My main goal is to focus on my studies. I completed high school last year, and fortunately, GiveDirectly enrolled me in their program, which has provided me with a monthly income—a great relief. Since my father's passing, my mother has struggled to raise us. With the support from GiveDirectly, I am confident I will complete my coursework successfully. I plan to save enough from my transfers to ensure I can pay my fees on time, allowing me to concentrate fully and achieve the best possible grades at the end of college. I have a passion for plumbing, and I believe that once I finish college, I will secure a job that will help me support my mother in taking care of my younger siblings. This has always been my prayer. Achieving this will not only improve my own future but also uplift my family’s living standards.

I would like to express my gratitude to GiveDirectly for the incredible support they've provided. I am thrilled to have joined college, where I am currently pursuing a course in plumbing. Coming from a humble background, my parent couldn't afford to send me to college on her own, as she lack a reliable source of income and still need to care for my younger siblings. With my most recent transfer, I spent $68 to purchase some plumbing tools and materials required for school, as well as a uniform, which was also mandatory. I used the remaining $34 to repair my house during the holiday, as one side of the wall had been damaged by heavy rains. For safety, I decided to fix it and ensure the structure is strong and durable.

My biggest goal is to enroll in college to study plumbing. I completed high school last year, but financial constraints have prevented me from starting college. Since my father’s passing, my mother has been struggling to provide for us. I plan to save enough from my transfers to ensure that once my house construction is finished, I can immediately pursue my studies. This will not only improve my own prospects but also enhance our family’s living standards.

I currently have three goats and recently used $20 from the transfer to buy another one. I believe investing in goats is wise because they can multiply and be sold to meet my needs. With my father deceased and my mother’s business struggling, I used $4 to pay for my younger sister’s school fees, ensuring her education remains uninterrupted. I also spent $10 on food to keep my family well-fed. I am in the process of constructing a one-room house. I used $34 to purchase building materials, including sticks and metal nails, and spent $30 on an additional metal sheet to add to the three I already had. The remaining $4 went towards buying sand for the construction. Having lived with my brother, who now needs privacy, I am excited to have my own space and enjoy some privacy as well. Thanks to GiveDirectly, I am making significant progress on my new home.

My youngest sister is still in secondary school, and it's essential for us to contribute towards her fees to ensure she continues her education. Given my mother's limited financial means as a small-scale trader, I recognize the responsibility falls on me, now that I'm married, I have to provide for my own family too. However, relying solely on low-paying and scarce casual jobs makes this endeavor quite challenging. Therefore, my goal for the coming year and beyond is to save a portion of my monthly transfer to accumulate $320. With this amount, I plan to acquire a motorbike through a loan, which I'll pay off gradually with daily installments. By becoming self-employed in this manner, I am confident that I can achieve financial stability. Thanks to these transfers, I am optimistic that I can turn this goal into a reality and support my family without enduring excessive financial strain.

Due to the severe drought we've endured over the past few months, food scarcity has become a pressing issue for us. Our main source of sustenance is farming, but the poor rainfall has led to dismal crop yields, exacerbating our struggle with hunger. Without the support of Give Directly, we would have faced even greater hardship. Therefore, upon receiving my most recent transfer, I prioritized purchasing food, allocating $64.5 to ensure we have an ample supply to sustain us while we work to overcome these challenges. Additionally, I invested $37.5 in acquiring a goat for future financial security. I chose goats because they multiply quickly and are resilient to our harsh weather conditions, providing a promising avenue for stability in the face of uncertainty.

My ultimate goal is to ensure the completion of my education and pursue a teaching course—a dream that has been with me since childhood. To finance this aspiration, I plan to utilize subsequent transfers and generate funds by selling off my goats and chickens. Teaching is a noble profession, and being a teacher would fill me with great pride. I am happy that GiveDirectly is walking this journey with me, I will forever be indebted to them.

The passing of my father last year placed the responsibility of financial support on my mother and brother. While my brother works as a driver, my mother diligently engages in farm work for others to sustain our family, covering school fees and providing food for me and my four siblings. The assistance from GiveDirectly has been instrumental in allowing me to continue my education; without their support, the prospect of dropping out would have been inevitable. Utilizing part of the assistance received, I allocated $30 to purchase corrugated sheets, ensuring secure roofing for the house where I reside. Additionally, I prudently saved $50 for upcoming school fees when classes resumed. Investing $4, I acquired a chicken intending to keep and sell it later on at a profit. Another $5 was dedicated to helping my sister settle an outstanding debt that had led to her expulsion from school. The remaining funds were wisely utilized to purchase essential items like books and food for myself while attending school. I find solace and joy in the fact that GiveDirectly has emerged as a consistent source of support for me and my family during these challenging times.

My primary goal is to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted educational journey as I navigate through my second year of secondary school. Given the financial challenges my single-parent mother faces with no source of income, I am determined to take proactive steps towards securing my education. To achieve this, I am committed to setting aside a minimum of $20 from my monthly transfers. This financial discipline will not only alleviate the burden on my mother but also provide me with the means to cover my future school fees, ultimately ensuring that I can complete my education without unnecessary hardship.

