My main goal is to start my own hardware business. I believe that with disciplined saving, I will be able to gather enough funds to make this dream a reality. Currently, I work as a conductor, but the job is challenging and unreliable—if the vehicle breaks down, my work stops, leaving me without income. In my hardware store, I plan to sell items such as metal sheets, metal nails, paints, and other essentials. I have had this idea since I was young, and I want my business to be located in town rather than in a village. Being in town will provide a ready market and make it easier for people to access and recognize my business. I am confident that starting this hardware store will improve my living standards and those of my family, paving the way for a better future.

I am a conductor and am determined to start my own hardware business. While my job provides a steady income, it’s unreliable—if the vehicle breaks down, my work stops, leaving me without earnings. To reach my goal, I am diligently saving money I get from my transfers and my income from my current job. Recently, I set aside $64 from the transfer towards my hardware business. I am confident that with continued saving, I will gather enough funds to launch the business. This venture will offer the stability I need and improve our living standards, ensuring a brighter future for my family. Additionally, I purchased three metal sheets for $34 to advance my house construction. With the remaining transfers, I spent $14 on food to ensure my family doesn’t go hungry.

In the next year and beyond, I want to open a hardware business. Once I get a job as a driver since I had already acquired a driving license, I will start saving so that when I reach $100, I will be in a position to open my dream business. I plan to save $20 from my monthly transfers to make this possible. Additionally, once I get a job, I want to save $10 from my income per week. This business is promising because it involves a variety of items and doesn't require lending money like other shop businesses. There's also a steady flow of cash. Furthermore, there is no hardware store near my home, as people have to travel almost 7 kilometers to access one. This business also provides job security if I ever find myself without employment. Therefore, I thank Give Directly because it is through this monthly income that has made me to have hopes that I will make my dream business into reality.

I recently found someone selling a good goat and used $29 of my recent transfer to buy it. I thought of buying a goat because they multiply very fast, and I can sell them in the future if I have a financial problem. Since my house is small with only one room, I plan to build a two-roomed house with a spacious verandah to accommodate my belongings, such as books. I allocated $24 to buy two iron sheets for my house-building project. As I got a job as a matatu conductor, I needed to acquire a uniform and a PSV conductor card, so I allocated $18 and $16, respectively, for these expenses. Besides, I spent the remaining $15 to buy food for family consumption. I am very grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial support.

I have two major goals that I plan to focus on this year and next year. First, I would love to sharpen my driving skills and later, look for a driving job. This will enable me to have a steady source of income that I can always use in supporting my parents and siblings. By next year, I am planning to open a hardware shop. I will not leave my driving job after opening this shop, rather, I will employ someone who will be running it. By doing this, I will not only diversify my sources of income, but I will also have created a job opportunity for some people. Currently, I do not have money to use in achieving this but I believe that by next year, I will have some savings which I will then top up with a loan.

Recently, we were approaching Christmas celebrations and this needed a lot of money since we needed most of the things to make the celebrations a memorable one and so that the children can also enjoy. Due to this, I spent most of my most recent transfers on the purchase of what we needed at home. From it, I spent $18 to buy for myself a new pair of clothes and $44 on the purchase of different food items that we needed. Aside from this, I used $10 to hire a car to drive around as a way of sharpening my driving skills. With the remaining $30, I bought goat as an investment that I can rely on in case of financial crisis as I can easily sell. Goats are a good form of investment in my region since they multiply within a short period of time and they can easily be converted to cash.

I am deeply appreciative of GiveDirectly for their support, as the financial transfer they provided allowed me to enrol in and successfully complete a driving school program. Additionally, I used a portion of the funds to secure my driver's license, and I am now actively seeking employment opportunities as a driver. Presently, I am using a friend's motorbike to offer taxi services, although it's not a consistent daily endeavour. While I continue my search for stable employment as a driver, I am planning to allocate a portion of the monthly transfer to savings. These savings will serve as a foundation for my future business venture. My ultimate goal is to establish a general store, stock it with merchandise, and operate it as a self-employed entrepreneur. I firmly believe that this venture will provide me with the means to become financially self-reliant. This is my current aspiration, and by initiating this business, I anticipate being able to address my needs more effectively, benefiting from the profits it generates.

