My main goal is to see all seven of my children complete their education and achieve their goals. Whenever I receive transfers, my priority is to ensure their school fees are paid. Education is the key that opens doors to countless opportunities. I believe that by obtaining a good education, they can secure a better future and eventually support me. I didn't have the opportunity to attend school myself, and as a result, I haven't had an easy life. I want my children to have every opportunity to unlock doors and succeed in life. Additionally, I am committed to completing our house project so that they can come home from school to a peaceful environment where they can study without hardship.

I am a mother of seven children, currently living in a one-room house with a small kitchen. I am in the process of constructing a new house specifically for my children, as they currently do not have adequate sleeping arrangements. My daughters and I share a sleeping space, while my boys often roam looking for a place to sleep after school. It pains me every night knowing they lack a proper place to rest, especially since our previous house was destroyed by heavy rains.To begin building our new home, I spent $102 on purchasing metal sheets. I have already acquired ten sheets and still need four more to initiate the construction project. This endeavor is crucial for providing my children with a safe and comfortable place to sleep, easing my worries and ensuring they have a stable environment to grow and thrive.

My plan is to improve our living conditions by rebuilding our house. I am opting for a brick structure that can withstand harsh weather and provide better shelter for my family. Additionally, I will ensure that my children's education is uninterrupted by always paying their school fees. With the support of these transfers, I believe we will achieve these goals and create a more comfortable life for our family

I have seven children, and six of them attend school. I'm unemployed, and my husband's earnings of only $150 as a casual laborer is never enough to cover our household expenses. We rely entirely on the GiveDirectly cash transfers to pay for our children's school fees. Without the transfers, we used to struggle to make ends meet. Fortunately, using these transfers, I was able to start a small business that helps with our basic needs. This additional source of income has brought us immense relief, allowing us to handle expenses more comfortably. Moreover, the transfers have helped us acquire credibility, enabling us to acquire loans when needed. The school has also accommodated delays in fee payments, knowing that we receive support from GiveDirectly. Our children's education has been positively impacted. We are truly grateful for the changes the transfers have brought into our lives.

I make fried pastries and sell them for cash. My husband is a night guard at a local school. We do not make much from this sources to ensure all our 6 children get an education. My oldest got married as they could not go to college. I then vowed toe ensure my children can get a chance to get to college. My second born joined college thanks to my savings in the Village savings group. I plan to continue with the group and save enough to ensure my children get the best in education.

Six of us formed a village savings group when we started receiving our monthly transfers form Givedirectly. We usually give $20 to the group. My monthly distribution of my transfers is based on ensuring my children are in school. So over the last three months $20 have been going into the savings group from which I will be receiving my savings this month. I used $10 to reduce fee balances accumulated in school for my three youngest children. I then spent the $.4$ monthly to buy toiletries which we use in the house.......6 children in school, 2 in secondary.

While my husband is the primary provider for our family of six children and me, his income as a security guard is only sufficient to cover some of our household expenses. I'm grateful that the cash transfers have allowed me to contribute to some of these expenses, particularly the school fees for my children. By borrowing from our savings club to settle my children's school fees and using the cash transfers to repay the loan, I've been able to manage this financial burden effectively. I plan to continue supporting the education of all six of my children and hope to see them through to college because I firmly believe that education is the key to their future.

I typically rely on a loan from my savings club to cover the education expenses of my six children, which I later repay. One of my sons, who is in secondary school, requires substantial expenses for tuition due to his higher level of education. Additionally, his five siblings also rely on me and their father for their educational needs. Recently, I borrowed $110 to clear the accumulated school fees for my children over the academic term. I planned to use the cash transfer I received to repay this loan at the savings club. Since we had harvested food from our farm, it was easier for me to allocate this money to repay the debt. Therefore, I used $20 from the transfer to repay the debt at the savings club, ensuring that my children would not miss a day of school due to unpaid fees. I allocated the remaining $14 to invest in my business of making doughnuts, which is picking up well. The profits from this business go toward covering various household expenses like cleaning supplies, body oil, and sugar.

