I recently completed a certificate course in electrical engineering, and I’m excited to say that I now have the skills to put my knowledge into practice. Currently I do casual jobs that are in line with my expertise, and I am happy to say that I am sharpening the skills I learned and even learning more. One of my long-standing dreams has been to own my own electrical shop, where I can sell electrical items and create an additional source of income. To help achieve this goal, I decided to venture into chicken rearing. I buy young chickens and nurture them until they mature. Currently, I have 50 chickens, and my plan is to allocate a portion of my transfers that I receive from GiveDirectly to purchase chicken feed and medicine so that they can grow healthy. This way, by the time they are ready for sale, I can sell them at a good price. I intend to use the proceeds from selling the chickens, along with some savings from my casual electrical jobs, to fund my electrical shop. If I find that the money isn’t enough, I will consider investing in two small cows. By nurturing the cows and adding value, I can sell them in the future and use the proceeds to open the business I envision. I plan to start this business in Mombasa, where there is great potential for customers, which I believe will help it thrive. I am excited for my future, and I thank GiveDirectly for giving me this opportunity.

I have always wanted to be into business but I have never had enough money to start my own. To achieve this, I embarked on a chicken rearing project where I purchase young chicken and nurture them until they reach their prime age, at which point they become more valuable for sale. Recently, I invested $30 to buy 15 additional chickens and spent another $55 on chicken feed to ensure they grow healthy and strong. My goal is to increase the number of chickens over time, allowing me to sell them for a profit. This profit will help me save up to eventually start my own electrical shop business. With the remaining $17, I treated myself to some soap and body oil for personal hygiene. I am optimistic about my future and believe that this venture will lead me to self-employment.

To improve my financial situation, I plan to start a business selling electrical items in Mombasa, where I live. However, I need to clear my college debt first because the school is holding my certificate until I do. Once I pay off the debt, I can focus on setting up the business. With my knowledge of electrical items and experience in the field, I believe this business will be successful. It will help me get the supplies I need for my electrical jobs and attract customers by offering quality products and services. By using my industry connections and getting referrals from friends and colleagues, I expect the business to grow quickly and succeed.

I run a poultry business, so when I received my most recent transfer, I spent $50 on chicken feed. This investment is crucial because I rely on this project for financial income by selling eggs to support myself and my family. Additionally, I purchased five more chickens at $2 each to boost my poultry farming. With $12, I bought personal items like soap and a few pieces of clothing. The remaining $30 went towards paying off part of my fee balance from college. Unfortunately, I had a significant outstanding balance, which has prevented me from accessing my certificate. I am striving to clear the remaining balance to finally obtain my certificate and move forward in my career.

I completed my electrical engineering course in August last year but have encountered difficulty securing a stable income due to outstanding fee balances from my college education which has led to my certificate being withheld by the institution. Consequently, I have been reliant on sporadic electrical jobs, which unfortunately do not earn much. In an effort to enhance my financial situation, I am exploring the possibility of establishing a new business selling electrical items here in Mombasa, my current place of residence. However, the realization of this entrepreneurial endeavor hinges upon my ability to clear the debt owed to my former school. Once this financial obligation is resolved, I will be positioned to embark on setting up the business. Leveraging my industry expertise and familiarity with the demand for various electrical items, acquired through my work experience, I am confident in the viability of this venture. Furthermore, establishing this business will not only enable me to procure the necessary items for my electrical jobs but also provide a platform to attract customers, including colleagues and friends, by offering them quality products and reliable services. Through strategic referrals and leveraging my network within the industry, I anticipate accelerated growth and success for the business.

Over the past two years, the transfers I receive have played a vital role in nurturing and expanding my chicken project. Monthly, I allocate $15 of these transfers towards purchasing chicken feeds, a crucial investment that has enabled the growth and sustainability of my poultry venture. Starting from a modest stock of chickens, I now boast a flock nearing 100 birds, which I promptly sell once they reach maturity, generating a reliable source of income. Additionally, these transfers have been instrumental in alleviating my college fee debt. Despite completing my college education in August of last year, I have been unable to collect my certificate due to outstanding fees. Initially burdened with a $104 debt, I have managed to reduce it to $70 with the assistance of the transfers. On occasion, I allocate $10 of the transfers towards chipping away at this debt, inching closer to its full settlement. Once I have my college certificate, I will better my chances of securing official employment and improving my income. Furthermore, the transfers serve as a vital lifeline in meeting my personal needs, particularly in bridging the gap created by my current financial instability. As I continue to rely on sporadic electrical jobs for income, these transfers provide a necessary cushion, ensuring my basic needs are met while I work towards achieving greater financial stability.

