As a mother of two, my greatest joy is witnessing my children receive a quality education and improve their lives. To ensure they can attend a good school, I am pursuing a college education in tailoring. My goal is to start my own tailoring business after graduation, which I believe will provide a better income for my family. Thanks to GiveDirectly's support, I am able to cover my school fees. Once I finish my studies, I intend to launch my business, and I am confident that the income I generate, along with these transfers, will significantly assist in purchasing building materials, enabling us to construct our dream house. Currently, we live with my mother-in-law because my spouse and I got married when he didn't have a house. With over a year remaining in my college education, I am focused on opening my business afterward. Once my spouse and I manage to build our dream house, I plan to invest in livestock, particularly goats, to further secure our financial future.

Upon receiving my latest transfer, I made it a priority to buy maize for my family's consumption. We have endured food shortages for two consecutive seasons, which has been quite difficult for us. Therefore, I purchased maize worth $43, as I believed it would last us several days while we continue searching for jobs to earn income. Additionally, I allocated $24 towards my tailoring course fees, which I pay in small amounts each time I receive my transfer to ensure I can continue with my training. I also have one child currently in pre-primary education, and I paid her fees of $5 to prevent her from being sent home over an outstanding balance. Lastly, I set aside $29 to save in our merry-go-round group. I plan to use these savings to invest in my future, such as opening a business after completing my tailoring course, enabling me to become self-sufficient.

As a mother of two, my greatest joy is seeing my children receive a good education and improve their lives. To ensure they attend a good school, I am currently enrolled in college. I joined a tailoring program with the belief that, once completed, I can start my own tailoring business and earn a better income. Thanks to GiveDirectly, I can cover my school fees with the support from my transfers. Once I complete, I will start my business and I am confident that this will help me provide my family with the life they deserve and eventually build our dream home.

At the beginning of this year, I joined a merry-go-round where we each contribute $20 monthly. My goal for joining is to save enough to build my own house. Recently, I saved $50 through this merry-go-round. I also spent $18 on new clothes for myself to refresh my wardrobe and enhance my appearance. In June, I enrolled in a tailoring college, a long-held dream of mine, to gain skills and eventually open my own tailoring shop. I spent $20 on my college fees. As a mother of two; one in school and one too young for school, I paid $10 for my child's school fees to ensure he wouldn’t be sent home due to unpaid fees. With the remaining $4, I bought food for my family.

I am planning to build a house since my spouse and I do not have one.Currently I am staying at my mother-in-law's house. I feel grateful for my spouse's support of my idea, and we have both agreed to support each other in this endeavor. I am committed to saving half of my monthly transfer in our chama to purchase building materials and eventually construct our own house. My spouse has also agreed to save a portion of his income from casual jobs. This new house will provide us with the comfort and privacy we desire.

I spent $10 to pay fees for my two children because I didn't want them to be sent home for fee balances. I also spent $20 to contribute to my monthly chama, enabling us to acquire valuable assets like building materials that I could not get without pulling our resources together. Additionally, I bought food for family consumption for $4 and finally bought a bed for $56 because I didn't have one, and I have been putting my mattress on the floor for a very long period. I am really grateful to GiveDirectly for the financial support.

Becoming a primary school teacher has been my aspiration since my childhood. Having completed secondary school last year, I am eager to pursue a teaching course. These transfers will not only support my educational journey but will also contribute to achieving this dream. I plan to utilize the proceeds from the sale of my goats and chickens to further support myself through the course. Realizing this dream is significant to me as it assures me of employment opportunities upon course completion. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to GiveDirectly for their unwavering support to me and my family.

I am the fifth born in a family of twelve siblings, and life in the village has been challenging since the loss of my father sixteen years ago. My mother, burdened with the responsibility of caring for us, worked as a housemaid, but her income was insufficient to meet our needs. The impact of these transfers on my life has been profound; I have managed to acquire ten chickens and two goats. Allocating $18, I purchased much-needed clothes as my previous attire was worn out. Additionally, I invested $30 in acquiring a goat with plans to sell it in the future. Using $54, I purchased a mattress, alleviating the discomfort of sleeping on the floor, and I am grateful for the noticeable improvement in my living conditions. The impact of these transfers has genuinely changed my life, and I am pleased to be part of this positive journey.

I live in my father in-laws house with my family. This is one of the things that have really made it my mission to get my own house. I am buying animals, my goal is that as they reproduce and multiply I will be able to sell a number of them and build a house of my own. I also sleep ion a worn out mattress, my goal from my savings group is to make enough to replace my bed and mattress which are quite uncomfortable to sleep on.

