In the coming year and beyond, I don't have any specific goals, but I am focused on pursuing my hair and beauty course. When I first joined college, it felt like a miracle because I had lost hope of making it. I am truly grateful to Give Directly for the financial support that has helped me achieve my dream. With five siblings and parents who are small-scale farmers, our family struggled to meet our daily needs. This made me lose hope of pursuing higher education. I started saving through a merry-go-round to fund my future projects once I complete my coursework. My plan is to start my own salon business after finishing my salon course. I have a passion for salon work and already have basic knowledge, but I need to further develop my skills. After completing the course, I aim to be self-employed and capable of providing for my family's basic needs as well as my own.

I come from a very humble background. Schooling was not easy for me. I remember being sent home several times to collect fee balances. My parents are small-scale farmers, and we often experience drought in our area, leading to very low harvests. Life has been hard. I remained optimistic and pursued hairdressing after struggling to obtain a certificate. After finishing school, I had to stay home because there was no money to further my studies. Fortunately, with GiveDirectly's support, I enrolled in a beauty college to study hairdressing and beauty for two years. I'm almost finished with my first year and when I received my most recent transfer, I used $93 to pay for my college fees so that I can focus on my studies without the fear of being sent home for lack of fees. With the remaining $9, I bought a piece of clothing and a pair of shoes because I wanted to look decent too.

In the coming year and beyond, I want to engage in poultry farming and, if possible, start goat rearing. Since I do not have any source of income, once I establish this project, I will be able to sell chicken once they multiply. The income I get from selling chickens I will use to pay my college fees since I am planning to start my own salon business after completing my salon course. I have a passion for salon work; in fact, I already know the basics but I require more skills to do it perfectly. Once I complete this course, I will be self-employed and in a position to support providing basic needs for my family.

When I received my transfer, I used it to cover our family's basic needs. Since I don't have an income-generating activity, I assist my spouse in meeting our family's needs whenever I receive my transfer. I allocated $24 for buying food for family consumption and saved $34 for future financial security, which has become my norm to ensure we have something to support ourselves with in case of any financial emergency. With the remaining amount, I spent $15 on buying clothes for myself and $20 to buy chicken for rearing. I want to keep rearing chickens because when they multiply, I can sell them and then buy a goat. I am happy that I can now afford to support my spouse in taking care of our family, thanks to GiveDirectly for the financial support.

My primary goal is to expand my poultry business and venture into livestock rearing with the cash transfers I am receiving from GiveDirectly. By doing so, I aim to establish a sustainable source of income for myself and my future family. I believe that I will achieve financial stability and eventually own our own place before starting a family. I'm excited and grateful for the support GiveDirectly has given us.

Receiving the monthly cash transfer from GiveDirectly is a blessing for me and my family. With $30, I decided to invest in poultry farming. Knowing that I can rely on them as a source of income, whether by selling them or exchanging them for livestock. It's also a step towards being able to buy land and moving out of the rental house my husband and I currently live in since we got married. As the festive season was approaching I spent $28 to purchase food and other household items. My husband, being a casual laborer, hadn't found work for a while, so this support came at a crucial time. With the remaining $24, I purchased a new phone, as my previous one was beyond repair. Now, I have a reliable means of communication without the constant worry of it malfunctioning. I then saved $24 to give me peace of mind, knowing that I have a safety net in case of any unforeseen circumstances. I am grateful for the assistance from GiveDirectly, as it has brought stability and hope to our lives in ways I never imagined possible.

First and foremost, I plan to increase my herd of livestock. By doing so, I will achieve not only financial stability but also provide a secure and comfortable living space for my family. In addition, achieving these goals will also significantly alleviate my parents' financial burden and contribute to their overall well-being.

Education is vital, and I'm determined to secure the opportunities my future children deserve. Thanks to the transfers, I've started saving for their education. I sent my parents $55 to purchase livestock and poultry, which I intend to rear for income generation. This way, when my children start school, I'll be well-prepared to meet their educational needs. Just a month ago, before receiving the transfers, I fell ill. After receiving the transfers, I was able to seek medical care, spending $10 and now I'm in good health. With only $13 left, I managed to buy essential food and personal items. It's remarkable that I also saved $24 during this time. I'm profoundly grateful for the support provided by GiveDirectly it has given me hope in life.

Currently, I am in the comfort of my home, focusing on my recovery after the recent health challenges. As part of my future plans, I intend to utilize the upcoming transfer to invest in goats and chickens. These investments will not only provide companionship but also serve as a potential source of income. In times of financial strain, I can easily sell them, providing a means to meet my needs. This strategic approach ensures both self-sufficiency and flexibility, allowing me to navigate any financial challenges with greater ease.

In the past few months, I faced significant health challenges, including the heartbreaking loss of my unborn baby, which required a necessary surgical procedure. It has been emotionally difficult, but with the support of my loved ones and compassionate medical professionals, I am hopeful for healing and resilience. I dedicated my entire $34 transfer to taking care of myself and undergoing treatment, which has greatly contributed to my well-being. I remain determined and look forward to brighter days ahead on my journey of healing.

I enrolled in a beauty therapy course, and I intend to finish it this year. I have given myself the objective of saving my monthly payments as live assets to open a beauty salon. Therefore, I aim to buy and raise goats from my monthly transfers. Since I still do not have any child, I hope and believe that by raising livestock, I easily will support my children's education easily when they come. As a result, our struggle as a family in supporting the children to attain formal education will have drastically reduced then.

I am a college student pursuing a course in hairdressing. Since I do not have any source of income yet, I opted to invest part of my transfer. Therefore, immediately after I received my recent transfer, I spent $10 on two domestic fowls. As they grow and increase in number, I am hopeful they will be of great benefit to my family after the program shall have come to an end. Since I did not have some food and my husband's wages had been delayed I spent $15 on foodstuff for my two-member family. Lastly, because I do not have better attire, I opted to spend the rest to acquire a new and decent dress. I am glad I have been more presentable in that attire.

Givedirectly calls us every month. The staffs at the organization are happy all the time, they calmly talk to us.

I started school at the age of 10. My parents could not afford to take me earlier. I am 21 years old now in grade six thriving to finish my education. In school, my classmates are younger than me and sometimes it can be embarrassing. I spent the September transfer to pay $14 to the school, bought two chickens at $9, and bought a dress at $4.5. We are ten children in the family and my parent strain to take us all to school. I am happy I can help out with the school fees.

I only realized I had received the money when I came back from fetching water from the well and I was really excited especially because I needed the money and I was almost getting kicked out of school so I felt really stressed out and stranded.

The fact that I was finally able to attend classes without fear of being kicked out at any moment was really refreshing and I was genuinely happy and my parents were grateful as well.

when I got enrolled into this program I promised myself that with each transfer I was going to pay for my tuition fee because I kept getting kicked out of school and my parents were also struggling to take care of my five other siblings and pay for their fees as well, so I thought this was a golden chance for me to help chip in and reduce the burden. Therefore I took KES 500 out of the funds and paid for my tuition and then afterwards I decided to use KES 350 and purchased two packets of maize flour because at the time we had ran out of food in the house. As for what was left with the KES 350 I decided to buy sanitary pads, laundry detergent and body oil.