I am currently working in a shop business, though I am employed by someone else. With the experience I have gained in running a shop, I am optimistic about opening my own in the coming year and beyond. I am deeply grateful to GiveDirectly for their financial support—it has truly been a beacon of hope in my life. I joined a merry-go-round savings group, where we pool our funds together to achieve goals that might have been out of reach individually. I don't want to work for others forever; instead, I want to use this opportunity to create a job for myself. I believe that’s the purpose behind GiveDirectly’s support—to empower us financially. Every month, I save $20 with the goal of opening my own shop in the near future. Running my own business will allow me to earn a better income, as I already have the knowledge and experience needed to make it successful. Once I establish my shop, I will be incredibly happy, as it will enable me to easily support both my own financial needs and those of my family. In fact, with this financial security, I will even be able to start a family, confident that I can provide for them without stress. I am truly thankful to GiveDirectly for making this possible.

I am currently employed as a shop attendant at a nearby store, where I earn a modest income to support myself and contribute to my family's needs. When I received my most recent transfer, I decided to stock up on food, especially maize, for family consumption. My parents are both jobless and rely on farming to sustain our household. Unfortunately, last season we harvested nothing due to the lack of rain, despite investing heavily in farming with the hope that it would rain. This is why I spent $42 on food. I always strive to ensure we don't go without, particularly because I have younger siblings who don’t understand when there is no food at home. With the remaining amount, I saved for my future plans. I am aiming to open a shop, and to help achieve this, I saved $60 in our merry-go-round group. I have hopes of using these savings to start my own business so that I can have a steady income of my own.

By January next year, I have a goal, which is to expand my retail shop, which I am currently running. The shop is small, and since I never had enough capital, I used to earn little profit. Therefore, I now opt to save every single transfer from GiveDirectly until next year, when I will have enough funds to facilitate the expansion. Once this succeeds, I will not have to strain to meet my needs like before, and it will also be easier for me to start a family of my own, where I will be able to take good care of them. With the additional space and improved stock, I am confident that my shop will attract more customers, thereby increasing my profits significantly. This financial stability will enable me to provide a better life for my family, ensuring that our future is secure and prosperous.

As a single man who has yet to start my own nuclear family, I have been relying on the modest earnings from my small retail shop in our hometown. Though my income has been barely sufficient to meet my daily needs, saving money was always out of reach due to the minimal profits. However, with the help of GiveDirectly, I managed to save $102 from the recent transfers. By January next year, I aim to expand my retail shop, anticipating that a larger inventory and improved offerings will significantly boost my profits. Given my experience and the scarcity of shops on my homestead, I am confident this venture will be highly productive. With the successful expansion of my business, I already envision a stable future where I can start my own family. The fear of not being able to provide will no longer hold me back. This business expansion symbolizes more than just increased earnings; it represents a foundation for a better life. I can now look forward to building a life with a partner and providing future children with the security of a thriving business. The support from GiveDirectly has not only uplifted my financial status but also instilled a sense of optimism and preparedness for the next chapter of my life. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to transform my circumstances and look forward to a prosperous and fulfilling future.

I believe it is possible to fulfill your dreams when you put your mind to it. I now have a clear set plan with my business idea. I have calculated an estimated that I will need about $1500 total to start this business. This is a lot of money even with the transfers. I plan to save till early next year where I will use whatever I have in savings to accomplish that dream and plan to expand as the business runs. I will continue savings with the village savings group to ensure my money is not redirected to anything else. This will allow me to marry as at now I am yet to marry due to my financial status.

I have been working in a shop for a while now and through looking at our books I saw significant profits. I talked to my employer and he encouraged me and told me that with discipline I could run a similar establishment that will be able to provide finances to me. My plan was to start saving ion a village savings group which I will be able to withdraw my cash after a while and invest in my business of choice. I joined an existing savings group where we are required to save around $20 monthly. I always make my monthly subscriptions from my transfers. The remaining $14 takes care of my meals for me daily.

My primary objective is to establish a thriving retail shop, a venture that holds immense significance for my family's well-being. As the sole breadwinner responsible for providing for my family of eight, I am committed to creating a sustainable source of income. I have begun saving towards this endeavor and aim to open the retail shop by mid-next year, with a budget of $100,000.

