In September 2024, I will sit for my final exams and, upon completion, become a qualified hairdresser. My goal is to open my own salon, using my transfers to purchase essential items such as blow dryers, hairdryers, and braiding materials. I am currently searching for a suitable location to start my salon, where I plan to provide excellent service, primarily targeting female clients. I am confident that running my own business will significantly enhance my family's living standards.

Due to financial constraints faced by my parents, I was unable to attend college earlier. Thanks to GiveDirectly, I am now pursuing a Hairdressing course, which I started in 2023. My goal is to complete the program, start my own salon, and enhance our living standards while acquiring valuable skills. I used $45 to cover my school fees, ensuring that my education remains uninterrupted. I also live in a rented house near my school with a friend, and we each contribute $10 monthly. From my transfers, I spent $30 to clear my rent. With the remaining $27, I bought food to sustain myself while I continue my studies.

Without GiveDirectly, college wouldn't have been an option for me. My family faces significant financial hardship, with my parents lacking steady employment. Even the income generated from our farming efforts falls short of providing for our basic needs. To ease the burden on my parents, I'm channeling my efforts into my education. By prioritizing my studies, I aim to contribute positively to our family's future. My sole focus in the upcoming year and beyond is on excelling academically. By dedicating myself to my education, I hope to maximize the opportunities it presents for personal and familial advancement.

I owe a debt of gratitude to GiveDirectly for their invaluable financial assistance, which enabled me to enroll in college. Without their support, accessing higher education would have remained a distant dream due to financial constraints. My family's income primarily stems from farming, but it's insufficient to cover both my siblings' needs and my educational expenses. I heavily rely on this financial aid for my education, including basic necessities like food and rent. With my recent transfer, I allocated $42 towards purchasing food during my time at school. Furthermore, I directed $30 towards covering my tuition fees and utilized the remaining $30 to fulfill my housing rental obligations. These expenditures were vital in ensuring my continued enrollment in college.

My goal in the coming year is to open a salon within my village. This will allow me to transform my academic knowledge into a practical and sustainable livelihood. In addition to the salon, I have a plan to diversify my sources of income by rearing livestock and engage in their sale for additional revenue. I'm so excited about my journey with Givedirectly cash transfers.

Since enrolling in college, my life has taken a positive turn after two long years of unemployment and idleness at home. The monthly transfers from GiveDirectly have provided me with the means to pursue my dream of studying hairdressing and beauty therapy. While my parents are unemployed, my father occasionally secures casual jobs, earning just enough to meet the household needs. I managed to save $80 from the transfers, which I used to pay my college fees and accommodation. With a portion of the remaining cash, I decided to treat myself. For the first time in a while, I purchased a dress and a pair of shoes for Christmas, spending $22. I am genuinely grateful for the assistance, as it has not only paved the way for my education but has also allowed me to experience the joy of little luxuries in life. The GiveDirectly monthly cash transfers have been instrumental in breaking free from the stagnation of unemployment, enabling me to embrace a promising future filled with possibilities.

My focus for the upcoming year and beyond is on two things. First, I am determined to complete my beauty and hair-making college program, which I was only able to attend thanks to the cash transfers from GiveDirectly. Upon graduation, I plan to leverage my acquired expertise to establish a salon business in my village. I am particularly enthusiastic about this venture because there is currently no one providing such services in my community. By bridging this gap, I believe I can serve my community and simultaneously generate income to support my family's needs.

Upon completing my high school education in 2021, I aspired to enroll in a beauty and hair-making college. However, my parents' financial situation posed a significant obstacle. My father's age made him unable to work, and my mother, while a community clinical officer, worked voluntarily, barely earning enough for our basic food needs. The responsibility for supporting my education fell on my brother, who works as a mechanic. Unfortunately, he was already burdened with the expenses of my three younger siblings, and there seemed to be no viable means to send me to college. The turning point came when I began receiving cash transfers. Thanks to this support, I was able to realize my dream and enroll in the college in February of this year. I have been diligently using all of my cash transfers to cover my educational expenses. Typically, $20 is allocated for my school fees, $10 goes towards rent, and $4 is spent on various other necessities, including food. With this consistent support, I am confident that I can sustain my college education until I graduate next year.

