I hope to start a shop in the coming days so that I will be in a position to fully provide and support my family through the income that I will be making from the sale of the goods. The urge to start the shop came as a result of identification of the market gap where I realized people in our village could travel quite a long distance to get a shop that may also not have what they wanted therefore I bank on the coming monthly transfer and savings from my job to start a big shop that will be able to provide most items that the people need.

My family highly depends on me since am the first born despite that I earn as low as $3 per day as a shopkeeper, I always have to find a way of providing for my sibling and at the same time providing for myself. Thanks to giveDirectly that through the last 3 month's transfers, some burdens have been relieved of my small salary. On receiving the cash transfers I used $30 to pay my rent hence sparing the amount that I would have used on rent to send home to cater for my sick mother's needs. Additionally, with the urge to further my studies, I saved $45 for the transfer with a target of raising $180 to enroll myself in a driving school. I now have $70 with hopes that soon I will get the whole amount through my monthly savings from GiveDirectly and also from my casual job to achieve my goal of enrolling myself in driving school to gain new skills.

I am currently benefiting from both my monthly salary and the transfers I receive from Give Directly. These financial resources are allowing me to save up for an important goal: enrolling in a driving course. By acquiring this skill, I strongly believe that my prospects of securing higher-paying employment will significantly improve. Additionally, I have aspirations of enrolling in a computer course to further enhance my skill set. This will not only broaden my knowledge but also increase my chances of finding better opportunities in the job market. I am truly excited about the potential that these educational pursuits hold for my future. The support I have received, both through my salary and the transfers, has had a profound impact on my life. It has provided me with the means to save for my educational goals and has instilled a sense of optimism within me. I am confident that with these opportunities and financial assistance, a brighter future awaits me.

After completing my secondary studies in March 2021, I decided to search for employment in order to provide for myself and my family. The dire poverty situation at home posed a major obstacle for me to continue with my education. Fortunately, I was able to secure a job at a shop where I assist in selling mattresses, despite it being located far away from my home. The monthly income from my job has been a tremendous financial relief for me, as it has enabled me to pay my rent promptly. I am grateful to say that I have successfully paid a total of $60 in rent payments, and I am relieved to be free from any arrears.In addition to covering my rent, I have also allocated $14 to purchase food for my family back home. My father lost his job immediately after I completed my secondary education, and he has been dealing with health issues ever since. As a result, I have taken on the responsibility of being the sole breadwinner in our household. Furthermore, I have utilized a portion of my income to settle my young brother's school fee arrears, which amounted to $14. It brings me great joy to support him in his primary school education, ensuring that he can continue his studies without any interruptions. Lastly, I have invested some of my earnings in purchasing animal feeds to aid in the healthy growth of the two hens I previously acquired. This will not only provide me with a potential source of income in the future but also contribute to the overall well-being of my family.

The prevailing poverty in my family serves as a source of inspiration for me to embark on an entrepreneurial journey. By starting my own business, I aim to achieve financial independence and provide for my family's essential requirements, including covering my brother's school fees and my father's medical expenses. This objective will be accomplished by diligently saving a portion of my monthly stipend and earnings from my salary.

Recently, I secured a job as a mattress salesman in Malindi, a considerable distance from my hometown. To minimize commuting, I decided to rent a modest house near my workplace for $20 per month. Once I received my July transfers, I immediately set aside $20 to cover the rent. In my hometown, my younger brother is attending primary school while our father has been unemployed for a long period due to a debilitating illness. Thankfully, my mother, who works as a peasant farmer, earns a meager income that helps cover my father's medical expenses and the household's food requirements. Every month, I allocate $10 from my earnings to support my brother's education. The remaining $4 goes towards purchasing food for myself. I cannot overstate how grateful I am for the financial assistance provided by the monthly stipend. It has alleviated the stress associated with unpaid bills and has brought much-needed stability to my life.

I have been saving $15 a month. I decided to do this when I began receiving the transfers. I have always wanted to be a surveyor and this dream felt like it would be cut short due to a lack of finances. My dad was the main breadwinner but he fell ill and hence could no longer take care of us. I could not join college once after my secondary school to study survey due to this. I now am working to see if I can achieve this dream I am hopeful that if I reach an amount that I can pay to the school so I can start out I will have a better footing.

I moved from home in September last year to look for work in the city. I had been promised, that I would get a job, when I finished my National exams in March. This however did not happen until September when I started. I am now a casual worker in the city loading and offloading goods in a general shop selling plastics goods and other household items. This job does not make much, so the GD transfers have come in handy to take care of my financial needs. I have a standard break down each month once I receive my transfers. I save $15 to a local savings group back home, I pay rent of $10 and use $10 to buy food throughout the month.

I finished my secondary education in March of this year. My family lives in poverty, so I am unable to continue my university studies. Fortunately, I was able to land a job as a shopkeeper selling mattresses on commission. Finding potential buyers has been challenging due to the challenging economic conditions in the nation, which has had an impact on my income. I was therefore happy to receive my transfer because I used a significant amount of it to buy food and water for my family. Finding water for domestic use is a major challenge for us in the village. Given how much water we use each day, a 20 liter jerrican of water costs $0.5, which is a lot of money. Along with purchasing food and water, I spent $10 on a bed. I've been sleeping on an uncomfortable makeshift bed made out of sacks for the last ten years. I'm relieved that the new bed will give me the comfort I require.

In my observation, rarely do NGOs opt to give direct cash transfers to their beneficiaries. However, for GiveDirectly, it embraces a unique practice of enrolling and giving us, the recipients a direct cash transfer without any condition attached to it. This has immensely contributed to promoting the well-being of the people in my community. It uses a strategy of enrolling everyone in the society, thus minimizing cases of household-related conflicts. Moreover, the beneficiaries have the free will to decide on what is more beneficial to them. All these good practices are what GiveDirectly does well. Generally, there is no complaint hence I perceive that all that GiveDirectly does, is good and highly appreciated by each community member.

For a couple of years, I have been hired by someone as a caretaker within our village to help support in looking after his livestock. From him, I have learned valuable skills of doing poultry farming which I consider a profitable business. Therefore, when I received my most recent transfer, I decided to spend KES 2,000 on buying 5 chickens. I aim to raise them and later sell them to boost my level of financial income. Through this venture, I am optimistic to begin raising other livestock; goats and sheep, which are a form of live asset and a great help in the hour of urgent need. Therefore, supporting myself as well as my siblings will no longer be as burdensome to my mother as it had been in the past years.

I was in a somber mood while digging the grave of my relative who had passed away. I received a text message on my phone and realized that I had received my first transfer upon checking it. My heart was filled with much joy. This motivated me by giving me extra energy to dig the grave at a fast pace.

The major difference the money has made in my life is to help me repay the loan I took to start the business. I am grateful that I support my family using the profit I earn. I will save enough money that I will use to further my studies at the university later this year.

I completed my secondary education in March this year. I borrowed a loan of KES 2000 from my friend so that I could keep myself busy. I feared that staying idle would tempt me into abusing drugs such as bang and involve myself with bad groups of people. I bought some vegetables e.g. Kales, cabbage, pigweed, and tomatoes with the borrowed money and started the business. Through the business, I support my family finically by helping provide for some of the essential needs e.g. buying food. When I received my transfer, I spent KES 2000 to repay the loan I took and saved KES 1000. I plan to use the money to buy more stock for the business.