I am in the charcoal selling business, and I have been using a bicycle to transport the charcoal to another town, which is quite exhausting. My plan for this year is to keep saving my earnings in our merry-go-round group so that I can use the pooled funds to buy a motorcycle which will significantly ease the transportation process. Once I have the motorcycle and my business picks up, I want to use the profits to buy more goats. I hope the goats will multiply and increase in value, and then I can trade them for cows. The cows will also multiply, and I can sell them and use the proceeds to buy land in another place that is more fertile. I plan to plant trees on this new land, as our current land is very dry and has not yielded good harvests. Owning a motorcycle will improve the efficiency of my charcoal business and allow me to transport more product with less effort. This, combined with diversifying into livestock and acquiring fertile land for agriculture, will help strengthen my family's financial security and resilience.

I have a charcoal-selling business where I burn charcoal and take it to another town to sell at reasonable prices since the prices in our town are on the lower side. I usually use a bicycle, which I acquired through transfers from GiveDirectly, to transport the charcoal, a process that is quite exhausting. I have always wanted to own a motorcycle to make the transportation process easier. To achieve this, I have been saving some of my earnings in a merry-go-round group, and I recently saved $30 from my recent transfers to contribute towards the purchase of a motorcycle. Additionally, I also spent $39 to pay the school fees for my children so they could continue their education. Lastly, I used the remaining transfers to buy food for my family, as our region has been affected by drought and we did not have any harvests this year. I am happy that in a few months I will be able to acquire the motor cycle that I have longed for to make my work easier.

I am now dedicated to growing my business from a small-scale operation to a wholesale business. By doing so, I can increase my profit margin and better provide for my family. My main motivation for expanding the business is to ensure that I can finance my children's education and give them the best opportunities possible. I believe that with a good education, they will have a promising future ahead. I am deeply grateful for the support I have received thus far.

Five of my children are attending school, two in junior secondary and three in primary. To ensure their education continues without interruption, I paid $30 for their school fees. Currently, I run a small-scale business selling charcoal. I have plans to expand this business. To achieve this, I've saved $68 from my transfers. My goal is to reach $200, which will be enough capital to buy charcoal in bulk and resell it for a profit. I've made a verbal agreement with the owner of a shop space who is willing to let me rent it for my business. This will provide a more stable location for conducting my sales. I'm truly grateful for the financial support from GiveDirectly. It has significantly reduced the struggles of providing for my family compared to the past when I relied solely on income from charcoal sales. I can't express enough how thankful I am for the positive impact the transfers have had on my life.

As the primary provider for my family, consisting of my wife and six children, my livelihood revolves around buying and selling charcoal. However, the costs of transporting charcoal from the village to the nearest town center, Mariakani, have been increasing due to rising fuel prices, consequently impacting my profits. Looking ahead, my goal for the coming year and beyond is to transition to selling my produce directly from home. To achieve this, I plan to establish a wide customer base that will travel from town to my home for the purchases. However, substantial initial capital is required for this venture. I am optimistic that the continued support from cash transfers will play a vital role in making this transition a reality.

I must say that I've never experienced assistance like GiveDirectly's cash transfers throughout my life until now. The impact has been significant, especially with six of my children attending school. The funds have not only covered their school fees but have also been instrumental in meeting our daily necessities, such as food. Recently, I decided to take a break from my charcoal buying and selling business to focus on farming, and the cash transfers have become a lifeline for supporting my family's basic needs. From the recent transfer, I allocated $8 for food expenses and invested $40 in acquiring a goat, bringing my herd to a total of seven. Additionally, during a period when I hadn't paused my business activities, I used $20 to expand my stock as I was running low and I did not have capital.

I have always aspired to own my motorbike, as it would significantly benefit my charcoal transportation to the market. For a long time, I have relied on a bicycle, but its continuous use is taking a toll on my body. As I grow older, I worry about the physical strain it poses and its potential risks to my health. A motorbike would be more suitable for me, requiring less physical strength to operate compared to a bicycle. Owning a motorbike would make my work more efficient and comfortable, enabling me to continue providing for my family and supporting the education of my five children.