Now that I have completed my course in electrical engineering, I would like to set up an electrical business in the city. This is because I understand the kind of stock necessary for such a business and can offer my customers the best recommendations as I have adequate knowledge in this field being that it is related to the course I just concluded. The other reason why I would like to set up this kind of business is so that whenever I have procured any electrical jobs, I can purchase the required materials from the shop therefore promoting my own business while also earning from my career as an electrician. I will also recommend my colleagues to purchase such items from the shop to promote its growth. All in all, this business will provide an alternative source of income when I fail to find any jobs related to my field of expertise. The transfers will also help sustain and improve my poultry business, which I hope will soon help me purchase other types of livestock types such as goats.

I combined my transfers for the months of June and July which I then used to clear my college fee balance so that I can easily access my certificate after graduation. I was taking an electrical engineering course at a nearby polytechnic which I recently concluded without any pending fees courtesy of Give Directly transfers. Due to my father's meager income and a huge family to support including children in different levels of education, he was really struggling to pay for my college fees as well, but once I started receiving these transfers, I took over paying for my own fees and things went on smoothly to the point I completed the course. Once I cleared the pending fee balance, I used the transfers to expand my poultry project by adding more chicken(5) bringing the total number of chicken I now own to 50. I also purchased chicken feeds so that those taking care of the chicken in my absence would have an easy time.

My goal is to build an electrical shop where I will sell electrical goods and where potential consumers may meet me once I have finished school and taken my final exam in August. I want to do this by setting aside some of the monthly transfer and money earned from working on casual jobs. Additionally, I want to raise my chicken from the present 20 to somewhere around 50. After raising these chicken for a while and ready for maket, I'll sell them and buy a young cow to raise instead.

I'm now enrolled in a certificate program in electrical engineering at a local tertiary institution, and my final exam will take place in August of this year. I am expected to pay the $135 fee before I can take the exam, but my father, who is my primary sponsor was unable to do so because six of my siblings, all of whom are in various stages of education look up to him for all their school fees and the little he makes from selling his wares is barely enough. I am relieved that I only have about $45 left to pay the needed amount because I have been using the monthly transfers to pay a portion of the amount everytime I receive them. Because of these transfers, I have avoided having to drop out, which has been a big benefit. I also buy chicken feed with some of the transfers.

When I complete my college studies in august, I hope to have gained enough experience which will enable me to start my electrical shop. This will business will be a source of income for me and I will also be in a position to support my parents and see my younger siblings through their education. I also plan to buy more livestock to rear at home.

I am a college student studying electrical engineering. I have been using part of my transfers ($15) to pay for my school fees as this helps ease the burden on my parents whose only source of income is from doing menial jobs. We are a family of nine children and all my siblings are still in school. On the side, I have also started practicing livestock rearing. Recently, I bought chicks for $10, and their feed for $5. The remaining cash of $4 I gave my mother to buy food for the family.

In my view, GiveDirectly plays a critical role in promoting the well-being of society. Its focus is on alleviating poor community members from the abject poverty situation. It does this by giving financial support to every successful household enrolled in the program. It has helped me to pay off some of my school fees. That has given me hope that I can continue pursuing my studies. Without this, I would have given up on my educational goals. It also enhances our security by offering training and muggings. However, there is nothing that I have observed that GiveDirectly does not do well.

Currently, I am enrolled in college. I am in my second year pursuing a course in electrical engineering. My first year was characterized by hardship since my parents had struggled to raise my fee because they lack formal employment. My dad does a small business person while my mother is just a housewife. They struggle even to support the 9-member family. Therefore, immediately after I received my recent transfer, I opted to pay part of my fee arrears. It has given me ample time to focus on my study. I am now hopeful that every month I shall be able to pay my fee without having to over-rely on my parents.

I received the cash transfer at around 10 a.m. when I was doing casual tasks at a house construction site to raise money for my overdue school fee balance. I had missed my lessons for almost two days due to a lack of funds to clear the amount. To say I was relieved when the money reached my mobile phone would be an understatement. In fact, I immediately left the site and prepared to go back to school the following day to pay and resume my studies.

Owning chickens is the most significant difference that has happened in my life since I received the transfer. Unlike before, I now have an investment that will potentially generate money during emergencies in the future. When these chickens breed and grow the flock, it will be easy to sell them and raise funds.

Although my father, who sells scrap metal for a living, is my family's sole provider, he cannot afford to pay for my college school fees as well. This is because he is trailed by the heavy responsibility burden of feeding our household of ten members. So, during the holidays, I usually go to Mombasa to look for house construction casual jobs to raise my school fees. In fact, when I received the cash transfer, I was on-site working to generate money to clear the tuition balance that had caused me to miss classes for two days. So, I used KES 1,500 from the money to slice off the balance and I was allowed access to my lessons again. Also, I used KES 200 to buy a school shirt because the old one was tattered from repeated use. I bought three hens and chicken feeds using the remaining amount. At least when they breed and increase the flock, I can sell them to raise more funds for my studies and personal needs in the future.