband and I earn as primary school teachers on the payroll of the Parents and Teachers Association is just enough to cover basic needs such as food and school fees. The funds received from Give Directly opened a door to put the idea of building the children's bedroom into effect. That is why I spent KES 2,500 from a recent transfer to purchase tree poles for the construction. I used the remaining funds to pay my two primary school children's school fees, which I had not paid when the term began.