I run a small business where I cook and sell fried potatoes. This business helps me earn a living and support my husband in taking care of our family as well as allow me to have some savings for my future plans. Seeing my business thrive brings me so much pride and fulfillment, and it has inspired me to spread my wings further. I am now planning to start a clothing business, and to achieve this, I intend to use part of my future transfers and savings from my current business profits to begin purchasing clothes to sell. This new venture excites me, as I believe it will open up even greater opportunities for my family’s financial stability. In addition to growing my business endeavors, I also dream of owning a piece of land where I can build a home for my family. Right now, we live on family-owned land, and while I am grateful, I long for a place that offers security and a future for my children. To achieve this, I plan to invest a portion of my future transfers into buying more goats. My hope is that the goats will multiply, increasing in both number and value, so I can eventually trade them for cows. As the cows multiply, I aim to sell some of them and use the proceeds to purchase land. Once I acquire the land, I plan to continue growing my businesses and saving diligently to build a house we can proudly call our own. I am deeply grateful for the support I have received. It has given me the tools and confidence to dream big and work toward a brighter future for my family.

I run a small business selling fried potatoes, and it has become the backbone of my livelihood. The transfers from GiveDirectly have been a tremendous blessing, giving me the resources to grow my business and improve my family's well-being. Recently, I invested $56 of my transfers into expanding the business, and I am thrilled with the progress I am seeing. Watching my efforts bear fruit and knowing that the profits enable me to take care of my family fills me with a deep sense of pride and motivation. I am excited to see how far I can grow this venture, and the future looks brighter than ever. In addition to my business, I have a vision of owning a herd of livestock i.e. goats and cows, that will provide me with a reliable and sustainable source of income in the future. To take a step toward this dream, I used $30 of my transfers to buy a goat. My hope is that it will multiply and grow into a thriving herd, offering me financial security and the means to further develop myself and my family. Taking care of my family remains my top priority, and I used the remaining $16 of the transfers to buy food adding to what we already had and ensuring we would not go hungry. I am deeply grateful for the support GiveDirectly has given me.

Having faced financial challenges in the past, I now want to invest in another business to ensure my financial stability. I plan on selling clothes, including "lesos" and other items, which will generate more income and make it easier for me to support my children and spouse. Currently, I sell fried Irish potatoes, saving the little profit I get, and this motivates me to start another venture. My financial situation has improved since receiving the transfers, which has stabilized my current business and positively impacted my life. I am very happy and appreciate the support from the transfers in changing my life.

When I received my most recent transfer, I spent $34 to buy a sack of potatoes to boost my business. Additionally, I purchased some utensils for $30, as well as items like tomato sauce needed to run my business. With the remaining amount, I spent $10 on a new uniform for my child, as the old one was worn out. Finally, I saved $24 in my chama group for future financial emergencies or to boost my business in case of any delays in receiving transfers.

Having undergone financial challenges in the past, I want to invest in another business that will ensure I become financially stable. I plan on selling clothes commonly known as "lesos." The business will generate more income, making it easier for me to take care of my family. The success of my current business is a motivating force for me to start another one. My financial stability is currently better compared to when I was not receiving the transfers, signaling a positive impact of the transfers on my life. I am very happy and appreciate the support from the transfers in changing my life.

I purchased three buckets of potatoes for $30 and two packets of wheat flour for $4. Currently, I run a business selling fries in Mnazimumwenga shopping center. The business is booming due to the strategic location I chose. My customers are mainly students from the nearby Mnazimumwenga primary and secondary schools. I make a daily profit of $15, which enables me to meet my family's basic needs. Before enrolling in the cash program, I had no job and struggled to make ends meet. In addition to restocking my business, I bought a goat for $35 as a future investment. Knowing that the financial aid will end, investing in livestock provides a better safety net for the future. To ensure my son can continue his education without interruption, I paid $10 in school fees. Finally, I purchased a bucket of maize for $10 and other food items such as sugar and tea leaves. These purchases ensured we had plenty of food and never went hungry. I am very grateful for the transfers, which have made me self-employed and allowed me to enjoy the benefits of financial independence.

I aspire to attain financial stability and provide for my family's needs. To realize this goal, I aim to initiate a new venture focused on selling clothing. This endeavor will enable me to explore various income-generating opportunities within my village by retailing a variety of products. I am content with the current financial assistance and hold an optimistic outlook that the business I am establishing will yield sufficient income, paving the way for an improved quality of life.

