I have always dreamed of having a stable source of income so that, even when the program comes to an end, I can meet my basic needs without struggling. To achieve this, I decided to venture into a second-hand clothing selling business that my son has, pooling funds with my son to promote its growth and stability. My current goal is to expand this business and generate more income from it. With this venture, I hope to move away from engaging in casual jobs like fetching and selling firewood and burning charcoal, which are very tiring and put our health at risk, yet they don’t pay well. To ensure the business grows, I plan to continue investing a portion of my transfers into it, creating a sustainable source of income that will help support my family. I am optimistic that this business will thrive and grow, enabling us to sustain ourselves and provide an education for our children.

I live in the same household as my son, and since I am getting older and cannot do heavy manual work, we had to come up with a strategy that would boost the income of our family. Considering that he is the one that we depend on and he was struggling to make ends meet, we both decided to pool our resources to boost his second-hand clothing selling business in order to increase profits, and this is what I have been doing with my previous transfers. Recently, I invested $72 of my transfers into his business, which has been instrumental in generating profits that we use to run our household and educate our children. I’m glad to see how this business is helping us. Additionally, I spent the remaining $30 of my transfers to buy food for the family, ensuring that we wouldn’t go hungry. I am truly thankful for the assistance we receive from GiveDirectly, as it has made a significant difference in our lives.

I started a business selling second-hand clothes with my son, and I'm delighted that it's doing well. Right now, the profits from the business have enabled me to pay for my children's fees and meet my basic needs, such as food, with ease. My dream has always been to create a stable source of income so that even when the program comes to an end, I'll be able to meet my basic needs without struggling. My current goal is to expand this business and generate more money from it. With this business, I'll no longer have to engage in casual jobs like fetching and selling firewood, which don't pay well. I hope to change my life and become financially stable through this business.

Before GiveDirectly came into my life, I faced various challenges, including the inability to meet my family's basic needs. I struggled to pay for my children's education, and the furthest they could get was high school. My husband only did casual jobs, while I engaged in subsistence farming for household consumption. At times, when I lacked money, I would fetch firewood to sell to pay for my children's fees so that they could continue with their studies. However, when I began to receive the transfers from GiveDirectly, I decided to start a business that would help us overcome our financial challenges. Together with my son, who is also a beneficiary of the program, we started a business selling second-hand clothes. Whenever I received a transfer, I would restock this business. Recently, with the latest transfers, I purchased an additional stock of clothes that cost me $100. The profits from this business have since enabled me to pay for my children's school fees, provide food for my family, and overcome other financial difficulties. I attribute this transformation to the support I have been receiving from GiveDirectly. I spent the remaining amount of the transfers to cover my daughter's medical expenses after she was diagnosed with stomach ulcers. She had even stopped going to school because of this condition, but I am glad that she received proper treatment, and she is now recovering. Soon, she will be back in school.

Achieving financial stability is my primary goal. The flexibility of the transfers allows us the freedom to allocate funds as we deem fit, which is highly advantageous. Currently, I am directing a portion of my transfers into a savings club, aiming to accumulate sufficient capital to strengthen my business when the saving period concludes. The anticipated returns from the business are expected to provide abundant support, ensuring a comfortable life for my family. I am happy and content with the positive strides I have made in improving my life.

In our village, my son and I operate a shop dedicated to selling second-hand clothes. The financial support we receive plays a pivotal role in expanding our business by allowing us to invest in additional stock. Life was particularly challenging before, marked by struggles and a lack of resources as I tried to support my family of ten. However, the positive turn of events now allows me to comfortably cover school fees using the profits from the business. Remarkably, one of my children has successfully completed primary school. The income generated from our enterprise not only ensures the well-being of my family through food provision but also aids in covering educational expenses. I am sincerely grateful and content with these positive changes. Recently, I invested $78 in acquiring additional stock for the business, thereby enhancing its stability. The remaining $24 was prudently saved in our savings club, with the goal of accumulating capital to further develop our business in the future.

The improvements my son and I have seen in our joint second-hand clothing business, thanks to the cash transfers, have been significant. With the increased profits, we have been able to afford daily meals for the family and pay for my two children's school fees. This has motivated me to continue growing the business and making it a reliable source of income for my family. I aspire to grow and expand my business further. My goal is to purchase more stock for my second-hand clothing business, which will not only increase the variety of products we offer but also boost the profits. I am determined not to let the business go below its current state, and I believe that investing in more stock is the key to achieving that.

