I currently reside in my parents' house but have ambitious plans to build my own one-room home for privacy and independence. I have already acquired nine metal sheets and am actively seeking nine more to kickstart my construction project. Being unemployed, I rely solely on transfers for financial support. Fortunately, I am part of a merry-go-round savings group and eagerly anticipate my turn to receive funds, which will enable me to begin building my house. Once my home is complete, my focus will shift to poultry farming. I view this as a promising venture where I can raise chickens for sale, providing a sustainable income. I believe poultry farming offers stability and growth potential. With determination and the backing of my savings group, I am confident in achieving my goals of constructing my own house and establishing a successful poultry business.

I currently live in my parents' house. Each month, we have an agreement that everyone will use their transfers to purchase food for the entire family. This month, it was my turn, so I spent $34 on groceries for my family. Additionally, I used $10 to buy new clothes for myself since my old ones were worn out. This not only refreshed my wardrobe but also boosted my self-esteem. Furthermore, I settled a debt of $14 that I owed to a shopkeeper who often helps me out when I am in need. I had joined a merry-go-round last year but was inactive due to being a student, and mostly was focused on clearing my school fees and ensuring I completed my studies without any interruptions. Now that I have completed my studies, I have managed to save $40 in the merry-go-round with the hopes of saving enough in order to construct my own house. Currently, I own one chicken, which I purchased with the remaining transfers for $4. My plan is to invest in raising chickens so that they can multiply, allowing me to sell them for profit in the future.

My main focus for the upcoming year and beyond is to secure a home of my own. Currently, I don't have one, so I rely on staying at my friend's place. It can be tough, especially during the rainy season or when I want to socialize with friends comfortably. To make my dream of owning a house a reality, I'm determined to save money through a merry-go-round. I believe that saving for a year will allow me to gather the necessary building materials. Therefore, I'm committed to working hard to achieve my dream home.

I'm incredibly grateful for this financial help, it's truly changed my life. Before these transfers, I used to rely completely on my parents for any money I needed, but not anymore. When I got my recent transfers, I spent $20 on buying new clothes so I could look presentable. Then, I allocated $24 towards paying off part of my school fees, and I saved another $24 for emergencies in the future. With what was left, I paid off a $20 loan for solar panels. Having this lighting system really helps me with my studies. I'm so thankful because, without this financial support, I wouldn't have been able to continue with my education.

In the upcoming year, my primary goal is to save for my college education. As the second born among six siblings, our family has faced challenges, but I remain optimistic about achieving success in life. Despite the struggles, I am determined to work towards securing a brighter future through education and financial planning. This I am hopeful will materialize courtesy of the GiveDirectly monthly transfers.

Over the last four months, I consistently allocated $20 towards secondary school fees, ensuring the continuity of my education. The remaining $14 proved invaluable for acquiring food and covering rent while studying at a Day school away from home. I express gratitude to GiveDirectly for facilitating my uninterrupted studies. The monthly transfers significantly alleviated my financial constraints hence making my educational journey lighter.

I aspire to complete my secondary school education within the next year. This journey has had its challenges, as I had to pause my studies for one year during my first year of high school due to financial constraints. At that time, my parents were unable to afford the required school fees. This unexpected pause threatened to derail my educational dreams. However, the advent of cash transfers in my village became a turning point in my academic journey. Thanks to these transfers, I was able to resume my studies and rekindle my hope of completing high school. Beyond that, I have a longstanding aspiration to enroll for military training. This dream of becoming a soldier has been with me for a while, and I am optimistic that with the support of the cash transfers provided by GiveDirectly, I will be able to take steps toward realizing it.

I am currently a Form Four student, and when I receive the cash transfers, I allocate $20 to cover my school fees. The remaining $14 serves as my pocket money. Previously, I relied heavily on my mother's income, earned through activities like charcoal burning and farm work, to cover my school fees. However, these earnings proved insufficient to meet the needs of both my two siblings and me. Financial constraints even led to my temporary dropout during my first year of high school due to unpaid tuition fees. Gratefully, the introduction of cash transfers revitalized my educational prospects. I re-enrolled in school and have since been utilizing cash transfers to pay my school fees consistently. This support has greatly relieved the financial pressure on my parents. The cash transfers not only ensured the continuity of my studies but also empowered me to contribute to my education costs. Consequently, my parents are now in a better position to provide for my younger siblings as well.

My wish is to pull my family out of poverty and lift the heavy burden off of my mother’s shoulders. She has suffered for a long time and struggled to make charcoal to provide for my five siblings and me; it is time I took over. After I complete high school this year, I want to initiate a project of rearing goats and cows. I believe that building wealth through livestock is the surest way to bring prosperity to my family. As the herd grows, I could sell some of these animals to support the education of my five siblings who are still in primary school. 

