In the coming year and beyond, I have two important projects to establish. First, I want to open my own hotel business to secure an income that can support my children and family. To achieve this, I joined a merry-go-round group where I save $20 every month, knowing that by December, it will be my turn to receive my savings. Currently, I live in Mombasa after separating from my spouse. I moved here in search of work and am currently employed at a hotel. This job is temporary as I focus on gathering skills and saving money to achieve my dream of owning my own business. Secondly, my next plan for the coming year and beyond is to buy a piece of land and build a home for my two children. Currently, I live in my parents' house, but I strongly feel the necessity of having our own space for the betterment of my sons. It's essential for their stability and well-being, offering them a sense of security and belonging. Owning our own home would not only provide us with physical shelter but also symbolize a fresh start—a place where we can create new memories and rebuild our lives together. This is a dream I've been nurturing for quite some time, and I'm determined to turn it into a reality, no matter the challenges that lie ahead.

When I received my recent transfer, I allocated $20 to pay my monthly merry-go-round contribution. This initiative allows us to pool our funds together, and I plan to use my savings to start a hotel business by the end of the year when I receive my share. Additionally, I paid $34 in school fees for my two children to ensure they aren't sent home for fee balances and can focus on their studies. With the remaining amount, I spent $34 on food for my family since we didn't have any at the time I received the transfer. I also used $7 to buy a new school uniform for one of my children, whose uniform was in poor condition, and I purchased washing soap with the remaining $6. Thus I am very grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial support.

In the upcoming year and beyond, my main aim is to purchase my own piece of land and construct a home where I can reside with my family. Currently, I find myself living in my parent's house following my divorce from my spouse, and I strongly feel the necessity of having my own space for the betterment of my two sons. It's essential for their stability and well-being, offering them a sense of security and belonging. Owning our own home would not only provide us with a physical shelter but also symbolize a fresh start, a place where we can create new memories and rebuild our lives together. It's a dream I've been nurturing for quite some time, and I'm determined to turn it into a reality, no matter the challenges that lie ahead.

As a single mother of two, navigating the challenges of providing for my family has always been a balancing act. Determined to secure a better future for my son, I allocated a portion of the cash transfer towards a long-term investment: starting a fish business. Saving $10 each month, I am laying the groundwork for a venture I believe will not only be financially rewarding but also afford me more time with my children. In addition to planning for the future, I addressed immediate concerns by allocating $15 to renovate a portion of our roof damaged by harsh winds. Ensuring the safety and comfort of my family is paramount, and this repair brings a sense of security amidst life's uncertainties. Education has always been paramount, and with $26 allocated towards my children's school fees, I ensured their uninterrupted learning. The knowledge that they can pursue their studies without disruption fills me with immeasurable relief. With the remaining $33, I stocked up on essentials, ensuring we had enough food to sustain us for a while. The stability provided by GiveDirectly has been a lifeline, offering a sense of security and empowerment in the face of adversity. While the road ahead may still be challenging, I face it with renewed determination and gratitude for the support that has stabilized our lives.

I was married before but in 2020 I separated with my husband and went back to my mother. I am now a single woman trying to support herself and her aging mother and children. I left my village for the city to go look for work for myself to ensure I could provide for them. I make around $3 daily as my wage. My mother usually needs around $45 a month to cover needs for the family which I send to her from my earnings. As much as I have an income I have the dream of setting up a similar establishment as where I work to ensure I am able to better provide for them and I hope to achieve this using my transfers and savings from working.

My roof was leaking , about two of the iron sheets on it were badly damaged. I knew that was a priority for me in November due to the rains, I spent $16 on buying the sheets and spent $5 paying the handy man who fixed the roof. The rest of the money went into buying food and toiletries. In December I bought two chicken for rearing at $6, I got a thermos at $9 and food at $14 while I got toiletries at $5. In January my two children who are in grade went to school with a new pair of uniform, shoes and bags which all cost me $23 I left the rest of the money with my mother to ensure she could purchase any school needs the children come in with.

As a parent, I deal with a lot of emergencies as the children are often sick. This usually forces me to dig into my business very often,m stagnating the business and preventing it from flourishing to something bigger. To put an end to this, I have decided that it would be wise to have a backup plan of raising money in such situations without having to affect my business. This will be through investing in livestock which can be sold during such moments and may also have the potential to reproduce if not sold for a while. Investing in livestock such as goats is much easier than keeping the money saved. The only way I can save consistently is through a savings group which would not be very flexible in releasing money in times of emergency, so a goat would be the possible options as it's easy to find a quick market when necessary. I am planning to make some savings to enable me purchase the goats as I am convinces this is my only way towards financial freedom. Some of the little needs will be taken care of with the little I earn from my grocery business which I will keep using the transfers to expand whenever possible.