Each month when I receive the cash transfers, I make sure to invest the money in my second-hand clothing business by purchasing additional stock. My son and I run this business together, and since we started receiving the transfers, we have seen a significant increase in our profits. This improvement in our business has not only provided us with daily meals but has also enabled us to pay for the school fees of my two children. Sometimes, we take advantage of market days to sell these clothes, which allows us to reach more customers and gain more earnings. Thanks to the cash transfers, our family's financial situation has improved, and we are grateful for the positive impact it has had on our lives. The transfers have become a valuable source of support for my family and have allowed us to work towards a more stable future.

Starting a business is one thing and growing it is another. As a person who has witnessed the transformation of my second-hand clothing business since the inception of the financial aid, I would stop at nothing expand it or at least keep it running. The business has become a crucial source of income, which covers the basic needs like food and education for my family over the period. I hope to continue flourishing the venture, through upcoming cash transfers. 

Thanks to previous cash transfers, I own a second-hand clothing business in my village. Over time, this business has put food on the table and kept my children in school by paying their tuition fees. Rather than using the cash aid on my basic needs, I usually inject every penny into growing the business. This is exactly how I spent the recent three cash transfers. As the stock increases, so as my returns from the sales. It is through these profits that I buy food for my eight children and settle school fee balances for the two who are still studying. I could never be more grateful! 

I began a second clothes business when I started getting my monthly transfers. I'm pleased that business has been booming consistently. However, for this year, my primary goal is to expand it by investing a portion of my subsequent transfers back into the aforementioned business. That will enable me to raise funds to help with my children's school fees. I will be happy to see them make good academic progress. I will also use a portion of the transfer to help me buy food for my family. Because of crop failure in the previous season, we are currently going through a severe famine.

I was really excited after I got enrolled into the program because to me it meant that I could finally start a business and be able to cater to the day to day needs of my family. Lucky for me I was able to start my business off after the third transfer and I decided that I was going to sell second hand clothes for babies, teenagers and even adults. This time around I decided to use KES 3,000 out of the funds that I had received to buy more stock for my business so that I could keep it afloat. I was left with a balance of KES 400 which I sent to my daughter to use as pocket money since she was in high school.

My daughter and I started a small business of selling dresses, skirts, and blouses a couple months ago. Since we are both unemployed, the profits from this business will be put towards covering household expenses such as food and school fees. The ultimate goal is to grow it and make it our primary source of income even after Give Directly's cash transfers cease. That is why I increased the stock with the entire transfer amount. With a larger stock, one of us can sell some of the clothes at the trade center during market days, while the other stays behind to run the shop.

The training that the GiveDirectly staff underwent was good. They delivered quality services to me and this motivated and convinced me to be enrolled in the program. If possible, I would like the organization to increase the amount so that we can be able to beat the heavy prices of food and other items.

Together with my husband, we have struggled to cater to basic needs (food, clothing, and school fees) for the family (8 children). I work as a casual laborer (burning and selling charcoal) whereas my husband earns a living by raising cattle. The major challenge I have faced is not being able to provide food for my family. This has forced us as a family to reduce the number of meals we eat per day from three to one meal a day. When neither my husband nor I have earned anything, it forced us to sleep on empty stomachs. As a result, my children are malnourished and often fall ill because of eating less food and an unbalanced diet. Therefore, when I received my transfer, I opted to start a business selling second hands clothes in the village. Trying out this new venture gives me an opportunity to raise my level of income and use the profit to take care of my family (buying good food that will improve the health of my children)

The drought period had hit us really hard to the extent of starving for three consecutive days. The transfer from Give Directly melted my heart with joy, because it meant my family would acquire enough food for the next few days. I remember purchasing some snacks and preparing tea for my children, that morning, to share the excitement and make them happy as well.

Before the transfer, my responsibilities were weighing me down. Having one child in secondary school, two in primary school and one in kindergarten put a great deal of pressure on my husband and I. As a result, we were never happy. The transfer, by far, eradicated the pressure, removed the sadness in our hearts. I can confidently state that the happiness and peace in my house is the greatest difference I have realised from the transfer.

Most of the money was spent on buying food and paying examination fees for my children. After I withdrew the money I purchased 3 packets of maize flour for KES 375 and a kilo of sugar at KES 90. During that time 3 children had been sent out of school to collect examination fees and I gave KES 100 to each. I used the remaining amount to buy some snacks and only managed to save KES 10.