As a single parent residing with my parents and solely responsible for the welfare and needs of my two children, I recognize the importance of finding a reliable source of income to support my family. While my current mandazi business provides some income, it is insufficient to fully meet our needs. Therefore, in the coming year, I aim to venture into the clothing business, which I believe has the potential to generate the necessary income to support my children and family. To achieve this goal, I plan to continue saving a portion of the monthly transfers I receive from GiveDirectly and have enough capital that is required. Once the clothing business has kicked off and is in a stable position, I intend to join a tailoring college to gain valuable skills that I can incorporate into my business. To cover the tuition fees for this college, I will use a portion of the transfers I will be receiving in the future. By acquiring tailoring skills, I will be able to expand my cloth-selling business by making more clothes using my own machine that I also intend to buy in the future after completing my tailoring course using a portion of my transfers and some profit from the business. This will not only increase the variety of clothing items available but also boost the overall profitability of the business. I am hopeful that all these plans will come to fruition, as they will serve as a reliable source of income that will enable me to take care of my family comfortably.

For some time now, I have always dreamt of owning a business that would help me support my family and my own goals. I have always wanted to start a clothing business that sells apparel for both adults and children. To make this dream a reality, I have been saving a portion of my transfers from GiveDirectly to build up the capital needed to launch it. Recently, I saved $50 from my transfers, hoping to kick off the business by next year. Additionally, I currently live with my parents, and supporting my family is essential, especially during this challenging period of prolonged drought, which has left us with insufficient food. Therefore, I used the remaining $52 of my transfers to buy food for my family, ensuring we wouldn’t go hungry. I am hopeful that I will accumulate enough funds to start my clothing business and provide for my family in the future.

I'm currently residing with my parents along with my two children, and I'm solely responsible for their welfare and needs. However, the income from my mandazi business is insufficient. Hence, in the coming years, I aim to venture into the second-hand clothing business. This endeavor promises to provide me with the necessary income to support my children, requiring minimal initial investment, which is why I've chosen it. Moreover, this business sector remains relatively untapped, offering ample market potential. I plan to save my monthly transfer from GiveDirectly to realize this goal, which I believe will significantly contribute to achieving financial stability for my family.

Upon receiving my transfer, I allocated $19 for farming. Concurrently, I saved $44 in our savings group with the intention of launching a second-hand clothing business. This endeavor holds immense significance for me as it aims to generate enough income to provide for my two children. Additionally, I invested $25 in purchasing a goat, viewing goat farming as an additional avenue for earning money. As both a mother and a provider, I encounter significant financial challenges, which necessitates seeking multiple sources of income. I am deeply grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial assistance that has substantially improved my financial situation.

I am a single mother with two children. My children are still young none is attending school. I believe that now I can think beyond what the limits poverty had brought in our lives before Givedirectly transfers. I would want to open a business that will facilitate my educating them when they start school. My business idea is to sell new clothes which will requires $100 to get a shop and stock it. I plan to save towards this goal from my monthly transfers and once I have enough to start the business I will be able to launch it and hopefully make more money than I do with my pastry hawking business.

You would not have recognised me had you met me before the Givedirectly transfers. I am a happier and less stressed person than I was now that I am a recipient of the Givedirectly transfers. I am a single mother of two, I live at my parents as I am yet unmarried. In January I received my transfers at the time of us loosing my maternal grandmother. We all as a family needed to all contribute and ensure a successful funeral ceremony. I travelled to her home and used my transfers to help out in the burial preparation, I used $15 in buying food that was eaten during this time, she had also left a hefty hospital bill which I settled using $15 from my transfers, $4 went into buying soap and sugar used during this period. In December I received transfers when I was sick, I had stomach issues, I was admitted to the hospital in order to get treatment and I paid a total of $50 which included my entire December transfers. During the month of November, I had made plans to buy a goat, I bought the goat at $30 and used the $4 left on food.

As a single mother with sole responsibility for my two-year-old child, my primary goal is to establish a reliable source of income that can support both our needs. Currently, I run a donut-baking business, and I plan to expand this venture. Additionally, I aim to start a new business focused on buying and selling charcoal, which I believe has the potential to generate greater income than my current business. To achieve these goals, I will continue my efforts to save money, as I have been doing with the previous month's transfers. Alongside my business endeavors, I also intend to build on my livestock holdings, which currently consist of two goats and ten chickens. I am confident that rearing livestock will contribute to my long-term financial security and my ability to provide for my child.