Supporting the education of my seven children is my priority right now. I would be happy if I could have the capacity to see them through primary school, secondary school, and college. In fact, one of them is set to join high school next month and my goal is to ensure he is well-settled. 

As the family’s breadwinner, my husband works as a security guard at a church to make a living. However, the little he makes cannot support all the needs of our seven children like food and school fees. That is why, with the help of previous transfers, I started a business of making and selling donuts to support him. However, by the time I received the recent transfer, my stock had depreciated and there was no money to boost it. So, I directed $26 towards buying more wheat flour, sugar, and cooking oil for the business. Gladly, I can now make up to $2.5 daily profit to buy food for my family. I spent the remaining amount towards the purchase of food as the household had run out of maize flour that morning. 

We have seven children, two are currently in high school and the rest are in primary school. I have struggled in most cases to support and provide both financial and emotional support for my family. My spouse is a porter, but he does not earn much, and he is rarely in the house. As soon as I started receiving the transfers, I joined a rotational savings group. We are six of us and our main aim is to save and give a huge amount to every member in turn. This brought me financial freedom. Because when my turn came I was able to clear my children's high school fees arrears amounting to KES 10,000. I started a business, where I would buy and sell soap, with part of the amount that was KES 2000. Through this, I'm still earning profits which in return helps me provide for my family's basic needs.

My spouse does casual work in the church, but he does not earn much from it while I used to burn charcoal for sale. Our income could not afford all of our household needs, and we mostly relied on debts. When I started receiving the first transfers, I joined a rotational savings group within our village where I have been saving KES 2000 monthly. I recently earned my shares of KES 12000 which I used it clears the school fees arrears of KES 12000 for my two children who are both in grade nine and grade twelve. I am glad they will not miss their lessons anymore for lack of school fees. The remaining KES 1000 to start up a small business where I buy and sell bar soap. Since then, I have been boosting it with KES 1000 whenever I receive the transfer which has seen it grow. This would not have been possible without the help of the GiveDirectly transfers. We have three more children in primary school and the income I earn from the business has been of great help in paying for their school fees.

For about two years we have not experienced reasonable rains which have resulted in famine. Farming has been the main source of income in our area with most people supporting farm activities for payment. It has not been easy for the past two years because there is no food security and most people lost jobs, especially those who worked on farms for pay. The idea of giving people cash and letting them decide on their spending was great since it has enabled people to improve their lives in various ways despite the drought.

I have a son who recently cleared his fourth form, and he wanted to enroll in a computer packages course as he waited for the results of his national examination. This was a good thought for him since he will be occupied which will let him not succumb to peer pressure from his idle age mates. I, therefore, paid KES 2000 for his registration fee, and I am glad he is yet to begin his classes. I still have KES 1000 that I will use tomorrow being a market day to purchase some chicken for rearing. Currently, I do not have any source of income but rely on my spouse. I am hopeful that if all goes well then the chicken will be a good source of income in the future once they will have multiplied.

Prior to receiving the transfer, I had a number of pending things to attend to. For example, the unpaid tution fee for my daughter was actually a bother to me. In addition, being unable to continuously provide food as a result of unreliable sources of income, was a major concern. However, I felt glad to have received my my transfer in the middle of all these. Therefore I was able to execute these hence I had some peaceful moment. I am so happy to have received my transfer at such a time.

The biggest difference in my life is being free from some accumulated tuition fee. I was able to use part of the transfer to offset all the tuition fees I previously had. This had at first taken away my peace. I am glad that my daughter will be able to continue attending tuition sessions without being sent back home courtesy of GD transfers.

I spent my recent transfer on buying food and paying tuition fee for my daughter who is currently in class eight. Since I do not have a job, I have been struggling just to raise money for buying food. As a result, I have always been stressed up whenever I am unable to support my family. For instance, when my class 8 daughter was at home due to lack of KES 100 for tuition fee, I felt restless. I am grateful that at the moment, all is working well for me as a result of the transfer.