Since am still in form two, my focus is on completing high school with great grades that will secure me a spot at the university or college. I would be happy if I graduated from high school and throughout university without having to miss classes from unpaid school fees. Although this is a nearly impossible wish given the tough economy and low financial status of my family, I hope to be able to finance my education through Give Directly’s cash transfers and my chicken-rearing project.  

Taking care of my six siblings and me by herself has caused a lot of strain on my mother. The food stand she operates hardly puts daily meals on the table, sometimes we sleep hungry at least twice a month. Furthermore, there are times we miss classes for days due to unpaid school fees. To support her and alleviate these hardships, I mostly spend cash transfers on school fees for my siblings and me. I used the entire February transfer to clear my overdue fee debt, which had cost me two days of learning. Am happy that I have never missed school since that day. In January, I spent $15 on my tuition and the remaining $19 on my siblings had been frequently sent out of class to collect the money. In December, schools were closed for the holidays, so I spent $30 to buy six hens for rearing. Keeping poultry is a project that I initiated through the transfers, and am excited about the progress am making; I currently have 32 chickens. Whenever we are stuck with finances, I usually sell these chickens to cover my family’s needs.  

My mother is a single mother with four children. She is the breadwinner of the family. She takes care of us with grace and I am thankful for that. I am twenty years old and in Secondary school in form one. When I was in primary school I had to stop school for three years due to lack of school fees. Luckily after three years, my mother come up with the fee and I went back to school which I am grateful for. Every month I take $27 to school for my fees.

I am an orphan, and since my father's death, I have relied primarily on my grandmother for support. This is because my mother does not have a steady source of income and must rely on casual jobs like charcoal making to provide for us. So, when I received my recent transfer, I used the entire KES 3000 to pay my school fees. I recently joined form one, and the GiveDirectly's support greatly relieved my grandmother of the burden of raising the entire school fee. I am hopeful that if I focus well on my studies, I will be able to succeed in life and be able to support my mother, who has been living in an extreme poverty for over a decade.

Give directly has really helped me with my education. I have been able to study with so much ease unlike before when I would frequently be sent home due to school fee arrears. The organization has really progressed me.

Coming from a very humble background, my parents would often struggle with the payment of my school fees. In one term, I am often absent from school for a month. This causes me to miss out and it affects my performance. So when I started receiving these funds, it's been a while since I was sent home due to school fee arrears. It's only this week that I was sent home due to arrears of ksh2000. So, I am awaiting my third transfer to settle it. So the only use I has done with the funds is to pay my school fees.

I saw the text message at noon. I was from school during the lunch break. I was very happy when I saw the text message. I quickly went and informed my mother about the good news. I was all smiles because I knew the money had come through at a good time when I needed money to pay school fees.

The money has made a big difference. After paying school fees, I currently do not have any stress or any fear of being sent back home. I am using this opportunity to catch up with others and also put more effort into my studies so that I can be successful later in life.

I am still a student. I am currently in class seven. I am a focused student who wants to learn and work hard in school. The major challenge I am currently facing is school fees. My parents are very poor and I depend on them for everything. This term alone I have been sent home several times. This has also even affected my performance in school. Once I am back at home, I sometimes find it hard to catch up with the others once I am back in school. I want to work smart and hard so that I can be successful in life land a good job and help my parents and my siblings. I want to become a doctor once I am done with my education. When I was enrolled in the program I saw it as an opportunity that will boost me in my education. When I received the transfer I spent it all on paying my school fees.