First and foremost, I want to express my happiness and gratitude for having the opportunity to join a hairdressing and beauty college through cash transfers. After finishing high school in 2020, I believed that my educational journey had come to an end due to the lack of funds. However, my hope was revived when I started receiving the cash transfers. Now, my goal is to complete my training by next year, after which I plan to establish my own hair salon business in my village. By opening this business, I not only aim to secure a stable income for myself but also provide convenient hairdressing services to members of my community.

Upon completing high school in 2020, I faced the unfortunate reality of being unable to proceed to college due to financial constraints within my household. Both my parents lacked a stable source of income to support my further education, and they also had the responsibility of providing for my four younger siblings who were still in school. However, when I started receiving the cash transfers, I knew that my dream of joining a hairdressing and beauty college would soon become a reality. Thanks to the financial support from the cash transfers, I was able to enroll in training in February of this year. Since then, I have been able to pursue my studies without any financial burden. Each month, I allocate $20 from the cash transfers to cover my school fees, ensuring that I can continue my education uninterrupted. The remaining $14 is utilized for my rent and other essential needs, such as food while I am attending school. I am incredibly grateful for the financial assistance I have received so far.

My long-term goal is to enroll in a hairdressing course, I have a passion for doing it and I would like to make it professionally. I started saving some money from GiveDirectly and as for now, I have $50 that I plan to talk to my brother to help me raise $220 for the whole course.

I am twenty-seven years old, living with my parents and my five siblings. I cleared high school and since then I have not had the opportunity to go to college. My parents are not well off and most times they depend on my big brother who is a mechanic for the family's upkeep. Before the transfer we were living in poverty, my brothers' money was not enough and most days we would take one meal a day. This devasted my parents. they are old and could not do anything. Receiving this money has enabled me to start a project of rearing chickens, for the last three months I have been buying chicks at $5, for now, I have seven and hopefully in six months, they would be many and eventually sell them for double the price I bought and help out with the family needs.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly has been doing a splendid job by visiting each household in my community. It has greatly improved our lives in general. Initially, we could not afford very basic needs like food, and we had no hopes of even owning livestock. I therefore cannot point out anything that needs to change.

I spent part of my recent transfer on buying two chickens at KES 1000. These will be the only assets that I can rely on in case of any financial constraints that I might encounter. I opted for them because they require little supervision and they will increase in number within a short period. I am therefore optimistic that I will achieve a lot through them. Additionally, I cleared my college fees and I enrolled recently pursuing a hairdressing course. I am happy and thankful to GiveDirectly for empowering me to accomplish one of my dreams. I believe that once I graduate, I will have enough skills to grab a job in the nearby saloons. I used the remaining cash to buy food and settled a debt of KES 500.

It was late at night, around 8 p.m. We were gathering as a family after dinner. I was surprised to receive a message notification on my phone, and when I checked it, I was happy to see a Mpesa message. It prompted me to double-check, and I could not hide my great pleasure when I saw that GiveDirectly had sent me a transfer. I could not keep myself from informing my siblings who were present. My younger sister, who was by my side was also overjoyed.

Though I only have one hen at the moment, I know it is a significant step forward in my life. I had never raised a single chick before. When I discovered that my hen had begun to lay eggs, I knew that my business would be profitable in the long run. It gives me confidence that my life is on a positive path, which will give me an advantage in life. Thank you to GiveDirectly for your prompt assistance.

As a girl child, I sometimes struggle to buy sanitary pads. This is because I do not have any income and my parents are unable to support me in obtaining secondary wants. As a result, when I received my transfer, I spent KES 600 on sanitary pads. In addition, because I wanted to start raising chickens, I spent KES 500 on a hen. I am overjoyed because it is started laying eggs. Courtesy of the transfer, I will be able to raise local domestic fowls.