Receiving the cash transfers brings me joy, even though I face numerous hardships. These funds have been instrumental in supporting some of my family’s needs. School fees for my five children have been a significant source of stress, leading to their frequent dismissal from school due to unpaid fees. Currently, I have paused my charcoal-burning endeavors to focus on farming, which has affected my income and ability to support their education. Thankfully, the cash transfers have become essential for meeting these needs and other household essentials. From the recent transfer, I allocated $27 towards my children's school fees and used the remainder to purchase food. I am grateful that the cash transfers are providing for my family's needs and ensuring our children remain in school.

I'd love to purchase a brand-new motorcycle so that I can resume delivering charcoal and other products to Mariakani market on a daily basis. I can no longer use the bicycle I've been riding for the past few years because it broke down. I'm currently taking care of the livestock for my family while I wait to save up the necessary sum through my monthly transfers. Getting the motorcycle will solve my problems, enable me to support my family's basic needs, and enable me to earn a living.

Due to an enormous debt from unpaid school fees, my son, who is currently in junior secondary school, was expelled from his classes. He missed a whole week of school and stayed at home. As he observed his friends leaving for school each morning, he became very depressed. My bicycle, which I use to get around, broke down, so I had to quit my job delivering charcoal to Mariakani town because I was unable to raise any money for repairs. In order for my son to return to school and continue his education, I partially paid the $50 debt when I received my transfers. In order to obtain a loan and purchase a motorcycle that will enable me to transport charcoal in large quantities, I saved $10 in a savings group. I then used the $14 that was left over to buy food for my family. It was challenging to buy food for my five school-aged children because my wife, who works in town as a housekeeper, had not yet been paid. Since we had plenty to eat, I'm glad that my family never went without food after that.

I currently intend to achieve my motorcycle ownership goal. I currently charge a fee to transport passengers and luggage on a bicycle. I'm 51 years old and no longer have the stamina to ride a bicycle. As a result, I am unable to make enough money to support my four in-school children as well as my spouse. I've been saving up my prior transfers, and I still have plans to do so in order to hopefully buy a motorcycle in April. It will be a good fit for our household's revenue source because, at the very least, it uses less energy to run than a bicycle and makes more money.

I was very much excited to receive the funds when I did especially because it had already been three days since my kids had been kicked out of school. Therefore immediately a good chance to withdraw the money I ended up spending KES 1,000 to pay for their tuition. Afterwards I decided to deposit another KES 1,000 into my savings account because I was hoping to have enough money to buy a goat. I so far had bought two goats using the transfers I have been receiving which has led me to own a total of eleven goats which I intend to eventually sell. Eventually I was left with a balance of KES 1,400 which I spent on nutrition purposes, so I bought six packets of maize flour, three kilograms of beans and cooking oil.

In my view, GiveDirectly does well in initiating projects geared towards alleviating poverty through direct cash transfer. The cash play a critical role in improving the living standard of majority of our people. So far I have not observed what GiveDirectly does not done well. Even the entire community members are highly appreciative for the work GiveDirectly does which is progressively improving each individuals livelihood.

I have been running a business selling charcoal although this has proven expensive in terms of trans[porting this product. To boost this business, I had opted to join and save KES 2,000 on a merry-go-round every month. I intend to use the whole amount at the end of this year. I shall be saving intending to raise capital of running a business. With this, I shall be able to acquire a motorcycle to aid my movement as I do a business selling charcoal. The rest I spent on paying school fees for my 7 children. They are in primary school though I have been struggling to raise fees. However, courtesy of the transfer, they have been able to continue with their studies.

I was at the shopping center when I received the transfer. I could not help but scream with joy, attracting the attention of everyone nearby. My happiness grew that evening when my wife informed me that she had received her transfer as well. 

The most significant difference in my life now is that my children are studying uninterrupted. The situation has changed from before when they were sent home at least twice a week to collect school fees. I am thankful to Give Directly for assisting me in keeping them in school.

When I received the transfer, my children had been absent from school for the previous two days due to unpaid school fees.  The charcoal I had burned to help generate the necessary funds was not yet ready. Normally, the process takes 5 to 7 days. As a result, I used the entire transfer amount for their education, and they resumed studies.