In the days ahead, my aim is to eliminate the substantial school fee debts accumulated by my children in their respective schools. This endeavor is crucial as settling these debts will guarantee a smooth educational journey for them without encountering any hindrances. Additionally, I aspire to realize the construction of a home for my four children. Presently, they are relying on the hospitality of nearby relatives for accommodation, but as their parent, I am determined to provide them with a stable living situation by building them a house. I am immensely grateful for the transfers received, as they have significantly alleviated the responsibility of caring for my family.

For the past two decades, my livelihood has been sustained through the sale of local toothbrushes and medicinal herbs in Mombasa town. However, the income derived from this occupation barely covers the essential needs of my family, comprising six members. Fortunately, following a bountiful harvest last year, our food supplies are plentiful, alleviating one of our concerns. Consequently, the primary use of the transfers I receive from Give Directly is to finance my children's education. I directed $52 towards clearing a school fee debt for my eldest daughter, currently in her final year of secondary school. Additionally, a $10 fee was allocated for her accommodation expenses, as she attends a day secondary school. The remaining $40 was utilized to cover the school fees of my three children enrolled at Ikanga Primary School. Despite my eldest daughter accumulating over $60 in school fee arrears, I remain hopeful that the assistance provided through the transfers will enable me to settle this debt. My priority is to ensure that she can continue her education without significant interruptions. I am grateful for the financial support extended by the organization.

My objective is to start acquiring goats on a monthly basis. In the past, my financial resources were predominantly allocated to providing food and covering my children's school fees. However, thanks to a successful cultivation venture, I have now mitigated the issue of food shortages in my household. As a result, I am in a position to invest in goats. I plan to acquire and raise these goats with the intention of having a stable asset base, even after the organization's support phase concludes. These goats will not only serve as a financial cushion but also assist me in meeting ongoing expenses such as school fees and food. Given my reliance on low-paying casual employment, having this livestock on hand will prove invaluable during times of urgent financial need.

It's a universal aspiration for every parent to witness their children progressing through school and achieving academic success along the way. The sight of my children unable to attend school due to financial constraints was a source of great distress, and it was agonizing to realize that I couldn't afford to support all five of them. Watching their school fees accumulate monthly, knowing that I couldn't pay them in a timely manner, weighed heavily on my mind. I resorted to selling products in town, but unfortunately, the sales were far from promising. Without the financial support I received, my children might have been forced to stay at home. My most significant challenge was the constant struggle with food shortages. However, with a successful harvest, this problem has been considerably alleviated, enabling me to cover their school fees more comfortably. In the most recent disbursement, I allocated nearly $110 to clear the outstanding school fees for my children. Witnessing them continue their education without interruptions due to unpaid fees brings me immense joy. I used the remaining portion of the funds to purchase essential household items, including toiletries and other necessities that were lacking in our home.

I have had a long-standing aspiration to build a house for rental purposes on my piece of land in Mombasa town. However, due to my current financial instability, I was forced to sell parts of the land to support my children's education. Bearing my primary goal in mind, I aim to regain stability and work towards realizing my vision of constructing the rental house, although it’s going to be a smaller one, given the reduced space. I believe that owning the property will establish a stable source of income that will be essential in securing a better future for my family.

One of my sons has been facing persistent challenges at school due to an outstanding tuition debt of $15 from the previous academic term. He faced the constant risk of being sent home to collect the fees. So, I settled the deficit, leaving behind the ongoing term debt. Unfortunately, I have been unable to pay for the current term's fees, resulting in him being sent home repeatedly. Also, the financial strain has been overwhelming, compounded by the rising cost of living. While I make a modest income from selling chewing sticks and natural herbs, the returns are insufficient to meet the growing expenses, especially food. I had to allocate the remaining $19 toward purchasing food. 

I am hopeful that this year, we shall experience adequate rainfall to realize a good harvest. It will allow me to divert my focus to livestock keeping. All along, I have been longing to raise goats and sheep. I love them because of their benefits. There is always a viable market for goat milk and other products, such as cheese for one who raises them on large scale. In addition, both goats and sheep have ready markets, especially during the festive seasons. Through that, I am optimistic that by raising goats, I shall have an alternative income source when I have an emergency. I also have a goal of building a new house. The current one is so old and relatively small to serve my family better.

To meet the educational and nutritional needs of my family, I always have to sell herbal medicine. I do have any alternative business to engage in for financial benefits. The proceeds of this business are always insufficient to cater to all our needs. However, with the monthly transfers, our situation is always salvaged. Therefore whenever I receive the transfers, I prioritize the two mentioned needs. For the past three transfers preceding the recent one, I spent $20 monthly to offset fee arrears for my daughter in High School. The remaining $15 helped me to obtain food for the family. However, with the last transfer, I used it on fee payment since schools were opening at the same time.

Giving unconditional money to the neediest communities is Give Directly’s greatest work. With this cash, people in my village can access better medical care, children stay in school, and parents provide food for their families. However, I feel the impact would be greater, especially for individuals wishing to engage in development initiatives, if the monthly amount would be higher than $30. Personally, it would expedite the implementation of the rental house construction plan I have had over the last 23 years. In my perspective, relying on the current monthly transfer amount would stall the construction process since it is hard to save enough money from it.

When I received the cash transfer I was in Mombasa. My daughter in form two (back at the village) had a pending school fee balance of $118. The balance had accrued since the year began. She would constantly be sent home to fetch the balance and would stay home for two days before going back to school. So, I channeled $20 from the recent cash transfer towards her school to slice off the amount. My priority was to reduce this balance so that the administration would allow her to continue her studies in good faith as I raised the rest through my herbs business. I sell chewing sticks and herbs to provide for my wife and four children, three of whom are in primary school and one in high school. The practice earns me between $5 and $20 per day. On worst occasions, the generated amount barely provides all three meals per day for my family, and they are left surviving on just one. This is why I sent the remaining amount home to help acquire enough food and buy me time to look for more. As the family’s breadwinner, I could never be more grateful to Give Directly for the relief brought by the cash transfers. At least, it supplements the little I make and supports my family on a greater level than before.

After a futile day of selling my reviving herbs, I was exhausted and sleeping on my bed at home. My mind was confused with in-depth ideas of how I would fund-raise to cover my children's school expenditures as frequently as possible. I awoke when I heard my phone ring and went to check it. When I realized I had agreed to my most memorable trade, I was astounded. I called my significant other to share the wonderful news, and my heart burst with joy as I did so.

I place a great priority on education since I'm a good mom. My greatest accomplishment in life has been making sure I support my kids by giving them access to better education. When I wasn't able to come up with any cash to cover my son's school expenses, I became really anxious. I appreciated how the unconditional transfer aided my son finish his studies and had a substantial impact on his life.

I used my entire first transfer to cover my son's form three tuition fees. I own a small business in Mombasa town and sell therapeutic herbs. Due to the anxiety brought on by the election, I have been unable to conduct any business for the past two months. My ability to support my family in the village was impacted by this. Because of his school fee debt, my eldest son, who is in secondary school, was dismissed. He was compelled to stay at home for more than two weeks because I didn't have any money. His learning was impacted, and he had a lot of work to catch up on. He was re-admitted to school after making up the unpaid fees, and he is now happy to continue his studies.