I always had the desire to start a kiosk business, but the only thing that was holding me back was finances. With GiveDirectly in my life, I can happily say that my kiosk is now up and running, and I am very happy for this achievement. My plan moving forward is to continue using a portion of my transfers from GiveDirectly to expand my business by boosting its capital. My goal is for this business to grow into a large store, which will become my main source of income that I can rely on, especially when this program comes to an end. In addition to growing my business, I also intend to allocate a portion of my future transfers to continue educating my children. I recognize the importance of investing in their education as I work towards a more sustainable source of income for our future. Lastly, I am hoping to use another portion of my transfers to purchase more chickens. My hope is that they will multiply and increase in number, allowing me to sell some and use the proceeds to buy goats. I am optimistic that these goats too will multiply and increase in number and value, and I plan to trade some of them for cows that I will use to plow my farm. This will relieve us from the tiring process of using our hands to till the land.

I am the parent of two school-going children who entirely depend on me for their needs, and as a parent, their education is very important. And so, I spent $60 of my recent transfers and paid their school fees to ensure they could continue their studies without being sent home to collect unpaid school fees. Seeing them settled in school without the worry of interruptions brings me happiness and peace of mind. Additionally, I started a small kiosk with my previous transfers where I sell vegetables, and so I spent another $14 to increase my stock and boost my business, hoping for it to grow into a larger shop in the future where it will be my source of income, especially when this program comes to an end. Unfortunately, we are now facing tough times, as we were unable to harvest anything from our farms this year due to a lack of rain, exposing us to hunger. To address this, I allocated another $15 from my transfers to buy food, ensuring my family did not go hungry. Finally, I spent the remaining $3 to buy a chicken and add on to the ones that I already have, hoping they would multiply. In the future, I plan to sell the chickens and use the proceeds to buy goats. My hope is that the goats will also multiply and increase in number, allowing me to eventually trade them for cows that I can use to plow my farm. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for providing me with the means to address my family's immediate needs while also investing in long-term solutions to improve our well-being.

In the coming year and beyond, my main goal is to concentrate on educating my kids. I truly believe that education is the best inheritance I can give them for a brighter future. With the transfers I receive from GiveDirectly, I plan to carefully balance this money with the profit from my grocery business to ensure that my children get a good education. I want them to have opportunities that I never had, and I know that by investing in their schooling, I am setting them up for success. My dream is to see them grow into knowledgeable and capable adults who can achieve their dreams and improve our family's situation. This hope drives me every day, pushing me to work hard and manage our resources wisely.

Since my husband and I divorced, I've taken on the role of breadwinner for my family of eight, ensuring my two sons, one in college and the other in secondary school, have what they need. Out of the $102 from the recent transfers, I spent $42 on food for the family. It was essential to fill our pantry, giving me peace of mind knowing my children wouldn't go hungry. Ensuring they had enough to eat brought a sense of relief and stability, which is crucial when managing a large family on my own. After that, I used $30 to pay off my secondary school son's fee arrears, allowing him to sit for his end-of-term exams. His education is my top priority, and knowing he could complete his exams made me proud and hopeful for his future. As a single mother of seven, I used $15 to restock my small grocery store, adding a variety of vegetables and fruits to attract more customers. The remaining $15 went towards purchasing three hens, a small investment to diversify our income and support our needs. Balancing these expenses is challenging, but every decision brings us a step closer to a more secure and hopeful future.

As the sole parent, the responsibility of financing my children's education rests solely on me. My objective for the current year is to fulfill this responsibility by covering their school fees and supporting them throughout their educational journeys. This commitment is vital in providing them with the necessary skills to pursue their chosen careers. The financial support, which has notably assisted me in meeting my children's school fees, brings me great joy and gratitude.

As a single parent with the sole responsibility of caring for my two children, I allocated $60 towards their school fees – one in secondary school and the other in college. I am delighted that the funds received through transfers are significantly contributing to supporting my children's education. Additionally, I invested $29 in acquiring hens, driven by my interest in their rapid multiplication, which facilitates income generation through sales. To enhance my vegetable and fruit selling business, I spent $5 on expanding my stock. I am pleased with the positive performance of the business, as it is now generating income to assist my family with daily needs. The financial support from the transfers has been instrumental, and I express deep appreciation for the assistance it has provided to my family.

As a widow facing the challenges of single-handedly supporting my three children's education, my primary aspiration is to ensure they complete their college education. I firmly believe that higher education will equip them with the skills and opportunities to secure better jobs, thus lifting our family out of the financial struggles we currently face. My long-term goal is to continue financing my children's studies through a combination of income from my small vegetable-selling business and the support provided by the cash transfers.