I have 2 young children in nursery school who are under the care of my mother since I relocated to Mombasa in search of better income. After failing to secure a job, I decided to set up a grocery business which does not earn as much as I had hoped. My transfers have therefore been very instrumental in supporting my children's needs such as school requirements and foodstuff. Sometimes before I receive the transfers, I am usually forced to take out money from my business to send home to my mother for emergency needs such as medication and treatments in case one of my children get sick. I such situations, I usually ensure that I use part of my transfers to boost my business by adding more stock. Once in a while, I also use the money to bring in new items to improve my earnings.

I work as a hotel attendant, and my daily wages are insufficient to support my family due to the high cost of living. To break the cycle of poverty, I want to start a viable business. My current job does not pay well. As a result, running my business will enable me to meet my children's educational needs. A food canteen and a grocery canteen are two viable business ideas I have. If I am successful in starting a business, I will be able to start raising livestock for the benefit of my children's future.

My husband divorced me a couple of years ago, and I struggle to support my three children as a single mother. I currently live in an eight-iron sheet-roofed house. It is small, and we always bear with the situation, even though we feel uncomfortable. I have always wanted to build a spacious house. As a result, I spent $11 on an iron sheet. I will collect enough iron sheets to build a sixteen-iron sheet house. I have been unable to initiate building a house because I do not have a consistent source of income; my daily wage is $3. I also spent $15 from my recent transfer on paying my son's school fees. He is currently in PP1. The rest assisted us in acquiring some food.

With the small income that I get from my casual jobs, I have been managing to save up at least $5 weekly in a merry-go-round. With these saving and from the Givedirectly transfers I hope to soon start up my own small business selling food and other vegetables in the nearby market.

I am a single mother of two lovely children. I separated from my husband almost five years ago. The responsibility of looking after my kids and providing for all our basic needs lies with me and it has not been an easy task. I am a casual laborer and I make around $3 daily which sometimes is not enough to cater to our needs. With the transfers that I have been receiving for the past three months, I have been sparing $15 to pay for my kid’s school fees. I do not have a decent house and it has been one of my goals to make sure that my kids and I have a place to call home. I am in the process of ensuring that this has been achieved and thus I have been buying the materials bit by bit. I started by buying iron sheets which cost $8 each. I am hopeful that soon I will start building my house. The remaining $8, is used to buy food for my family. I thank God that Givedirectly has been there to help us in times of our need.

Most of the people who lived in small houses have managed to build better and more spacious houses which were not possible before. GiveDirectly enabled them to purchase all the materials that were needed including paying the workers. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.

I spent $15 on paying school fees for my son who is the primary school. He used to be sent home to collect the fees and this was affecting his performance since he could miss some lessons. I am so happy now because I was able to pay on time and he is currently studying well without being disturbed. The remaining amount of money I spent on school uniforms, food and other household items that we were missing at that time. I am so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has improved our living standard.

I was getting my children ready to sleep at around 9 P. M when l heard my phone ring. L rushed to check the phone only to realize it was a Mpesa message confirming that I had received money from GiveDirectly. I was so excited because I did not expect it. That was an awesome surprise. The money brought the hope of accomplishing some of the plans my household had. We were in a financial crisis since my children were sent back home for school fees while we had run out of corn flour too for the family. Receiving money brought back the lost hope in our family.

I am glad I was able to clear my son's school fees arrears and this led him to be accepted back into school after spending one week at home for lack of school fees. Since he will be attending all the lessons, I am hopeful that his performance will improve. This is the biggest difference in my daily life because if it was not for the transfers then it would have taken me weeks to raise such an amount. The KES 150 that I make at times from fetching water for people can barely afford a whole day's meal considering that a kg of corn flour retails at KES 130.

I used KES 1500 of the first transfer to pay school fees for my son who is in PP1. L was very happy to have cleared the fees he owed the school since my son is now able to study without being sent home for school fees. I hope to see him improve in his performance now that he can attend all lessons without being absent for fees arrears. My spouse went to look for a job in Mombasa for more than a year, leaving me with the sole responsibility of taking care of the family needs. I normally fetch water for people to earn a living but the KES 150-KES 200 I make daily is not enough to take care of all our needs (my two children and I). This has led us to skip meals daily. I, therefore, spent KES 1500 on 20 kg of corn flour to sustain my family for a while.