Givedirectly transfers have forever altered the course of life for me for the better. As I said my parents have been struggling financially, my father a charcoal seller and my mother a seasonal farmer have not had much luck. During the rains my father can no longer burn and sell charcoal due to the weather my mother however can plan but only for subsistence use. I knew I wanted to study through college and be an electrician but I also knew I had to chat my path. Now I am rearing chicken so as to help with achieving this goal. I also hope to redirect funds to this once my debt is fully paid off to my secondary school.

I have so much excitement and a great hope for tomorrow since I got enrolled for the Givedirectly transfers. I am a child of a charcoal seller and a seasonal farmer, My father sells charcoal to make a living, my mother does farming as a way to make ends meet. I was in secondary school till 2022, when I cleared form four. My father who was paying my school fees was experiencing a lot of trouble financially as he was not getting enough customers to buy his charcoal as the market was flooded as this was the dry season. I accrued quite a huge debt of about $180. I have been paying this debt with my transfers in the time I have been enrolled in the Givedirectly program. I have paid $81 so far from a monthly payment of $27 and used the rest to get chicken $21. I hope to soon be completing this payments as only $80 is left unpaid.

My primary goal is to enroll in an electrical course, fulfilling my long-held dream of pursuing a career in the field. However, before I can embark on this educational journey, I must first address the outstanding school fees balance from my former secondary school. To achieve this, I've committed to setting aside $20 each month, gradually clearing the debt while simultaneously investing in my future financial stability. Additionally, I plan to purchase at least 5 chicks as part of a long-term strategy to ensure I do not face similar financial challenges in the future.

With the generous support from GiveDirectly, I have been able to make significant strides in my life. After completing my secondary education in 2022, I was burdened by an unpaid school fees balance, preventing me from obtaining my school certificate and pursuing an electrical course. However, GiveDirectly's assistance has been a lifeline. I've managed to reduce a substantial portion of my outstanding fees, with my most recent transfer covering $20 of the remaining $150. In addition to addressing my educational aspirations, I've also taken a step towards financial independence by investing in chicken rearing. I used $14.50 of the funds to purchase 5 chicks and feeds, which I added to my existing flock. This not only brings me closer to my dream of financial stability but also ensures that I can continue with my desired course. I am forever grateful to GiveDirectly for the support that has transformed my prospects and alleviated the financial challenges I once faced.

My goal for the upcoming year is to continuously pay off these arrears using the monthly transfer from Givedirectly and any money I can earn from doing part-time jobs, making sure I have paid off the whole amount owed. This will enable me to acquire the secondary school certificate that has been on hold due to outstanding arrears. I've always wanted to take an electrical course, and having this certificate will allow me to do just that.

I owed over 280 dollars in unpaid school fees after completing my secondary education last year. Due to a lack of income-generating activities, my parents, who were my education's sponsors, were unable to pay the school fees, . I am happy that I have been able to contribute $100 so far after being fortunate enough to be accepted into this transfer program. I took it upon myself to use some of the transfer to pay off the arrears. Just like the previous months, 30 dollars of each of the past three months went into the payments of the arrears. I bought a chicken to raise and food with the remaining money.

I thank GiveDirectly because it's through their financial support that I was able to complete high school. My parents are not well off and they couldn't readily pay the required fee. I still have a huge fee balance that has made it impossible for me to collect my certificates. I am required to clear a balance of Ksh.20000, and I am worried that I might not be able to secure any employment without the certificates. I am planning to clear this balance through the monthly transfer and be allowed to collect my certificates and enrol to a technical training college.

I am happy and appreciative that I was accepted into the program. At the time, I was in my final year of secondary school, but it was challenging raising money for my school costs. Due to their advanced age, my parents are unable to engage in economic activity. As a result, we were dependent on my brother, who sadly lost his job last year, which is when problems started because he was unable to afford to pay my school fees on time. I utilized $60 of the last two months' transfers to pay for part of the $200 in arrears of school fees that I owed the institution. I still owe the school 140 dollars in arrears, which I want to pay off with upcoming transfers, so I can pick up my certificate. I utilized the $8 that was left over to buy groceries for our family.

I am happy to be among the GiveDirectly beneficiaries. The organization has uplifted our lives greatly by empowering our people financially. Everyone was treated equally without any form of discrimination, regardless of social-economic status or religion. So far, I did not witness any form of irregularities.

Paying my school fees was an uphill task before we received the transfer from GiveDirectly. I used to depend on my elder brother whose job was not stable. I used to be sent home to collect school most of the time. But this is not the case today. I used $25 of my last transfer to pay school fees because it was the most pressing need that I had at hand. Then used the remaining amount of $5 on acquiring a hen. I am so happy that in my final year in school, my academic journey is going to be swift.

I was at home at 3.30 p.m. while my phone was charging when I received the transfer. When I went to unplug my phone from the charge, I found an M-PESA message, and upon checking my account, I found there was some money. I felt so happy to receive financial support from GiveDirectly for the first time.

I had a lot of stress because of the arrears I owed the school. Staying at home sometimes due to a lack of school fees robbed me of the psyche of going to school. Settling part of the fee balance revived my hope in education and has since reduced my stress. I thank GiveDirectly for the financial support.

I am still a secondary student currently in form four. I am the second lastborn in a family of eight. My eldest brother, a small-scale business owner, pays my school fees. My parents are casual laborers hence their income is too little to pay my school fees and also provide for the basic needs of the family. My brother’s income is also not enough to sustain me in school. Due to this, I accumulated huge arrears making me lack peace of mind and thus could not concentrate on my studies. I owed the school arrears of KES 22000. When I received the transfer, I used KES 1000 to pay part of the school fees to reduce my debts and used the remaining KES 200 to buy a chicken for investment.