When I joined high school four years ago, I never thought I would make it to the final year due to poor financial conditions at home. My first and second years in secondary school were the worst as I spent most of the time at home owing to unpaid tuition fees.  My mother, who makes charcoal for a living, bears a huge burden of providing for my five younger siblings and me. Things were tough until Give Directly brought unconditional cash transfers to our village. Ever since I have spent every coin from these transfers to cover my school fees. From the recent cash, I directed $29 toward my tuition and used the remaining $5 as pocket money. Am currently in form four and I have never missed a day of school over the last year. Words cannot fully express how grateful I am, Thank you Give Directly.

I am still a student and I am currently in form four. My primary goal for this year is to spend my transfer on my school fees. I do not want to be sent home for fee collection because that affects my grade. Before, my parents used to struggle to raise my school fee. As a result, I was always at home, and my performance was adversely affected. I am glad I have registered significant improvement because I have ample time in school. In addition, I am planning to use the rest on food because my parents are poor, and they struggle to raise money. Being that I have rented my own house, I have been able to meet my daily needs. I am so grateful to GiveDirectly because, without that transfer, I would have dropped out of school.

I'm currently in my third year of secondary school at Mnazi Mwenga. Raising my tuition fees used to be difficult, and I could go half a year without attending school due to a lack of funds. Since I missed the majority of the lessons, this had an impact on how well I did in school. The news that we would start getting transfers on a monthly basis made me happy and pleased since it signaled the beginning of the realization of my desire of pursuing a better education in order to assist my parents in the future and take care of my younger brothers. I've paid my tuition for the last three months with $40, bought clothes with $34, and bought food with the remaining $24. I have paid $40 for my tuition fees during the past three months, $34 for clothes, and the remaining $24 for groceries for our family. My parents, who do casual jobs to support their family of seven, do not make enough money to provide for all of our requirements. I am the second child in the family. Our lives have improved since GiveDirectly arrived on schedule, and my academic success is one example.

I am a form three students at Mnazimuenga secondary school. I have five other siblings who are in primary school. We come from poor family background, my father is aged and cannot engage in any economic activity while my mother who is the main income earner burns charcoal for sale. She does not make enough money to sustain our needs and this has made it challenging especially in paying for our school fees. My elder brother dropped out of school at the primary level because my mother could not pay for his admission fee to the secondary school. Since then, he disappeared to Mombasa town, and we have not heard from him for three years. This is my third year in secondary school and my mother has only afforded to pay KES 4000 leading me to a school fee arrears of KES 50000. I must admit that it has not been easy to get to this level. At some point, I contemplated dropping out of school because I did not see any hopes of succeeding in school but then there are no jobs, especially for the unlearned. Luckily, GiveDirectly came to my rescue. Since then, I have been paying monthly school fees of KES 1500 including the most recent, and use the remaining KES 1500 as both upkeep money while in school and for purchasing personal essentials. Moving forward, I will be paying KES 2000 monthly for my school fees so that I can clear the huge arrears.

Within the places where it operates, GiveDirectly performs a good job of ensuring equality among recipients. It also prevents discrimination by providing equal opportunities to all potential recipients. Its program assists all members of the community. Those who have enrolled in the program experience a significant improvement in their living conditions. However, GiveDirectly does not do well when it comes to contributing different amounts of money, and some recipients have expressed their concerns about this.

Immediately after I received y transfer, I considered spending it on paying part of my school fees. By the time schools were closing, I had fee arrears equivalent to KES 25,000. During the school sessions, I was frequently sent home for school fees, which drastically made my performance drop. Am glad that as a result of these transfers, I will be able to stay in school for a longer period. This is because my parents do not have consistent sources of income. They rely on making charcoal, and whatever they obtain can only help them to acquire food for the family.

I was at the barbershop getting a haircut when I heard a message alert on my phone. Upon checking its contents, I confirmed that Give Directly had sent the first transfer. Candidly, the amount of joy that filled my heart was immeasurable. Receiving the money I had been anxiously anticipating blew a wave of relief to my mind.

For the longest time, I yearned to identify with a smartly dressed congregation during ceremonies. There was a neighbor who I specifically wished to copy their attire designs someday. This was granted from the transfers. Feeling a sense of belonging is the biggest difference I have realized since Give Directly sent me money.

Growing up in poverty and watching my mother struggle to provide for the family by burning and selling charcoal is extremely tough. Sometimes, I feel alienated from my peers, especially during functions like weddings. While they dress in beautiful new attire on these occasions, I repeatedly put on the old worn-out clothes since my parent cannot afford a nicer set. My wish is to have a sense of belonging and equally feel confident about my dress code during community events. Considering my sister is set to tie the knot later in the month, I have been stressed out about how to source funds for a wedding outfit. The recently received transfer was an answered prayer. I exclusively spent all of it, KES 1200, on purchasing a matching shirt and pair of trousers for the ceremony. I could not be happier.