I am currently using a portion of my transfers to help my parents pay for my younger sister's college fees. She is nearing the completion of her course, and I am excited to embark on my own educational journey next year. Next year, I plan to join college and pursue a certificate course in mechanical engineering. To make this dream a reality, I am diligently saving a portion of my transfers. By the time I am ready to enroll, I am confident that I will have accumulated a substantial amount to cover my tuition fees and other expenses. In addition to saving for my education, I am also planning to invest in more goats using another portion of my transfers. By next year, I expect these goats to have increased in value whereby I will sell them to generate additional funds for my college. Joining college has always been my dream, and I am happy to be on the journey of making it a reality. I am very grateful to GiveDirectly for providing me with this life-changing opportunity and I am hopeful and confident that all my plans will come to fruition as I look forward to a future filled with success and personal growth.

I am the firstborn in my family, and I always find that it is responsible for me to help out my parents where I can. Recently, I had to give my parents $35 from my transfers to help cover my siblings' school fees, ensuring they could continue their education because at that time when they had been sent home my parents did not have any money. It is important to me that they have the opportunity to learn and grow. In addition to supporting their education, I spent another $28 to buy food for our family. I believe that it is crucial that we have enough to eat and that we do not go hungry. Additionally, I have dreams of joining college next year, and to achieve this dream, I saved $19 of my transfers holding positive thoughts that by next year I will have accumulated a substantial amount for enrollment. I also purchased a goat for $20, hoping that the goat's value will increase over time, enabling me to sell it in the future to raise additional funds for my college education. I am optimistic that my dreams of pursuing an education will come true, and I am determined to make it happen.

In September this year, my main goal is to join college and pursue the mechanical engineering course I have been yearning to study. I believe that once I am able to join and finally graduate, my future will be brighter, and it will be the only way to eradicate poverty in my homestead. With my father's unwavering support and the monthly cash transfers I receive, I am confident that this dream will soon become a reality. I know that the road ahead will be challenging, but I am prepared to work hard and stay focused on my studies. By gaining the skills and knowledge from this course, I hope to secure a stable job and provide for my family, lifting us out of financial hardship. This journey is not just for me, but for the betterment of everyone who depends on me.

After receiving my transfers, I took $25 to clear my outstanding secondary school fees, a crucial step that allowed me to obtain my certificate after completing my final exams two years ago. Holding that certificate in my hands felt like unlocking a new chapter in my life. This milestone not only validated my hard work but also opened doors to future opportunities. I am thrilled at the prospect of joining college in September to pursue a course in mechanical engineering. This career path excites me and gives me a tangible way to plan and build my future. To support myself through college, I strategically invested $53 in purchasing a goat and a sheep. My aim is to grow this small herd, providing a sustainable source of income. When the time comes, I can sell some of the livestock to cover my educational expenses and other needs. With the remaining amount, I focused on immediate necessities and familial support. I bought personal items like soap and oil, ensuring that I was well-prepared for the coming months. Additionally, I contributed to my parents' grocery expenses, a gesture of gratitude and responsibility since I currently don't have a family of my own to support. These transfers have provided me with the means to secure my education, plan for financial stability, and support my family in the interim. The ripple effect of this assistance is profound, giving me hope and determination as I embark on this new journey.

As I await my college enrollment in September, I recognize the considerable duration until then. To stay engaged and secure an additional income stream, I intend to establish a small vegetable-selling business. This venture will not only keep me occupied but also provide me with a source of revenue. I plan to set aside a portion of the earnings as savings to support me as I transition into college. The financial assistance I have received has been invaluable, enabling me to complete my education without the previous burden of lingering school fee debts, which often confined me to staying at home.

Following the completion of my end-of-year exams, I concluded my secondary school education last year. Upon receiving my outstanding results earlier this year, I was thrilled to have excelled. Despite being burdened with a substantial school fee balance amounting to $110, I managed to save $102 from my monthly transfers, supplemented by additional funds, to settle this debt. I am grateful to have resolved the financial obligation to my school. With my results in hand, I eagerly anticipate commencing a mechanical engineering course at college in September. The financial support I have received has been instrumental in enabling me to successfully complete my secondary education with minimal challenges.

My goal is to overcome the financial obstacles that have hindered my educational pursuits and achieve my dream of enrolling in college to study engineering. The stress of being out of school while my peers advance in their education has been a constant burden, primarily due to the absence of reliable financial support from my parents, who face a lack of a stable income source. To attain this goal, I am committed to be allocating a significant portion of my monthly income towards building the necessary funds for my education. By doing so, I not only aspire to secure my own future but also aim to uplift my family's situation in the long run.

I received the transfers from GiveDirectly during a critical moment of financial need in my life. Having completed my secondary school last year, I faced the obstacle of uncollected certificates due to an outstanding school fees balance. My parents and I had tirelessly struggled to cover the expenses, but there was still a small portion remaining. Fortunately, GiveDirectly's assistance arrived just in time, and I made a deliberate choice not to spend the money on anything else. Instead, I set aside the whole amount of $34.70 to finally clear the pending balance and secure my certificates. The relief and gratitude I feel for this support are immeasurable, and I will forever cherish this opportunity.