When I began receiving the cash transfers, my desire was to use the funds to buy goats. However, due to the hardships we were facing, such as a lack of food and water, I had to postpone this plan until we were in a better position to afford livestock. Fortunately, the recent rainy season brought relief from the long drought, allowing us to grow enough food to last several months. With this improved situation, I decided it was time to fulfill my goal of acquiring livestock. I spent $50 to purchase two goats and bought two hens for $10. I'm thrilled to finally own livestock, as I know they will be valuable assets in the future. I can sell them to meet my needs and provide for my child. I also allocated $14 to replenish the stock for my donut-making business, which had fallen behind in terms of items like wheat flour. As this is my sole source of income as of now, am sure that buying more stock will increase the profits and keep it running. Additionally, I saved $10 after spending another $18 on food items. My aim is to accumulate enough funds to start a business of buying and selling charcoal.

I am a single mother of one and solely depends on myself to get an income for covering needs. I used to do casual labour where I would do laundry, clean the house or even till people's lands to ensure I can make ends meet. In April I was finally able to get some money which I used to start a grocery business at $10. I started this business to increase my income since the casual jobs were not as consistent or reliable. I hope to invest more in the business so I can be more self sufficient which a bigger income. I also used the cash to buy a mattress since as I said I slept on a sisal mat before. My hope is to buy a bed so I can equally have a good place to sleep for myself and child.

I joined an informal savings group once I got enrolled and received my transfers from Givedirectly we save $15 monthly in this group. I spent $19 of my March transfers on food, while in April I spent $9 and $14 in may. I also was fortunate to buy beddings since I was sleeping on a mat that is made of sisal which would normally be used to dry maize and is very uncomfortable. I also started a business selling groceries in the month of April.

To raise additional money for the family's needs, I have been selling roasted maize on the side of the road. Even though I make some money, the profit is low, and I long to diversify my business. My primary goal for this year, is to launch a vegetable sales business as I continue to receive my transfers. I have managed such a business before, and I know it is possible to realize more profit from the business. It will enable me to offer adequate support to my son Derick, and provide for some of our family's food expenses. I am a single mother and always motivated by a desire to give my child the best care a parent can offer to a child.

Before my previous four months' transfers, I did not have a better bed and mattress. I used the makeshift bed made with sisals, although it always affected me. Every morning I could wake up feeling pain in my ribs. However, with the last four months' cash transfers, I spent $30 on a new bed and $20 on a new mattress. As a result of this, my condition of life has significantly improved because I am no longer in pain. In addition, I spent $15 on three hens, starting my venture into poultry farming. The remainder I spent buying food for our large family of seven. I am currently saving money to buy some goats later this year.

I'd want to thank the GiveDirectly personnel for enrolling us in the program in a respectful and friendly manner. The organization's unconditional transfer is critical in assisting us in transforming our livers to be better after spending so much of our lives in poverty. I would want to encourage the organization to continue enrolling people from impoverished communities so that many people can receive assistance at this difficult period.

I am a single mom (1 year old son) and my family's lone breed winner . I make a living in the village by selling charcoal. For the past six months, the business has been declining, making it difficult for to make ends meets for my family. Making charcoal is a laborious process that takes a long time before it is ready for sale (1 week on average). I am compelled to buy food on credit before the charcoal is available, and in most occasions, I am unable to pay on time. This has harmed my reputation and credit score, making it impossible for shopkeepers to permit me to buy food on credit. As a result, when I received my second transfer, I spent $10 on food for the family to ensure we had enough for more than a week. In addition, I saved the remaining $20 so that I could purchase a new mattress when my next transfer arrived. I've been sleeping on a sisal twine bed with a sisal sack on top for the past eight years, which has been incredibly unpleasant and has harmed my health. Due to the discomfort of the bed, my little baby cries a lot during the night. I am relieved that after I purchase the mattress, it will help me minimize back discomfort and provide a nice night's sleep for my kid.

I was overwhelmed with joy ! I was at home that day with no expectation of this transfer. I was even worrying about what our next meal would be . So I heard an sms alert . I checked my phone and found that it was money from Give directly ! I felt so happy because I was able to buy food for my family members .

The biggest difference in my life since I started receiving these transfers is that it has made me hopeful . Currently , I have no stable job, I only sell charcoal. I'm hopeful that this money shall help me to start a grocery business. Life was bad before Give directly since I was not able to provide basic needs for my baby. After receivivg these transfers , I've been able to start poultry farming and buy food. May God bless you !

I received kes. 1,200. I have always wanted to practise poultry farming , but I've been limited financially . The first thing I bought was 1 hen worth Kes. 500. I then remembered that there was no food in the house so I bought 2kgs of rice at Kes. 260 , 1/2kg of sugar at Kes. 140 and 4 packets of 2kgs maize flour at Kes. 800. Thank you so much Give Directly.