Prior to my marriage several years ago, I acquired training as a tailor and gained experience working in a tailoring shop. However, upon relocating, I temporarily set aside this profession. Since then, I have intermittently found employment in nearby tailoring establishments, unfortunately, the remuneration does not commensurate with the level of effort expended. Consequently, I harbor aspirations of acquiring my own sewing machine and ultimately establishing my own tailoring enterprise. The cost of the desired sewing machine exceeds $100, a sum beyond my current financial means given my modest income. Even the collective savings from my participation in a savings group fall short of this amount. Thus, I have devised a strategic approach to realize this goal. I intend to utilize funds from the savings group to procure at least two goats, which I will subsequently sell upon the receipt of my next payout. Upon the receipt of the subsequent disbursement, I will consolidate the proceeds from the goat sales with my savings to acquire the sewing machine. Subsequently, I will formulate plans to secure a business premise and procure the required materials. While this endeavor may entail a prolonged timeline, I am steadfast in my belief that the investment will yield substantial dividends in the form of a sustainable and enduring source of income even long after this project is over.

For approximately 5 months, my husband faced a prolonged period of illness starting in August. Lacking medical insurance, we were compelled to allocate our combined resources towards his medical care. Over the course of five months, a portion of my transfers, amounting to $20, was earmarked for his treatment, while $10 was allocated to the savings initiative I had joined the previous year. Consequently, the remainder, totaling $4, scarcely covered our essential household expenses, leaving little room for additional expenditures. Thankfully, his condition has improved significantly, although he continues to adhere to the prescribed medication regimen in anticipation of a complete recovery. With the January transfer not directed towards his treatment, I followed our customary financial practice of setting aside a portion for savings. The surplus, amounting to $20, was allocated towards addressing the educational needs of our seven children. This allocation facilitated the purchase of essential school supplies, including books and uniforms, ensuring their continued academic progress.

I have a solid background in tailoring from my college education. With my experience of selling charcoal and participating in a merry-go-round, I am determined to save my transfers to purchase a sewing machine and materials. This strategic investment will enable me to perfect my skills and launch a successful tailoring business.

I am a mother of seven children; with six of them currently attending school. The moment I received my transfers, I immediately allocated $20 to my two children's school fees. This sum went towards the educational needs of my two school-going children; one in class six and the other in class two. I made a wise financial move by setting aside $10 for savings within a merry-go-round arrangement, ensuring a secure future. With the remaining $4, I ensured that my family's immediate needs were met by purchasing food. It's a careful balance of investing in education and securing our well-being.

Due to financial limitations, I have been unable to fulfill my dream of owning a sewing machine to establish my own tailoring business. With the responsibility of taking care of my seven children and my husband's little income from charcoal making, saving for the machine has been challenging. However, since the cash transfers began, I have been able to save $10 per month through a self-help group to eventually purchase the equipment. I am grateful for this opportunity, as it allows me to work towards my aspiration. Even after the cash transfers come to an end in five years, I am confident that the sewing machine will serve as a valuable asset, enabling me to generate income and support my children's well-being.

My husband usually earns a living by making charcoal, but his earnings are not enough to cover all our needs, especially food and school fees for the children. However, in the past month, he has been sick and unable to work, leaving us in a difficult situation to provide for our seven children. When I received the cash transfers, six of my children had been in and out of school because we couldn't pay their tuition fees. It was heartbreaking to see them miss important exams because we couldn't afford the fees. So, I used $10 from the cash transfers to pay off their tuition fees. Although they couldn't take the exams, I'm glad they didn't miss out on learning for the past month. We often ran out of food at home, and I spent $14 to buy enough food to last us for about five days. I'm happy that we didn't go hungry during that time. I saved the remaining $10 through a self-help group to buy a sewing machine in the future. I am a trained tailor, and owning a sewing machine would allow me to start a tailoring business.

To cover the arrears my primary school-aged children owed the school, I paid $24 of the transfers in school. I'm glad I was able to pay off the debt and I did not carry any arrears over to the students' subsequent academic year. Due to the holiday season, I used all of my transfers from the previous month to buy groceries for my family. I'm happy that the money allowed my kids to have the respectable Christmas party they had always wanted. In addition, I am a skilled tailor, albeit I do not work as one because I cannot afford a sewing machine. As a result, I joined a group that saves money monthly and distributes shares to each of the nine members in turn. I will use the money I get when I get my shares to buy goats to grow, then I'll sell them after a year to make money for a sewing machine. We rely on odd jobs to make a livelihood, but they don't pay much. Hopefully, our household income will increase once I purchase the sewing machine.

Givedirectly did well in conducting meetings in the village to give us a clear picture of what the program entails. In addition, we were given brochures so that we could get more information about the organization to understand it better which increase acceptance. There is nothing that I feel the organization did not do well.

With 6 children who are still in primary school, the transfer was of great help in terms of providing for their education. The children had huge fee balances since it had been a long time since I paid their school fees because of poverty. I used $10 to pay part of the fees for 3 of them who are in classes 6,5 and 4 respectively. In addition, I saved $10 in our marry-go-round group intending to start goat rearing as an investment for the future. I bought foodstuff with the remaining amount due to the ongoing famine in our area making it hard to get food.

I was overcome with joy when I found out about my transfer. It was 8 p.m., and we only had a small amount of food that was insufficient for that evening meal. After confirming that I had money, I went to a nearby center to withdraw it and then buy food for the family. Having a sufficient meal that night made me and the entire family very happy and grateful to GiveDirectly. My husband is always grateful for GiveDirectly's charitable work.

Although my husband and I struggle to provide our children with basic needs such as food and education, we can always afford food through casual jobs, albeit not regularly. The main issue has been raising fees for our sixth-grade son. However, thanks to the transfer, I was able to pay off a portion of his fees, and both my husband and I were spared the initial stress. That is the biggest difference the transfer has made in my life, and I am so grateful because my child is currently doing well in school.

Despite my wishes, I make and sell charcoal for a living. It is tedious and exhausting work, and whenever I focus more on it, I become ill to the point of seeking medication. Similarly, my husband finds it difficult to make a living by making traditional chairs. Our combined income is never enough to support the family. We had no food at the time the transfer was sent. I spent KES800 on maize flour, which lasted us more than a week. The remainder was used to pay school fees for my son, who is currently in grade school. On the same day, he was sent home from school due to his accumulated fee arrears.