Now that I completed my computer packages, my goal is to start a business selling vegetables to support myself financially before seeking further employment. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools were closed, I volunteered at a vegetable-selling kiosk and gained valuable skills from that experience. Furthermore, I have noticed that there is currently no one else in my village engaged in this type of business, presenting me with an opportunity to leverage the demand for vegetables. The profits generated from this venture will not only contribute to my income but will also support various household needs, particularly the payment of tuition fees for my six siblings.

In my family, my father runs a motorbike business, which has become quite challenging as there are very few customers. He shoulders the burden of supporting my six siblings, all of whom are currently attending school. From the mere earnings he makes, things usually become very difficult for him. When I started receiving the cash transfers, I decided to contribute the funds towards covering my tuition fees. These funds not only enabled me to graduate from high school without any outstanding debts but also allowed me to enroll in and pursue computer studies training. I am happy that I recently, a few weeks ago, completed my final college examinations. In college, I typically allocated $20 from the transfers towards tuition fees, while the remaining $14 went towards covering rental fees and my food expenses. Now that I have completed my computer packages, my focus is on supporting my father in paying the school fees for my younger siblings. Alleviating him from some of that burden would bring me immense joy.

I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial help. I almost halted my high school studies because I couldn't raise fees on time. I am happy that I completed recently though I still have an outstanding fee balance. My goal for the coming months is to clear this balance so that I can be allowed to collect my certificates, which are still withheld by the school. I am also planning to enrol into a computer college, to gain some skills over the next three months, which will cost Ksh.4000, as I wait to further my studies

Providing for and supporting the education of my six siblings and myself poses an unbearable financial strain for my father, whose sole source of income is motorcycling. Gladly, the cash transfers come as a huge relief from the stress he is under just to put food on the table and keep us in school. When I started getting cash aid, I made it a top priority to pay off the massive tuition debt that had accumulated over the previous two academic terms. So, I used $28 of the most recent transfer in that manner, bringing the balance down to $90. Even though I completed school last month, I must pay the entire sum before I can receive my certificate. Hopefully, the upcoming cash transfers will make this possible. Next, I paid $6 for lunch at school for the time I would be taking my national exams. The school management required this so that we would not have to take lunch from home, and save time. 

To give my honest opinion about GiveDirectly doing well is its unique nature to give unconditional cash transfers to the less fortunate in society which has seen many community members has been elevated from poverty. We were given the freedom to make our own personal and family decision and this enabled good choices based on one's own desires. This in turn has promoted peace among the community members.

I am happy to say that GiveDirectly's transfer changed my life. When I received my recent transfer of $ 30,  I spent $ 25 to pay for my school to help in my studies. I am currently a form 4 student at Mnazimwenga secondary school and I will be doing my final exams in December 2022. Paying my school fees was my number one priority since I am about to sit my exams and I wouldn't wish to miss lessons again. On many occasions, I would be sent home to collect school fees during class hours and I missed a lot. I tried pestering my parents to pay even half of the arrears in vain due to financial constraints. Being the second born in a family of 10, I could feel the pain my parents went through to educate my other 5 siblings and provide food with their daily pay of $ 5. My mother only does small-scale subsistence farming while my father is a motorcycle taxi driver. what they earn from daily hustle ain't enough to support the entire family's basic demands such as food, water, and fees. Furthermore, I spent the remaining $ 5 to buy my personal items such as soaps, shoe polish, and toothpaste&Colgate. This changed my life since my self-esteem improved unlike before when I was unable to polish my shoes nor brush my teeth, we would use traditional toothbrushes (sticks) and salt/charcoal to brush.

That evening when our transfers were sent, I was at home from school and was just waiting to go for a night's prep studies. Since I had my phone with me, I noticed that there was a Mpesa message notification. With a desire to know who could have sent me money, I quickly went through my messages. What a surprise, I could not hide my joy to realize that finally my transfer had been sent. Since I was alone, I had to reach out to my parents and inform them that fortunately, I had received my transfer.

My parents were unable to offset the fee arrears that I had because they could hardly do casual jobs to earn a living. There were few such opportunities thus making life unbearable to our family. When I received the transfer, I prioritized paying part of my fees. As a result, I have been able to continue with my studies with minimal disruption for the past two weeks. I have had some smooth moments in school even though I still have some arrears. I am hopeful that the second transfer will be sent soon to help me reduce the current arrears I have.

I am still a student and am in the fourth form. My parents have always struggled to raise my fees because they do not have formal employment. As a result, the time transfers were sent, and I owed the school KES 8,000 in fees. As a result, I chose to pay off KES 1,200 as soon as I received the transfer. I was always wondering what I should do if I was sent home to collect the fee. I am relieved that the transfer came on time. Because of the transfer, I was able to continue my studies.