In the last two years, I have always depended on a small income form construction job which has been my main source of income. As a result of low income, I have always struggled to raise money for my family and personal needs. The little I used to get on a daily basis would mostly be used on buying food and other basic needs for the family. I would have to take loans to raise money for fees for my children. This is why I felt it wise to use my transfers to start a shoe business which has really brought a lot of difference in my life. Right now, my children go to school with full school uniform, books and are rarely sent home for any school needs like before. I have managed to pay back all my debts and at least I have small savings because of the transfers and the income from the business which I stared with GD transfers.

I started the shoe business with part of GD transfers. It has been doing well and it has really impacted positively on my financial life. Currently, I have a small space where I have always carried out the business. I now want to rent a business premise to carry out the business so that I do not struggle to move the stock to and from the house on a daily basis. The next transfers, I will use in boosting the business and paying for a business premise.

I spent the whole of my transfer to boost my shoe business by adding more stock to the business. The business was not doing well after I had taken part in the business resources to handle personal needs. I used part of the money to buy school requirements for my children who were reporting back to school for the first term. This is why the business was going down hence I decided to use the whole of the transfer in the business.

Previously I used to hawk on the streets of Nairobi to earn a living but it had a lot of challenges with low income. It was always hard to raise money to cater comfortably for my basic needs such as paying for the house rent considering that my business was not a reliable one. When I received these transfers, I was able to save up which helped me put up a temporary structure as my selling station where I added more stock to the ones I had. I feel that this business is better than hawking because I get more customers and do not get tired from walking a lot. I currently enjoy a higher profit which has greatly made my access to basic needs and services much easier. I feel I am relieved of the heavy burden of my daily household needs.

My new goal before GiveDirectly phases out of Mathare is to raise money and open another branch of the same business I am doing at the moment of selling shoes to make more income for my future betterment . At the moment, I have spotted a shop which I intend to pay deposit for reservation with my savings from the profits of my business and also that of GiveDirectly's donations .

I spent my transfer to boost my business. I am happy and dependent after boosting it since my income has improved since most of my customers when they come to buy they are able to get their preferred items .Therefore, I can work around my budget and take care of my needs without bothering my brother and parents like before.

Currently, my life is different from how it was in that. I am now independent. My brother used to support me by paying my rent because my parents provided money for food only. I used to feel bad but I had no option because I had low income. Today, I am a happy person because I can work around my budget and fully take care of my needs without bothering my brother and parents.

My new goal is to focus on improving my business. I want to work hard and reach a point where I can attract a variety of customers from different parts of the world. It sounds like a dream but I know with time I will be able to reach this goal. I thank Give Directly for giving me hopes of achieving this dream with the help of the transfer which saved my business from collapsing.

I spent part of my transfer to boost my business. The business was not doing well, the sales were very low. I normally sell clothes. I am happy that after boosting it, the response is positive since my income has improved. Previously I used to hawk in the streets of Nairobi which had a lot of challenges and getting low income by the end of the day. I finally managed to put up a temporary structure where I sell my clothes and added more stock to the ones I had. I feel that this business is better than hawking because I get more customers and do not get tired from walking a lot.

I have always wished to finish my college studies but I did not have enough resources. So when I received my transfers, I used part of the money to reactivate my college registration and partly paid my school fees. I am planning to invest and expand in the shoe business and with the revenue earned, I will pay my school fees.

Before the transfers were sent, I used to do any casual job that opened up. This was very tiresome and draining. Each day had its own hustle and so my life was unpredictable. There are days that I got lucky and ended up making good money while many are the days that I walked home empty-handed. I had gotten tired of all this and was almost giving up when GD came into my rescue. With the transfers, I started a shoe business that currently is doing well.

When I received my recent transfers, I restocked my business. I have been in the business of selling second-hand shoes. This has been ongoing since I received my first transfer. I decided to add more stock given that the business had been doing well. With the income earned, I will be able to pay schools my school fees with much ease.

When I received my transfer, I was so happy and at that particular time, nothing could measure the joy I had in my heart. It felt like the world had paused time specifically for me. I felt on my knees and gave thanks to God for this was a miracle. I knew that all my plans were finally going to materialize.