Prior to getting introduced to this project, I had wanted to start my own bakery business because I had the skills but I used to do it from home and sell it to folks in town by going door to door. I had also wanted to be able to cater for my sons school fees since he was in one of the best schools in the country and I wanted him to excel in his studies.

GiveDirectly helped in achieving my dreams if I am being honest by owning my bakery which is something I had longed for but the lack of funds made it very hard for me also considering that I had to pay my sons school fee of which the money I received assisted me in settling my debts with the school and avoiding the idea of my son from being sent back home.

My first thought was to pay for my sons tuition fee so I went ahead and paid KES 32,000 and the money also settled my debt of KES 10,000.The initial transfers helped me in putting my dream to life by opening a bakery and so when the second ones arrived I added more items that I needed in my store like blending machines and I also wanted a refrigerator but since I could not afford to pay for it at once I went ahead an installment of KES 10,000 as I waited to get more money and finish up on the KES 20,000 that was remaining.

I was at home in the morning preparing dough for my cake-baking business when I received the one message I had been anxiously waiting for. I was curious to know who the sender was, I realised it was from GiveDirectly informing me that I had received my first transfer. I felt happy because I could now open a shop in our trading centre for my cake baking business.

I am an expert in making cakes for wedding parties and even birthdays and I aspired to build a business out of this. Due to lack of capital, I was just doing this at my house with very few orders from customers. The income was however not enough for expansion. When I received the transfer, my dream of starting a cake-baking business was fulfilled. I purchased the necessary equipment for cake making and decorations and mixer attachments. I also rented a place in our trading centre for my business with the transfer. My life is currently different because I now have my place where customers can visit and make orders. Because of this, my income has greatly increased as compared to when I was doing this business at home. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for making my dream come true.

I spent KES 47000 of my first transfer on starting a cake-baking business for weddings and birthday parties. Before receiving the transfer, I was doing this business at my home with few orders from my customers thus less income. My plan was to have my own shop where people can visit and make orders. I am happy that through this transfer, I rented nice premises within our trading centre. I bought the necessary equipment like a mixer and now I can serve many clients as compared to doing this at home. Besides putting my expertise into practice, it has now become my source of income. Through the income, I am able to take care of my family's needs with ease and also pay fees for my children. I saved KES 8000 in my savings account to help me out in case of a business emergency.