My ultimate goal is to continue my studies, successfully complete my mechanical course, and secure a good job. To achieve this, I plan to utilize the transfers I receive and also the proceeds from selling my goats and chickens. Attaining a stable job will not only enable me to support myself but also provide for my family, bringing a profound sense of fulfillment. Reflecting on how far I've come fills me with pride, and I am genuinely thankful for the support and opportunities provided to me.

I am currently pursuing a mechanical course in Mombasa, having graduated from secondary school just a year ago. My family faced a lot of hardships since we lacked food and adequate clothing,and my father was unemployed,unable to provide for us. I am deeply grateful to GiveDirectly, because without their assistance, I would not have been able to pursue higher education. To fund my college education, I diligently save a portion of my transfers in a savings club. Additionally, I have used some of the funds to buy clothes for myself and even started keeping chickens. From the transfers I received, I set aside $60 to cover my fees for the upcoming semester, while the remaining $42 was allocated for clothing and food to sustain me during my time at school. I feel immensely blessed and optimistic about the positive changes these transfers have brought into my life, and I eagerly anticipate what the future holds.

I am currently employed as a gardener in Mombasa which is not my dream job, but was the best I could land after dropping out of school in 2021 and staying idle at home for 2 years. Living in Mombasa for almost a year has opened my eyes to different job opportunities which unfortunately require certain skills that I do not have at the moment. I would like to take a driving course and also train as a mechanic through the help of the transfers. This way, when the project is over, I will have gained valuable skills that will be of service to me throughout my life and will also help me acquire decent jobs. This is why I am currently saving $20 from my monthly transfers in a savings group to enable me enrol for the courses from the begging of next year. Since my parent's support is out of the picture due to their lack of decent income, I have to take care of this on my own hence the reason I had to settle on courses that are affordable.

At the beginning of this year, I decided to join a savings group consisting of 6 members of this program to enable me save most of my transfers. I have a dream of acquiring mechanical and driving skills to better my chances of acquiring a decent job in the future. I am currently employed as a gardener which is very tiresome yet earns very little. Such kind of jobs are the only ones available to me at the moment due to my level of education. Unfortunately I was forced to drop out of highschool at form three level due to my parents' inability to raise my fees owing to their lack of decent income. The money that I have been saving is aimed at helping pay my training fees for the courses that I will be taking once I settle on the best polytechnic college to join. Unfortunately, since I was not able to acquire my highschool certificate, I cannot take the courses at a certificate or Diploma level. Whatever is left of my transfers after the savings is usually spent on foodstuff and basic needs such as clothing.

I hope to join college and pursue a course in mechanical engineering, with the goal of successfully completing it. By doing so, I aim to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve independence in the future.

When I receive money from GiveDirectly, I typically save $20 because I am planning to enroll in college next year to pursue a course in mechanical engineering. Additionally, I bought clothes for myself, which amounted to $5. The remaining $9 I use to fulfill my needs, such as purchasing food.

I hope to have completed both the driving and mechanical courses in the next three years. I would not wish to depend on my father to finance my education as he is already burdened with supporting my sibling’s secondary school studies. My plan is to spend the cash transfers on college fees throughout the three years. Also, as I save for college, I intend to start rearing goats as they could help raise my school fees in the future when I sell them. 

After graduating from high school last year in March, I hoped to join a driving and mechanical college. However, my father could not afford the school fees considering the little he earns from selling chewing sticks. Every penny he makes goes towards food and my brother’s high school education; nothing is left to support my college studies. Gladly, the cash transfers presented an ideal opportunity for me to finance my college education. From the three recent transfers, I saved a total of $80 for my school fees. I spent the remaining $8 on boosting food stock at home and $14 on new attire that I wore during Christmas festivities. Thanks to Give Directly, I cannot wait to enroll in the driving college starting in March this year. Am so excited about this new chapter. 

Prior to knowing GiveDirectly and getting enrolled in the program, I had completely lost hope when it came to pursuing education because I was already a school drop out. I am very grateful to the Organization especially because through the funds, I now have hope and a fighting chance in consideration of how my future could turn out.

I received the transfers a couple of days back but I still have not decided to utilise them yet. This is because I plan to leave the money in my savings account so that k could pursue further education, specifically study how to be a mechanic. I dropped out of highschool in the beginning of the year unfortunately, and it is because my parents could no longer afford to pay for my tuition. Lucky for me I got enrolled into the program by this Organization. Therefore, I decided to pursue further education at the beginning of the following year since I cannot go back to school. That is why I put away the KES 3,000 that I received this month.

I was overjoyed to receive my first transfer. I was in desperate need of money due to our impoverished situation, I was relaxing at home at the time. I did not have anything to do. When I received a message notification, I rushed to check it, and I could not hide my delight at learning that I was one of the fortunate recipients of a transfer. This sparked my excitement because I quickly realized that the promised five years of assistance would significantly improve my life. I had to inform my parents and siblings, who were also overjoyed for me. Thank you so much to GiveDirectly for your prompt assistance.

Since I received my first transfer, the biggest difference in my life is having bought a new set of clothes. At first, I was only re-using my old torn clothes that made me always look unpresentable. Unfortunately, I had low self-esteem to associate with my fellow agemates. They seemed to have been feeling better than me. However, with the new clothes I bought, I feel more confident. I do not feel ashamed in my mind to connect with my age group from my village. I am indebted to GiveDirectly for such life-changing support.

I cannot live an independent life because I do not have a job and rely on my parents. My parents are impoverished and rely solely on farming and sporadic casual labor to support our large family of five children. For the past two years, I have not been able to buy a new set of clothes. This is due to the kind of difficult situation we have been facing in life. As I have no other choice, I have been wearing old torn clothes. However, when I received my transfer, I decided to spend it all on new clothes. As a result, unlike before, I am neat and presentable.