I finished high school in 2019, but I have not been able to continue my education due to my parents' low income as they rely on selling traditional medicine and farming. I aspire to pursue a Diploma course in Laboratory Technology. To achieve this, I have been saving $10 of my monthly transfers, and will continue to do so until I reach my goal. Additionally, I am working on expanding my small business to generate more income for my family and save up for my education. I plan to use part of the transfers to add new items to my business inventory. Once the business becomes stable enough, I'll increase the amount I save for my education fund to accelerate my plan of joining college. Through strategic financial planning and entrepreneurial initiative, I am determined to overcome financial barriers and realize my aspirations for higher education. By taking advantage of the opportunities provided by the transfers, I am paving the way towards a brighter future for myself and my family.

When I receive my transfers, I often prioritize saving $10 with the hope of one day being able to pursue my dream of furthering my education. This dream had to be put on hold due to a lack of income as my parents have no stable source of income and also have to see my 4 younger siblings through school. I also set aside $5 of the transfers to help support my parents in meeting my siblings' school needs. I have four siblings currently in school, two of whom are in high school. My parents are struggling to afford their education due to their low income. After setting aside money for savings and my siblings' school needs, the remaining funds from the transfers are allocated towards addressing essential household expenses. These necessities include purchasing food provisions, covering farming-related expenses, acquiring clothing, and meeting other household needs. By strategically managing these resources, I aim to cultivate a stable and prosperous environment for myself and my family, ensuring that educational aspirations are realized and basic needs are met.

I finished form four but I did not go for higher education. I would want to join college and study as a laboratory technician. My hope is to be able to save $400 at the beginning to start me off while buying animals which I believe will reproduce and I can sell their offsprings to raise subsequent school fees. I want to eventually become a professional laboratory technician and make a good salary to take care of my siblings and parents.

I have a sibling still going to school, my mother's youngest is in grade four. I have used $5, $2 in July and August to pay for her school. I have also joined a savings group in September last year after I started receiving Transfers from GiveDirectly. I save approximately $10 to $30 depending on my financial needs. In July I saved $10, in August I saved $20. I also set aside some money monthly to sort out arising needs, in July I set aside $7 in August I set aside $10 and $4 in September. This money usually comes in handy when food runs out in the house or an emergency such as disease comes about. In July I sought treatment at $5. In September I got a goat at $28. I also have some chicken which I got chicken feed for at $2 in July and August.

Eager to embrace new possibilities, I embarked on a captivating chip-selling adventure, driven by the desire to save for college. The tantalizing scent of freshly cooked chips filled the air as I passionately served customers, igniting a spark of excitement within me. With each sale, I inched closer to my dream of becoming a laboratory technician, ready to make my mark in the fascinating world of science. Through unwavering dedication and unwavering resolve, I set out to shape a remarkable future, where the enticing aroma of success would forever linger in the air.

Upon receiving my transfer, I carefully prioritized my needs and wisely managed the funds. To ensure sustenance, I allocated $15 for purchasing food, while $8 went towards essential items like soaps, lotion, and sanitary pads. This gave me hope that my future will be bright as I can easily go out looking good and fresh. Recognizing the importance of education, $2.50 was dedicated to my younger sister's school fees which really made her so happy and thanked me for coming through for her. The thought that my siblings can now depend on me, gives me strength to face any obstacle that comes my way. I also saved $7 for future needs and utilized $1.50 to acquire chicken feeds, investing in self-sufficiency and potential income. Through thoughtful allocation and strategic choices, I aimed to improve our well-being and pave the way for financial stability.

Bearing in mind that I have been longing for college admission, at the start of the year, I developed a goal of saving part of my transfers toward raising my college fees. I know that if I run a saving scheme for a year, I shall be able to accumulate some sufficient money for my admission. The rest I shall use to make the subsequent fee payment. As a result, I shall be able to realize the fulfillment of my academic pursuit goal.

I have been challenged and have a feeling of discomfort to always see my parents' financial constraints and unable to meet the family's educational and nutritional needs. It is because they do not have a job, and we live from hand to mouth. Therefore, from my recent transfer, I used $10 to pay school fees for two siblings, Samson and Rehema. I also saved $10 to help me seek admission to a college education. I have been admiring joining college, but my parents have not been in a position to raise my fee. I contributed $14 to the family towards food acquisition. Thanks to GiveDirectly for the financial aid.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly does very well by giving support in form of cash. This gives everyone a chance to choose for themselves how they want the money to benefit them. It personally gave me an opportunity to think on how I could invest the money and reap maximumly from it by going back to school. It is beautiful and impressive to see how different people have invested the money differently.

I recently completed my form four studies in the year 2019. Going through my secondary education was so tough considering that getting school fees was so hard. I have two other siblings that required to be paid their school fees too. We all depended on our father who works as a veterinary officer. Having cleared my form four, I could not straight away join college of my choice, I had to wait a little longer to allow my two siblings progress at least to my level. When I started receiving these transfers, I thought it wise to start saving some amount that would then be used to pay my college fees. I saved $10 of my recent transfer towards this course and used another $3.5 to buy poultry. I chose to invest in poultry since it is a project that I can easily manage at personal level and for the fact that the chicken can easily multiply too. I then used the remaining amount of approximately $12 to buy personal needs such as food, soap and other important needs that I wanted. I am personally very grateful to GiveDirectly for awakening my dreams of a better future by making me dream of going back to school again.

Even though I was sick that evening, I compelled myself to help prepare meals for the family because I was the only one at home then. I had been away from my phone for about two hours and had no idea what was going on. After I finished cooking, I felt compelled to check my phone in case I had missed a call. Surprisingly, the only message I got was from Mpesa. I felt happy because I had not expected to receive any money that day. Even before I could call to tell my mother about the fortunate occurrence, I resolved in my heart to consider seeking medication with part of the transfer the next day.

I had suffered from a terminal disease for a long time though I could not seek proper medication because I never had some money. I could occasionally sympathize with my parents who have been shouldering my medical bills whenever I fall sick despite the fact they do not have any good source of income. Upon receiving the transfer, I felt happy and excited because I knew I could finally seek medication. I am so glad that I have registered some improvement in my life.

My terminal illness has plagued me since I was a child. Because I have to seek medication on occasion, this situation has always strained my family's finances. I was ill when I received my first transfer, and I had to use a portion of my transfer, KES 2,000, to seek medical attention. I am relieved to say that my health has improved since then. My parents have always breathed a sigh of relief since then, and they are equally grateful to GiveDirectly for their assistance. However, the remaining KES 1,000 from the transfer allowed us to buy enough food to last our family a week. That was indeed timely assistance to me.