I received GiveDirectly's transfers at a time of need, and I made thoughtful choices with the funds to improve my living conditions and address pressing financial obligations. My house had been in a state of disrepair, with a damaged roof causing rainwater to pour in whenever it rained. Prior transfers had been allocated to my education expenses, leaving me unable to address the house issue. However, with the most recent transfers, I decided to take action. I purchased four iron sheets at $5 each, a crucial step towards fixing the roof. Additionally, I had a pending school fees balance of $25, and thanks to the transfers, I managed to reduce it by $10. To further enhance my financial stability, I invested in two chicks for rearing at $2 each, and also allocated $2.70 for food. These choices have improved my immediate needs and I would forever remain grateful for the support.

My goal for the year is to take myself and my sister through school. Our mother is a farmer and this does not earn much and whenever she does casual labour it does not pay much either so that means that without the transfers we cannot get through school. I hope to use this transfers so I can get through form two and ensure that I complete my education within good time.

I am happy that I able to get an education despite losing my father. We lost my father who was our primary breadwinner and paid our school fees on August and we would have been forced to quit school had we not gotten the transfers. I have been using the transfers to pay for my school fees and that of my sister to ensure we are always in school. I spent $20 in March on school fees for myself, $4 in April and in May I paid $5 to allow me sit for the exams and bought a number of required reads at $12. In May I paid $15 for my sister as she had been sent away from school. I also bought a goat in April at $30. I have been able to also supplement on food purchases for my family using the transfers. In April I spent $10 on flour which is the staple for us.

This year, my primary goal is to focus on paying my school fees through monthly transfers. As a result, my mother will be relieved of the burden of raising my school fees. As a result, I will have plenty of time in school to concentrate on my studies. Because I will have some money left over after the monthly school fee payment from the transfer, I plan to give my mother $10 each month to spend on food. Life is currently unbearable in our area, and those without a source of income suffer the most as a result of the widespread famine.

Although I am an orphan, I always believe that I can work towards achieving my goals. Before my enrollment in the program, I was losing hope that I would not make it to high school because my mother is poor and over-rely on peasant farming. However, since I was a KCPE candidate in 2022, I worked hard to build my savings over the last four months. I am glad I was able to use $60 of my savings to pay for a portion of my school fees while starting form one. My mother did not have to worry about getting the necessary school requirements. In addition, from the same transfers, I bought a single goat for $25, which always makes me happy. I had never imagined that I would be able to own a goat at such a young age.

I was really excited the moment I realized I had received the transfers and this is because I planned to use the money to pay for my tuition debt because my mum had no job and struggled to cater for my needs and that of my sibling ever since my father passed. At that moment I had a debt of KES 4,000 in tuition fee so I decided to use KES 2,000 of the funds I had received to settle a part of it. I was like tomato with a balance of KES 1,000 which I decided to use as part of my pocket money.

Regarding the services GD offer, it does so well in ensuring fair enrollment processes for every potential recipient visited. It embraces transparency and ensures that all the external influencers are curbed and no government authority dictates what it does. As a result of this, I have been able to succeed in the program and be able to earn some money which will help to pay off school fees. Thanks to GiveDirectly for its support.

I sat for my KCPE during the recent national examination. Because I hail from an extremely poor family, I had lost hope of joining secondary school since I knew that my widowed mother would not be able to raise my school fees. However, when I confirmed the receipt of my transfer, I felt hopeful and decided to spend the whole transfer of KES 3000 on buying school uniforms. With other support from well-wishers, I am set to be enrolled in secondary school this week. I know that when I succeed in my studies, I shall be able to pursue my teaching career, and through this, I shall be able to train more students and contributes to the development of our society.

It was at 3 pm when I received funds from give directly. My heart skipped with joy at the pleasant surprise. This confirmed to me that I had better chances to continue with my education as it would enable me to make partial school fee payments. Since I was to start my secondary studies in May, plus the money came in on a market day, I instead decided to purchase some clothes to replace the torn and old ones I had.

My life has been full of struggles especially when it came to school fee payments. My brother, through his shopkeeping, has been doing his best to support both my mother and I. Often, we would also go to bed hungry. Although I finished class 8, I was still not sure if I could afford the KES 1800 monthly school fee payment for my secondary school studies. I was certain that I would result in being a dropout. Now that I'm receiving these funds from give directly, my faith has been restored and I am more confident that through the transfers, I will complete my schooling. So far, the money has enabled me to buy some nourishments, some clothes, and a pair of shoes.

I am set to join secondary school. Normally, I would depend on my brother, who is a shopkeeper, for financial support, and whenever he would get stuck, I would turn to my mother who would borrow from the merry-go-round she is in. Other than the stress of gathering funds for my transition to high school, I was also in need of clothes and we had run out of food in the house. I, therefore, opted to focus on what was pressing then. So, I used the money to purchase some food, some clothes, and a pair of shoes.