My goal is to get my children through school. One of my children has cleared form four, one is in grade 7 going to grade 8, another is in grade 5 going to grade six, another is in grade three going grade 4 while the last born is yet to begin school. I hope to get all of them through school There is no work someone can do in our locality and I am sure only education can give them a chance for work beyond here and that is why their schooling is my priority.

My son was in form four and has just finished his exam, I spent $15 in September on his school fees as well as his brothers to ensure I reduce their fee balance and spent the rest of the amount of $4 on food, body oil and soap. In October my child fell ill and was admitted to hospital and needed about $60 for treatment, my husband covered the rest of the amount after I used my transfer to pay for $34 of the hospital bill. In November I spent $10 on school fees and $ in weed removal from my farm while the rest went to buy food and soap and body oil.

One of my most significant achievements is provide financial support for my children's education. By doing so, I am empowering them to shape their own futures and pursue careers that align with their passions and aspirations. The opportunity to invest in their education brings me immense joy and satisfaction. I am incredibly grateful for the assistance I have received thus far, as it has had a transformative impact on my life. The support I have received has uplifted me, enabling me to overcome financial challenges and create a better life for myself and my family. The positive changes I have experienced are truly remarkable. Sometimes, I find myself wishing that the financial transfers could extend beyond the current five-year limit. The continued assistance would provide even more opportunities for personal growth, educational advancement, and long-term financial stability. However, I remain grateful for the support I have received and will continue to make the most of the resources available to me.

I allocated a significant portion of my August transfer, totaling $20, to cover the school fees of my two children who are attending secondary school. My eldest child is in Form Four, while the other is in Form. I made the decision to prioritize their education by paying their fees at the beginning of the new term, ensuring that they would not face the possibility of being sent home. It brings me great joy to see that they no longer experience prolonged absences from school due to outstanding fees. Furthermore, I also used a portion of the funds to pay the school fees for my two sons who are in primary school, totaling $7. This financial support has played a crucial role in enabling me to provide my children with the education they deserve. Previously, as a casual laborer selling charcoal, I struggled to make ends meet and support their educational needs. However, with the assistance of these transfers, I am now thrilled to be able to contribute towards their education. In addition to the school fees, I utilized the funds to purchase essential items such as soap, detergent, cooking oil, and sugar. These everyday necessities have significantly eased the burden of managing my household and have improved the overall well-being of both myself and my family. I am incredibly grateful for the support I have received, as it has transformed our lives and provided us with newfound hope.

I have used quite a large percentage of my transfers on my children over the past few months. In January, I spent $20 on school fees for my children in high school while in March I spent $22.5 on school fees for my youngest. I spend so much on school as I do not want my children to miss out on education and end up as hoodlums. There is no work here and so without an education, you are stuck at home with nothing much to do and this makes most young people become thieves. I do not want this for my children. My oldest is in form 2 and his school fees are $400 per term. To ensure that he is not sent away from school we need to pay $50 monthly to bring the school fees debt down. My daughter in form four is also in a school that needs $250 per term and we are $200 in arrears. I want to use this money to get my children through school at least to give them a fighting chance to seek out work beyond our village.

I herd animals for a living which does not pay since I herd for my family. My husband works in the city, I have never known what he does in particular but he does not make much since it's usually a struggle for him to meet the family's needs. We sometimes go days without food since he cannot afford to send us cash to buy food. This has however improved a lot since we started receiving transfers as we can use part of the transfers in purchasing food items for the home. I used $14 of my January transfers on food while in March I spent $11.5 on food, this is mainly purchasing maize flour. I also was able to buy a goat which has been added to the herd in February at $35 which meant I needed to add $1 to my transfers to afford the goat. I was also able to take care of school fees for my children since I have 5 school-going children, two in high school, one in junior high, and the youngest two in primary school.

With the GD transfer, my goal has been to support my children's education. Currently, I have two school-going children, Karisa and Harusi. Since they have minimal disturbance, they have registered improvement in their academics. My additional goal for this year is to purchase and raise more goats. Currently, I have two goats. I shall sell them later when I am stuck raising money for my children. Part of the transfer will help me to get food for the children because the situation is unbearable with low crop yields for the previous seasons. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for its continuous support.

I have been spending my most recent transfers majorly on food and paying fees for my two children. I am glad that over the past few months, I have been able to provide for my family. I purchased enough maize flour that could serve us for weeks and some daily vegetables. My family enjoys three meals a day, compared to before when we would skip some meals for lack of food. My two children are also in school because of the transfers. I have been saving a portion of the transfer and paying for their fees on time to avoid being discontinued. I am at peace seeing them comfortably going on with their studies without interruption due to school fees. My prayer is that since this program will run for five years, I will pay for their fees despite the financial hardships that I am facing, since I do not have a stable source of income that I can depend on for their education. I mainly depend on menial jobs which pay little, compared to the boundless household needs.

I love that the staff Give Directly were very polite and kind during the registration period. This helped me calm down and answer their question with ease. I recommend that the organization enroll more people for them to get help during this tough time when the drought is a nuisance.

After the short election break was over, my two children were required to report back to school, but I had no money to facilitate that. My husband is the sole breadwinner working as a casual laborer on construction sites and carrying bulky goods to the market for other people in Mombasa. I cannot work because of my poor health condition, and a painful chest. I was thrilled when I received my second transfer because I spent KES 2000 to pay for their transport back to school and ensure they had some to use as pocket money while in school. I spent the remaining KES 1000 on buying food for the rest of the family (four children) who are students in a nearby primary school.

I received the transfer around 5 a.m. Having slept hungry for three days consecutively due to lack of money, I was swept by a wave of relief when I saw the transfer alert.  That morning, my family would finally have food to eat. I am not sure how we would have survived that day if Give Directly had not sent the cash.

The ability to provide for my family is the most significant difference brought about by the cash transfers. Unlike in the past, I was able to buy food for my family and pay school fees with my own money. I am grateful for the opportunity to help ease my husband's burden of responsibility and support the family using the transfers.

Since I developed chest complications, I have been unable to actively participate in providing for the family. My husband is the sole provider for our family of about fifteen people. To make ends meet, he works a variety of odd jobs in Mombasa, earning barely enough money to support himself and our family. This makes hunger our number one concern, because the food he buys us (12 kilos of maize flour) hardly lasts a week. That is why I deducted KES 850 from the transfer in order to purchase food. I used the remaining KES 300 to pay examination fees for three of my children, who had been sent home to collect the same that morning.