I have a young family, myself my husband, and my child. My husband is a mechanic while I engage is some small scale farming. I also have a few animals that I started rearing as a result of the transfers. I have been able to increase the number further and even now own a goat thanks to this last three months transfer. I bought a goat at $30 in August and in September I got one chick at $5. I am also now a member of an informal savings group where I saved $20 in July and September. I was also able to by myself some shoes at $2 in August and in July due to the state of my current clothes and those of my child I used $10 to add a couple more clothes.

At the moment, I do not have any formal engagement. I am always at home while my husband does a motorcycle taxi business. With continuous transfers, I aspire to raise goats and poultry. I consider livestock keeping an investment that I can look after when at home. In the long run, they can turn out to be more beneficial. The poultry will offer me both food and cash benefits if I sell some. I only have one goat now, although goats are valuable and can contribute to my well-being. They will help me post GD transfers.

For my previous transfers, I have been saving some in a merry-go-round. For the past four months, I managed to save $30 with a goal of raising some money by the end of the year that will aid me in buying iron sheets for building a new house. At the moment, I do not have a house. I have been spending in my mother-in-law's house. My husband and I have been unable to build a house because we lack a job. The rest of the transfers I used to buy food for a family of 8 members. Since we stay together, we always contribute towards the budget. I shall be glad and more comfortable when I succeed in building my house.

Before the year ends I am hoping that I would have saved up enough money so that I can finally build my own house. Apart from that,I was also hoping that this money will allow me to finally enroll into college this year where I can learn to be a teacher. I also intend on using the money to buy a couple of new attire for myself and my kid because most of our old ones are worn out.

since late last year I decided that I was going to save up a portion of the transfers that I receive each month because I wanted to finally build my own home after living with my mother in law for two years. That is why as soon as I got the chance to withdraw the funds I ended up depositing KES 2,000 in my savings account. Afterwards I proceeded to spend the remaining balance of KES 1,400 on nourishment by purchasing six packets of maize flour and two kilograms of beans since there was hardly any food left in the house.

I joined a merry-go-round group that we started in our village and I have been saving $10 per month. My plan is to continue saving money to be able to start a goat-rearing project in the future. I have always wanted to start this but I did not have the money. Goats multiply faster since they reproduce twice per year. I spent $10 on purchasing food and water. Due to prolonged drought in the area, we purchase water for drinking and domestic use. The remaining amount of the money I spent on purchasing clothes and household items that we were missing. I am so grateful because GiveDirectly has supported us in meeting all our basic needs.

GiveDirectly, as an NGO, does an outstanding job of providing unconditional cash transfers to the less fortunate people of the community. Our burdens are lighter as a result of the transfer, and we can always afford food and start some development programs. As a result of the transfers, I was able to purchase new outfits, which I had previously been unable to do. This could not have been the case before GiveDirectly began its program in our community. There is nothing it does not do well.

I had not even changed my outfit in nearly 5 years due to my low income. As a result, I had little choice but to wear ragged and unpresentable garments. I decided to spend KES 1,200 on two sets of clothes after my recent transfer. I am very delighted that I now have at least a better dress to wear when I go somewhere far away from home. In addition, I made it easier for my husband to travel to a nearby town for a new job he had been offered. I gave him KES 1,500 in support. Finally, the remaining KES 300 was used to buy food for my family, as what we had at the time was hardly enough to last us two days. GiveDirectly has been quite helpful to me.

It was around 10.15pm when I heard a message tone and located my phone to check on the message. It was at that moment I realised I had received some money in my mpesa account .I was excited and couldn't hold back my joy but to share the news with my other family members who evidently congratulated me on the good news.

The difference in my daily life since I received my transfer is the upgrade on my clothes that made me feel more confident about my self and not ashamed to mingle or visit my friends.I am no longer the talk of the village because of my torn and old clothes. My goal is to buy building materials every month and support my husband to have our own home.Currently my husband works in repairing motorcycle tyres and he makes atleast KES 50 per tyre which can barely afford a meal for our small family of three members and we have been forced to live the same house with my father in law.My goal is at the end of the support program am able to move to my own home which will earn my husband his respect from the village as a man.

I have been the laughing stock of the village from my torn old clothes.My self esteem was on the low because am ashamed of my looks as I have not been able to upgrade and have some new clothes for the longest time. On receiving the transfers ,I felt the need to change my wardrobe and atleast upgrade on my clothes .I spent KES 1000 and bought clothes for myself and my ten months old baby.I bought speaci porridge flour and sugar with the remaining cash of KES 170.