I received the GiveDirectly transfers at a crucial moment in my life. As the eldest sibling in a family of eight, I have always taken on the responsibility of ensuring my younger siblings' education remains uninterrupted. With the recent funds I received, I allocated $10 to clear their school fees arrears, ensuring they can continue their education without any hindrance. Additionally, I used $4.70 to purchase essential food supplies for our household. Moreover, I made a significant step towards securing our family's future by saving $20 from the transfer. My goal is to start a retail shop business, which will not only provide for my family's needs but also create opportunities for financial stability in the long term. The GiveDirectly transfers have brought immense relief to my family, and we are forever grateful for the support.

My goal is to open a kiosk in my village, and I estimate that I will need approximately $1000 to cover the initial costs and rental fees. By saving $20 from each cash transfer every month, I am taking gradual steps toward achieving this objective. Opening my own business will not only provide me with a source of income but also create opportunities for growth and success. I am committed to making this goal a reality and utilizing the cash transfers as a stepping stone toward achieving financial stability and improving the well-being of my family.

I aim to establish a kiosk business in my village and to make this a reality, I have been setting aside $20 from each cash transfer I receive. Currently, I am employed as a shopkeeper at someone else's store, and this experience has further motivated me to pursue my dream of owning and running my own business. It has always been my desire to have a business of my own, but the financial constraints within my household have been a hindrance. Also, as the sole breadwinner for my family, I bear the responsibility of providing for the eight members of our household. With my scant earnings, I can barely provide daily meals for my family. This is where the remaining $14 from the cash transfer usually goes. This has ensured that my household obtains enough food for an extra few days.

For the past two years, I have been working for someone as a shop attendant. I have learned some business management skills through that, and I have set a goal of starting my shop business. I have realized that the shop business is profitable. I have saved $400 towards the said goal. I will therefore be able to earn more money from that business, making it easier for me to help my parents raise money for their basic needs. My parents are both elderly and unable to do casual jobs to support themselves. They require more assistance, and I believe I will be able to support them once my goal materializes.

For a couple of years, I have longed to start up a shop business. In the last year, I gained business management skills as I worked for someone as a shop attendant. This birthed the idea of striving to begin and run my own shop. So whenever I receive my transfer, I always save the whole of it. Similarly, upon confirmation of my recent transfer, I also opted to build my savings to accumulate sufficient capital. Managing my shop will help me to earn more. As a result, I shall find it easy to support my parents in meeting some of the family's needs. They are elderly, and they struggle to obtain food for the household. I hope with this it will be easy to help cater to the needs of all my siblings.

Give directly has done well because through the funds, many people have been able to provide food for their families and opened up the community to small saving groups which have brought about many development projects

I am currently working as a shopkeeper in a nearby grocery. I have been saving up all my cash transfers from the time they enrolled me in the program. My experience in the shop has given me an insight into how the grocery shop operates. I have established the pros and cons as well as developed an interest in owning my o grocery business. Currently saved all my $60 with a plan to save up to $100 to start up.

In my life, I had never gotten any support similar to what GiveDirectly promised me at the enrollment stage. When I realized that I had finally received my first transfer, I felt super good and had some unusual peace at heart. It made me believe that my dream of starting a business would soon come to pass. I came to learn about my transfer at around mid-day, at 11.00 am. Although I was held up then, I could not control my joy. I longed I was with my parents at that moment to share with them the such good news. I am forever grateful to GiveDirectly for such a great help.

Before I received my first transfer, I had not begun building up my savings. However, from the time I received the first transfer, I have learned the value of savings. I have so far saved KES 4,000. I am aiming to build it up to raise adequate capital. As a result, I am very hopeful that my life will change for the better. I will be able to attain independence and be supportive to my immediate family members.

Since I received my recent transfer, I have not spent a single cent. However, I opted to spend it on building my savings to start a shop business. I have been working for someone for over two years now. I have learned how profitable a shop business is when well managed. Therefore, I long for my own business because through it, I shall obtain my independency. At the moment, I am still single and would wish to prepare well in terms of raising dowry and having a reliable source of income for my family when I marry.