As a widow left to care for my three children on my own after my husband's passing, life has been marked by financial challenges. The cash transfers have played a vital role in supporting my family and helping me provide for my children's needs. The assistance has been invaluable, and I am immensely grateful for it. Upon receiving the cash transfers, I was facing a pressing issue of unpaid tuition for two of my children who had been forced to stay home due to their outstanding school fees. I used $20 from the transfer to clear their balances, ensuring they could return to school and continue their studies until the holiday break. Looking ahead, I am hopeful that with timely transfers, I will be able to consistently cover their school fees, preventing any further disruptions to their education. In addition, I used $5 to settle a debt for my other child, who is in the lower classes. This prevented any potential disruptions in his education due to unpaid arrears. Another $5 was dedicated to boosting my vegetable-selling business, which serves as my primary source of income. This investment aimed to increase my stock and ultimately improve my business's profitability. The remaining $4 was allocated to address various household needs, including acquiring additional food.

In order to secure a promising future for my children, I plan to heavily invest in their education throughout the year and beyond. To begin, I will pay off any outstanding school fees to prevent them from being sent home, ensuring they can focus on their studies and achieve excellent grades. Additionally, I aim to gradually pay off my son's substantial college debt, allowing him to obtain his academic certificates and pursue desirable employment opportunities.

After my husband passed away, I became the sole breadwinner for my family of four. To make a living, I run a small vegetable kiosk in our village. It's been challenging to provide for my family's needs, and I often fall short. My oldest son attends college, where he has accrued $1000 in school fee arrears. Meanwhile, my two younger children, who are in secondary school, have accumulated $110 in arrears. These fees are unaffordable, given that I only earn $2 per day from my business. When I received my April transfer, I used $10 to partially clear my younger children's school fees so they could sit for their end-of-term exams. I'm happy they were able to take the exams, and I hope they'll be able to return to school when the next term begins. The remaining amount went towards buying food for my family. We had barely any food left in the house, and we had been surviving on a cup of porridge for the past two days. The food renewed our hope that we wouldn't have to starve, and I'm grateful for the organization that provided us with monthly stipends that have helped us during this time of financial difficulty.

My husband passed on and he was the sole breadwinner in my family. He left me with four children, one in college and three in high school. I had to leave my matrimonial home since I was not getting any support from my husband's kinsmen. I relocated to my parents with my children. I have been struggling to raise fees for them, through my small business of vending vegetables which does not pay much. Getting support from GiveDirectly has added to the little I earn from the business, which has enabled me to pay their fees on time. My goal now is to see them excel in their studies. I am no longer struggling to pay fees because of the monthly transfers.

Since we last talked with the officer from GiveDirectly, I have experienced some peace of mind, and life has been bearable despite the drought issue that we now have to live with. I have found it easy to pay school fees for my school-going children on time. I have made it a habit of ensuring that every time I receive my transfer I spend a large proportion on fee payments. Through this, it has been easy for my daughter in college and the other five children in primary school not to miss any class. As a result, they have registered significant improvement in their academic performance. Because of the transfer, in recent times, I have not felt much burden even though I am a widow, and taking care of my family solely falls on my shoulder. Previously, I could not adequately support the family from my vegetable business income since I rarely made sales of $5 from it daily.

Givedirectly does a noble job helping me. I am thankful for getting such support and feeling that you are not alone makes me what to continue working hard and achieve my goals.

I own a grocery shop business where I sell vegetables such as kale, onions, potatoes, and tomatoes. On a good day, I get $10 as the profit which helps me buy food, water and save the rest for rainy days. Four of my children are currently in school and paying school fees for them has been a challenge. When I received the transfer, I spent $20 on school arrears, $ 5 on food, and $5 for stocking up my business. The profits from the shop help me take care of my five children. I separated from my husband, and currently, I am the breadwinner.

I was actually at home since the donation came in quite late in the evening at about right in the night, and when I saw the notification that is when I realized that the funds that actually be sent out. I was very much elated because it was pleasant surprise in my opinion and I needed the money.

from my own experience, I was certainly grateful that I managed to send my son back to school, especially since I had no idea how I was going to get the money to send him to school and he had already been home for three days I would have probably stayed home for a longer time waiting were it not for me receiving the money when I did.

Three days prior to receiving the funds my son had been kicked out of school but lucky enough a couple of days later the funds came through so I ended up using KES 1,000 of the money to pay for his tuition fee so that it was resume classes. I was left with KES 200 which I ended up investing it on business where I sold groceries.