My five children have accumulated significant school fee balances, and my goal for the coming year and beyond is to gradually pay off these debts so that they can attend school without the fear of being sent home. These unpaid balances have not only caused me many sleepless nights but also disrupted my children's consistency in school attendance. To tackle this, I have developed a plan. Each month, I will set aside a portion of the transfers I receive and combine it with savings from my business profits. This approach will help me steadily clear the outstanding school fees. With this strategy, I am hopeful that my children's attendance will improve, and they will be able to focus on their education without interruptions. I am deeply grateful for the financial support from the transfers, which has been a lifeline, especially in financing my children's education. It brings me great happiness and relief to be working toward a more stable future for them.

For the past twenty years, I have relied on selling herbal medicines and toothbrushes in Mombasa town to earn a living. However, the income from this job barely covers my family’s basic needs, such as paying school fees, buying food, and purchasing clothes. Meeting these needs has become increasingly difficult, but I’m grateful for the financial transfers from Give Directly, which have been a tremendous help in supporting my family. Recently, I spent $56 on school fees for my five children, my eldest in secondary school and the other four in primary. This payment ensured that they could stay in school without any interruptions. Additionally, I paid $5 in exam fees, guaranteeing that they would sit for their end-of-term exams. Knowing that all my children are attending school without fail brings me so much peace and happiness. I used the remaining $41 to purchase food, which ensured that my family had enough to eat. There has been a significant improvement in our lives since receiving the transfers. We now eat at least two meals a day, compared to before when we often survived on just one meal. I am incredibly appreciative of the financial support, which has helped me and my family live a better, more secure life.

For now, my dream has been to build a house for my three 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. It breaks my heart to see them without a permanent place to call home, and I want to change that. I trust that through the transfers that I receive every month, I will be able to save enough money to build a new house for them. I plan to diligently put aside a portion of each transfer, knowing that each saved penny brings us closer to our own home. By doing this, I hope to ensure that my children will no longer need to seek shelter from relatives and can grow up in a secure, loving environment.

As soon as I got the transfers, I made sure that I paid the fees for my daughter in secondary school and the three in primary school. I paid around $63 to ensure their stay in school would be peaceful and without any distractions, unlike the constant disruptions we faced before the organization’s assistance. Setting up their fees has brought me immense peace of mind, knowing they won't be sent home regularly, which would have greatly affected their performance. My job of selling traditional herbs wasn't profitable enough to cover their fees on time or provide for their other basic needs. This financial strain weighed heavily on me, and now, thanks to the transfers, I can focus on supporting their education without constant worry. Finally, I used $41 to buy sufficient food for the household. The issue of food security has been a persistent challenge, exacerbated by the prolonged drought we've been experiencing. Ensuring my children have enough to eat has been a daily struggle, and this transfer has been a lifeline. With the funds, I stocked up on staples and nutritious food, knowing that we wouldn’t have to face the uncertainty of where our next meal would come from. The relief and joy of providing a stable environment for my children, both in their education and their nutrition, is beyond words.

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.