I am thankful to GiveDirectly for the financial assistance that has significantly improved my financial situation. After completing my secondary education, I found myself at home, unsure of how to pursue college. Fortunately, GiveDirectly enrolled me in their program. With their support, I was able to start a small vegetable business, which has been quite successful. I couldn’t attend college right away because my parents, who are peasant farmers, couldn’t afford it. Through this business, I am able to save money, and I use part of my income from GiveDirectly to invest in goats. I am pleased to say that I now have ten goats. My ambition is to become a Mechanical Engineer, and I believe that the income from my business and goat investments will help me achieve my college dreams, as goats reproduce quickly. I plan to sell some of them to fund my education. After graduating, I aim to establish my own business to enhance my family's quality of life.

I have a brother who is currently attending Secondary school. As a family, we decided to support him in pursuing his education since our parents are peasant farmers, and their earnings are insufficient to comfortably cover his schooling costs. When I received my latest transfer, I used $45 to pay for his school fees. Additionally, I purchased food for our family that cost $52, as we were in urgent need of both food and water at that time. We are currently experiencing a drought, which has made water scarce, and the suppliers charge high prices. Thus, this financial support has been crucial in helping us afford the essentials we require as a family. Lastly, I spent $5 to clear the fee balance for my two younger siblings who are in primary school.

I finished school in 2021 but couldn't enroll in college due to my family's financial situation. To fund my studies, I have been working hard in my business of selling vegetables. My goal is to become a Mechanical Engineer, and I am confident that earnings from my current business and goat investments will support my college aspirations. Once I graduate, I plan to start my own business, which will elevate my family's quality of life.

I currently have a younger brother in secondary school. To ensure he stays in school, I spent $25 to clear his school fees. It's important to me that he completes his studies and secures a better future. I strongly believe that a good education can shape one's future and brighter tomorrow. In addition to supporting my brother, I run a small business selling vegetables and fruits to my neighbors. I invested $10 in adding new stock to attract more customers and increase profits. I also allocated $14 to purchase new clothes for myself since my old ones were worn out. Currently, I own thirteen goats. With the remaining transfers, I spent $52 to purchase an additional goat that I plan to invest in. I believe investing in goats is wise because they multiply easily, allowing me to sell them for profit in the future.

This year, I aim to expand my business ventures by selling clothes and other household essentials. I plan to utilize my savings and profits from my vegetable business to realize this goal. Establishing another business opportunity will not only diversify my income streams but also provide me with the opportunity to explore further ventures, such as livestock business, thereby increasing my profits and enhancing my financial stability. I am sincerely thankful to this organization for empowering me financially and enabling me to pursue and achieve my goals.

I support myself by selling vegetables and fruits, but business has been challenging lately. Before the program began, life was tough, we faced a lot of challenges including scarcity of food, water, and financial resources. However, I'm grateful that our situation has improved. Starting the vegetable business has provided me with daily income. From the transfers received, I used $55 to pay school fees for my younger brother, who had been sent home due to a pending debt. Additionally, I spent $28 on purchasing food, clothes, and shoes for myself, as I needed them. Another $14 was used in adding more stock to my vegetable business, significantly boosting its performance. Lastly, I purchased a chicken worth $5, which I plan to rear and sell later on . Overall, my life has become much easier, and I'm glad to be part of this positive change.

I operate a kiosk business where I sell food items like sugar, maize flour, and tea leaves. This small venture has granted me financial independence. My proudest achievement has been using my subsequent earnings to expand my inventory, attract more customers, and ensure substantial profits. Achieving greater financial stability through this business will enable me to lift my parents and siblings out of poverty. I'm delighted that these earnings are providing me with a fresh start, benefiting not only me but also my family members.

I have a younger brother who is currently a Form Three student at Tsangatsini Secondary School. Due to the prevailing poverty in our household, I am responsible for providing him with financial support, particularly for his school fees. I settled a $44 school fee debt after my brother was sent home and missed over a week of classes. I am relieved to have cleared the debt, leaving him with no remaining school fee balance. Additionally, I allocated $15 to plow half an acre of our land, ensuring it was ready for planting. I am pleased that we enjoyed a bountiful harvest, providing an ample food supply. Furthermore, I acquired some new clothing, enhancing my overall appearance. Lastly, I directed $34 towards the construction of my own house, a significant step towards maintaining my privacy as I live independently. The support from GiveDirectly has been invaluable, empowering me to fulfill my commitment to my sibling's education through school fee payments.

