As a skilled tailor facing financial limitations, I've been compelled to run my tailoring business from home. Yet, to expand my clientele and enhance profitability, I am strategizing to establish my own tailoring shop. The plan involves stocking the shop with ample textile materials and acquiring a new sewing machine. To realize this goal, I've been diligently saving $20 each month, with the intention of increasing my savings in the upcoming months. Once I've amassed a sufficient amount, I will be in a position to rent a suitable space and procure the necessary textile materials, enabling me to elevate the scale of my tailoring operations.

I am currently running a home-based tailoring business, but my ultimate goal is to establish my own dedicated shop where I can stock a variety of textile materials and cater to a larger customer base. Operating from home has its challenges, and I aspire to have a separate space solely for my business. To work towards this objective, I have been diligently saving $20 monthly through our local savings group. My plan is to accumulate sufficient funds to purchase a substantial stock of textile materials and acquire a new sewing machine for the envisioned shop. I believe that having a dedicated space will significantly boost profitability compared to my current home-based setup. In addition to my savings for the business, I allocated $10 of the remaining funds to cover my brother's school fees, ensuring that his education continues without any interruptions due to financial constraints. Lastly, I used the remaining amount to purchase new clothes for both myself and my brother, as well as to buy foodstuffs to celebrate the festive holiday season of Christmas and New Year.

My goal is to finally realize my dream of opening a tailoring shop and purchasing a sewing machine, which has been on hold for years due to financial constraints. Having completed a tailoring course, I'm eager to utilize my skills to not only fulfill my passion but also generate income to support my family. To achieve this aspiration, I've been saving and I will continue to save a portion of my income and plan to make my dream a reality by establishing my own business by the end of this year.

I received the GiveDirectly transfers at a moment that coincided with the maize harvesting season, during which we had successfully collected and dried our maize crop, leaving only the task of separating the kernels from the cobs and packing them into sacks. Hiring additional labor for this job was essential, but my mother and I were short on funds. Fortunately, the timely assistance from GiveDirectly, which amounted to $14, proved to be a significant help. Combined with contributions from my mother, we were able to complete the maize processing task. Furthermore, I had a personal goal of purchasing a sewing machine to set up a small tailoring business, so I set aside $20.70 from the transfers towards that endeavor. I am deeply grateful for the support, as it has not only eased our immediate financial burdens but also allowed me to take steps towards achieving my entrepreneurial dreams.

I plan to establish my own tailoring business. This would not only provide for my own needs but also contribute to household expenses, reducing my dependence on my parents. Specifically, I aim to run the business in Mariakani, where the demand for tailoring services is high. Unlike in the village, clients in Mariakani are willing to and can afford to pay better prices, making it a more favorable location for my business. In the short term, I am focused on saving a portion of the cash transfers to acquire a sewing machine by the end of the year, which will be a crucial step toward realizing my goal.

Ever since I started receiving the cash transfers, I have developed a savings plan where I set aside $20 and save it in my piggy bank. My ultimate goal is to accumulate enough money to purchase a sewing machine by the end of the year. As a trained tailor, I have faced challenges in acquiring my machine due to financial constraints. Currently, when I have clients, I have to rely on borrowing someone else's equipment, which is inconvenient. By saving and buying my sewing machine, I will have the independence and convenience to provide better services to my clients. In addition to saving for the sewing machine, I also dedicate a portion of the cash transfers to cover my personal needs, particularly sanitary items. Being a young girl, maintaining good hygiene is important, and having the ability to purchase these items on my own has reduced the stress and reliance on my parents for such sensitive items.

I am a trained tailor and I have not been able to open my own shop because I could not raise enough capital. I usually go to a friend's place and work together. My goal however is to start my own shop and put into practice my tailoring skills, be self-employed and train others at a fee and buy materials and start the business. I have been saving Ksh. 2000 since August last year in order to achieve this goal and my target is to save more money and have enough capital. I want to buy a sewing machine, buy a stock of textile materials to run the shop. I believe through this business, I will be able to help my father to take care of my siblings fees since they have been struggling with fees in school.

Although I have a background in tailoring, I still do not have a stable place to work. Instead, I pay a fee to rent my friends' sewing machines, but this is cumbersome because they only let me use their machines when they are free and I split the earnings with them at the end of the day, so the profit is low. Being accepted into the program was the best move I could have made because I've been setting aside $20 every month in my home bank to buy a sewing machine so that I could open a sewing business. This will be dependable, and because nobody will share in the profits, my income will increase. My mother, who is unemployed, shares a home with me and my two siblings, both of whom are still in school. We consequently depend on our father, a casual worker who works in a far-off place. I'm hoping that the money from the business will allow me to help him pay for my sibling's education expenses and to invest in goats by buying them to raise. $14 I used $28 to buy food for our home and some new clothes for me to replace the outdated ones.

GiveDirectly is doing well by giving us monthly transfers for the next five years. The duration at which we are getting the support is long enough, which gives one enough time to invest and support a small business entity. I am yet to find anything that is not done well by this organization.

Financial constraint is one problem faced in my family because both my parents are too old to be employed. I am the firstborn in my family. I completed high school and did tailoring. Upon receiving the funds, my brother had school fees arrears, for which I paid $8. I used the remaining $2 to buy sanitary towels and saved the remaining amount towards buying a sewing machine.

I became so excited when I received the money. I loved the organization from the enrollment stage and sending the first transfer proved the trust I had in them. I was at home just relaxing when I got the notification massage. This was the happiest moment of my life as it will help me achieve the goal of owning a sewing machine.

I have tried to save money since the beginning of the year but I have not been able to raise 12000 for purchasing a sewing machine. It has not been easy since there are times when I close the day with no customer and I end up with nothing to take home. I am glad that the transfer was a boost to my savings, and I am hoping to raise the money before the year ends. In addition, it helped me purchase enough personal care products that can sustain me for two months.

I saved 2000 KES from the first transfer to my home bank. Aside from this, I have been saving money earned from other sources to purchase a sewing machine. Currently, I am employed in someone's workshop but it will be more profitable owning one. I used the remaining KES 1000 on my care products that I did not have. I am grateful for the support that has enabled me to make a step towards achieving my goal of owning a workshop.