I enrolled in a four-month driving course to acquire valuable driving skills and open up opportunities for potential driving jobs. Due to my limited financial resources, I was initially concerned about how to finance this course. Fortunately, I successfully completed the course over the course of four months, and I am now actively seeking employment as a driver. This was made possible by the monthly transfers. I would not have enrolled if it had not been for the financial assistance, which I am extremely grateful for. During this time, I also spent $40 to get my driver's license, which was a significant milestone that expanded my job opportunities. Additionally, the financial assistance I received covered my personal expenses, including food and clothing. While waiting for driving opportunities, I provided taxi services using a friend's motorbike to sustain myself. The support I received ensured that I had access to daily meals, especially during times when I couldn't secure a taxi job. Lastly, I invested $30 in purchasing a goat with the hope that it would multiply and increase in number. Once the offspring become available, I plan to sell them to meet my financial needs. This investment represents a promising future source of income for me.

It is my wish to be a truck driver one day in life going for long distance. For me to be employed as one, I need to have at least a six months experience in driving such big vehicles. Currently, I am planning to approach one of my neighbors who is a truck driver to help me in acquiring such skills. I will be accompanying him while he goes on with his work so that I can be assisting him to drive when he is tired. Over time, I will have gained some experience that will sell me out at the job market.

I recently enrolled for a driving course after my father managed to pay for my tuition fee. I was at the verge of dropping out since I had not paid for the necessary documents. I am glad that the most recent transfer came in handy as it enabled me to pay for my Interim driving license, paid for my National Traffic Safety Administration examination fee and also paid of my Driving License after passing the examination. I am now at peace and happy knowing that I have a valid driving license that I did not have before despite being a motorcycle rider and I can now go on with my daily activities without worrying of being caught by the authorities.

This year has me really thrilled because I want to establish a business where I can sell motorbike spare parts. To do this, I'll be saving up the money from each transfer. Additionally, I want to invest the money by purchasing goats and chickens to help me financially in the future. Last but not least, as it has been a constant struggle for my family and I, nutrition is unquestionably a priority.

I immediately took advantage of the opportunity to withdraw the funds and used them to pay off a debt I had at the driving school where I was enrolled, which cost me KES 2,000 in total. We occasionally struggled to put food on the table, therefore I went on to spend KES 1,400 on dietary needs. I was able to buy five packets of maize flour, one kilogram of beans, and half a litre of cooking oil using those monies.

The majority of the people in the village have invested their transfer in livestock-keeping projects. Besides that, Most are able now to provide food for their families. This was not easy before since there was no money to purchase it. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.

I spent KES 15,000 on food for the family. I wanted to support my parents in providing for the family. I am so grateful because I was able to do this and our family had enough to eat at that time. Due to drought in our area getting food has been easy. The remaining amount of money I spent on purchasing clothes and other personal items that I was missing. I am so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has improved our living standard.

I was chatting and passing time with my friends under a tree in the compound. Immediately, I received a notification on my phone and upon checking it, I realized I had received my first transfer. I smiled from ear to ear and immediately murmured a short thanksgiving prayer to the lord. I hurriedly went into my mother’s house and shared the good news with her, and she was very excited.

The biggest difference the funds have done in my life is to allow me to enroll in the driving school. This will equip me with useful skills and give me an upper age in the job market. Once I am employed, I will take care of my family.

I dropped out of secondary school when I was in form three. My parents could not raise the required amount of school fees to keep me in school. My efforts to reach out to well-wishers to help me pay school fees were futile. Since dropping out, I have worked manual jobs to support my parents and siblings. I Mostly work as a casual laborer on construction sites and earn an average of KES 500 per day. When I received my first transfer, I spent it all enrolling in a driving school. This will equip me with driving skills and help me secure good employment with better pay.