I do casual jobs as well as collect stick and tree stumps to make charcoal to sell. due to the reduced forest cover this has really gone down. I would like to increase my income by venturing into business. I would like to start a general items shop where I sell from food items to hygiene products, to toiletries and I want to achieve this through the transfers. If I am able to get animals through this transfers I will be able to increase their numbers and sell for cash which I can use to invest into this business.

I live with my family since I have not yet married and this means that most times I shoulder the needs of the family. I have a younger brother still in school and his education is currently the biggest need of the family as he is in secondary school. I made a plan of dedicating monthly $20 for his school fee payment to ensure his balances don't go up. so for the month of April May and June I spent $20 on my brother's school fees. I got three chicken in April for myself at $10 and in June I got myself new shoes and shirt just to improve my appearance at $10. The remaining money I contribute to buying food for the home where in may I spent $14 and in April and June I spent $4.

My goal for this year is to be self-employed. Since mid-last year, I have been an employee in a local grocery kiosk. I had been earning approximately $20 in a month when my employer split his profits with me and during the months that I was lucky, I got $50. When I received GD transfers, I knew I could work towards increasing my monthly income as my initial income did not suffice. Since I started buying my own fish and groceries to sell my income has increased by five percent. I want to have a much more steady increase so I can eventually start my own grocery shop. This will allow me achieve other goals that I have set and significantly broaden my horizon.

When my brother got into secondary school, my parents were much advanced in age, this meant they could not do much to support and hence the responsibility of paying his school fees lay on me and another of my brothers. The school fees debt he had accumulated by January was $70. It was such a large amount that we needed to reduce. I used $20 from my January transfers, $20 from my February transfers and $15 from my March transfers and significantly brought down the fee balance to $15.. I had also started a business selling dried fish and vegetables, in the month of February, I added $5 to the business and I also added $10 in March to the business. We have had a five year drought that has made food a resource you can only buy and it was also one of the things that I focused on with this transfers in January I spent $10 on food, in February I spent $5 and the same amount in march. I also tried to buy some nice clothes and shoes to ensure I was presentable, I spent $4 in January and the same February.

When I received the money, my brother, currently in form two, had been sent out of school to collect a pending school fee balance of $90 that had accrued from the previous term. This was the third time during this academic period that he had been pulled out of class to fetch the tuition money. Every time it happened, he would stay home for one day and return to school with the little funds that my older brother and I would have pulled. Gladly this time around, my cash transfers had just checked in from Give Directly, I handed him $20, and he happily resumed classes. I am glad that his institution, Tsangatsini Secondary School, let him sit for his end-year examinations regardless of the debt that still stands to date. In addition, as I went to withdraw the cash, I was drawn to a pair of trousers at a certain shop and was prompted to buy them on my way back. This cost me $10. Also, since my household had run out of food the previous night, I spent the remaining transfer to purchase maize flour for the family of four.

Give Directly is helping many families reduce the impact poverty. The cash transfers have enabled me to put food on the table and support my brother's education. The organization does everything for the benefit of the community members, and their work is impeccable.

My brother, Hamisi, who is in form two, had returned to school with a pending fee balance of around KES 6,000 when I received the transfer. As a precaution, I spent KES 1,500 from the transfer to reduce the balance to ensure his studies were not disrupted. In addition, our family had run out of food that day, so I contributed KES 400 to the purchase of maize flour to last at least two days. I saved the remainder of the funds. My plan is to withdraw money and put half of it towards my brother's education. I will use the remaining half to secure food should I run out of the available flour.

I was standing by the roadside waiting for my friend, hoping that I would secure a job. Few minutes later, my phone rang out loud and on checking it, I found out that I had received my first transfer from Give Directly. I felt so much joy in my heart having received the money.

The money I received from the transfer helped me pay off school fees arrears. I was struggling to find a job after failing to sell charcoal for one week. The transfer made a big difference in my life and that of my brother because he is back in school and going on with his studies.

I earn a living through the sale of charcoal. My younger brother depends on me to support him with his education. I have struggled to pay his school fees because of my unstable source of income. I earn very little (250 per day) from selling the charcoal, which is not enough to pay all the bills (school fees and buying food) I have. As a result of late fee payment, they often send him home and miss important classes affecting his performance in school. When I received my first transfer, I Paid school fees arrears of KES 3000 so that he could resume his studies.