After transitioning from selling fries to starting a business selling leafy vegetables and fruits, I invested $34 to kickstart this new venture, aiming to enhance my income. The proceeds from this business are essential for meeting my family's basic needs. Additionally, I expanded my business by purchasing a sack of potatoes for $20 and cooking oil for $10. I am pleased with the success of the business, as it has provided the means to support my daily requirements. In a bid to diversify my sources of income, I made a smart investment in purchasing a sheep, which holds promise for the future as it multiplies and provides an additional revenue stream. Furthermore, I allocated $8 to purchase food for my family of four, ensuring that we never faced food shortages. I am profoundly grateful for the financial support that has enabled me to achieve financial independence through multiple income-generating investments.

As I said I am a local food seller and I make and sell food for a living. I do not have a permanent location to which I work and this means I do most of my work along the roadside most times. My hope is to stabilize my business and expand it. I want to add Groceries to my current portfolio of things I sell. I want to increase my income as this in turn means I will be able to get enough cash to educate my child and provide food for my home.

My work is a local food seller. I make fried potatoes, fried wheat pastries local to the Kenyan coast and also fries and this is what makes me my income. I spent my March transfers to purchase provisions for the business, I spent $2 to buy wheat flour, $12 to buy cooking oil, $20 to buy potatoes. I also got some Kid goats to add to the animal herds I have. I also got a mattress since I did not own one for myself at $32 in May as well as a bag of maize flour at $20.

I am currently operating a food kiosk in my village which has been my only source of livelihood. I have been able to restock it every month I receive a transfer which has greatly improved my profits. I am able to effectively take care of my family's basic needs like buying food daily through this business. My dream is to expand this business to a bigger one that can serve a bigger clientele. I will be able to save more as profits increase. I am also planning to buy goats and chickens to add to my livestock. I currently have three goats in my compound, and I am hoping to add more through the money. My expectation is to have as assets that I can readily rely on in case of a financial need such as boosting my food kiosk business.

I have the intentions of investing more in growing my farm especially by buying a couple of farm animals. I would have loved to be able to buy livestock but unfortunately cows are quite expensive and that is why so far I have bought one goat and I proceeded to use this recent transactiom to buy another goat which cost me KES 3,000. Afterwards, I went on to spend the balance of KES 400 on purchasing two packets of wheat flour. During the month of November I used the funds in order to expand my business so I bought more stock for my cooking business. As for October, I decided that I was going to use that money to invest in poultry farming so I ended up buying thirty chicks using the entire funds.

GiveDirectly has done well by providing the unconditional cash transfer to the villagers because we had the privilege to use the funds however wanted and hence had our goals and objectives achieved in a short time. I would not want GiveDirectly to change.

I am a single mother of one child and paying school fees for my child has been the biggest challenge because of lack of a stable job. As soon as I received my cash transfer, I used $20 to buy a sack of potatoes and the remaining $10 to buy 5ltrs of cooking oil, tamarind, and food coloring. I set my mind to starting a small business selling fried potatoes with tamarind sauce, which is a common delicacy for school I going children in my village. I was so grateful because this was my journey to start my business to support my family independently.

Around 8 p.m., I received a mobile money alert on my phone. I was preparing to close my vegetable-selling shed. Upon confirming that Give Directly had sent my first transfer, I was so elated.  After spending the entire day without making any money, the cash transfer would at least assist put food on the table for the night.

Clearing my child's unpaid school fees provided me with peace of mind that I lacked before the transfer. Prior to that day, I was always concerned about what would happen to her studies if I did not pay the overdue balance on time. I am now confident that she will be continue with her classes without being dragged out to collect school fees.

I commend Give Directly for sending me the transfer at a critical moment where I had hit rock bottom in raising money for food.  My family had gone to bed hungry the night before due to a lack of funds to purchase food. This is because my vegetable-selling business bore no fruit that day, and my brother (a motorcyclist) had also earned nothing to help feed the family. As a result, I used KES 670 from the transfer to buy food for the family, that lasted five days. I utilized the remaining funds to pay off my daughter's kindergarten tuition expenses for the current academic term, allowing her to continue her studies without interruption.