I started a business selling groceries over a year ago. I have been working hard on this business, and now it can generate $100 per month when I have a good flow of customers. If I had taken a house help job instead, I would have earned only $5 per month. Since my mother is a peasant farmer and I have three younger siblings to take care of, I decided to support her with part of my earnings. This allows me to cover their school fees and provide for the family. I plan to further develop this business to increase my income. I have completed my secondary school education and intend to save part of my business profits and monthly income to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education. I am passionate about this course and believe that completing it will lead to employment opportunities, enabling me to support my family and ease my mother's burden of caring for my younger siblings.

I operate a grocery business to assist my mother in caring for my younger siblings, as I am raised by a single parent. When I received my latest transfer, I invested $62 to enhance my business. This business is crucial to me as it serves as my primary source of income, and I am depending on it to save up for college. However, I am eager to join college, but lack the financial support as my mother is a peasant farmer, and she also looks after my other siblings. I provided my mother with $15 to purchase food for our family, as I support her willingly to ensure that my younger siblings have enough to eat, considering her numerous responsibilities and lack of income. With the remaining $25, I used it to pay off the fee balances for my younger siblings to prevent them from being sent home and to give them ample time to focus on their studies.q

I started a grocery business over a year ago and have been steadily growing it. On good months, the business brings in around $100. I would never have had the opportunity to make this much money if I had taken a job as a house help, where I would have earned just $5 per month. I have only one parent, my mother, who is a peasant farmer, so the responsibility of helping to care for my three younger siblings is significant. I chose to support her by using part of my earnings to cover their school fees and provide food for the family. My goal is to continue expanding the business to generate more income. I have completed my secondary school education, and I am saving part of my business profits, along with some of my monthly earnings, because I have a strong desire to join college and pursue Early Childhood Education. This is a course I am passionate about, and I am confident that once I complete it, I will secure employment. This will allow me to improve my family's situation and better support my mother in taking care of my younger siblings.

I run a grocery business to help my mother take care of my younger siblings, as I only have one parent. When I received my most recent transfer, I used $62 to boost my business. This business is very important to me because it is my main source of income, and I rely on it to save money so I can join college. I am eager to join, but there is no one to support my tuition since my mother is a peasant farmer and has other siblings to care for. I gave my mother $15 to buy food for the family. I willingly support her to ensure my younger siblings have enough to eat, as the responsibilities are overwhelming for her, and she has no other source of income. With the remaining $25, I paid my younger siblings’ school fees to clear their balances, as I didn’t want to wait until they were sent home. This way, they can have uninterrupted time to study.

I started a business over a year ago selling groceries. I have been building this business and it is now able to bring in $100 per month. I would never have had a chance to make this much money as I would have taken a house help job which would make me $5 per month. My father and mother do not make much. My father is a cobbler and my mother is a farmer. Their work earns them less $5 monthly which cannot cover my siblings school fees of $120 monthly. My earnings now can cover their school fees as well as feed the family. I plan to continue building this business further to make me more money.

The cash transfers from Givedirectly have created a lifeline for my family. I have been able to pay school fees for my siblings four siblings at $38 from my transfers. I also was able to feed my family as well which depends on me, I spent $15 on food. I was also able to invest in my business from which I sustain my family. I spent $29 on adding supplies to my business. I thank Givedirectly for making my life bearable.

Having established a vegetable-selling stand through the cash transfers, my next objective is to open a kiosk shop in the village. Recognizing the market demand for fast-moving goods in this community, I aim to capitalize on this opportunity and create a sustainable livelihood for my family. To kickstart this venture, I estimate that a minimum of $90 will be required. I plan to accumulate the necessary capital through savings from the existing business and the ongoing cash transfers. I am optimistic that by September of this year, I will have gathered enough funds to launch the kiosk shop successfully.

Upon receiving the transfers, I used $20 to purchase a goat, a first for me since I started receiving funds. Initially, I had focused on expanding my vegetable-selling business with most of the funds. Now that the business is making gradual progress, I saw an opportunity to venture into livestock. I believe that owning a goat will increase my wealth through reproduction, providing potential capital for future business endeavors. I allocated $10 to buy two hens and $4 for chicken feeds. This strategic move was driven by the desire to diversify my investments. With $15, I covered the school fees for my three siblings. My parents were struggling to raise the tuition fees and wanted to ensure that my siblings wouldn't miss school due to unpaid fees. Finally, I spent $53 on increasing the stock for my vegetable-selling stand. I am pleased with the progress of the business, generating at least $7 in daily profit. This not only caters to my current needs but also contributes to my savings.

As I said I am part of the breadwinners in my home who include my sister who works as an attendant in a fuel station and my father who repairs shoes. I own a grocery stall that I run to make an income. I am a student also studying Electrical engineering in college. I sometimes take up electrical tasks to raise cash. My aim is first ti clear school so I can get more work opportunities. I also aim at expanding my business so I can make enough to sustain my siblings.

My parents have 7 children, I am among the few that have cleared school and are recipients of the Givedirectly transfers. I have been able to contribute to family needs as a result. I have been able to pay my school fees in August at $30 and bought stationery for myself, I also got stationery for my siblings and paid their school fees in July at $24. I have also been able t contribute to food purchases in the house at $10 in July and $17 in September. I was also able to buy myslef 3 chicken at $17 in September.

Driven by hope and ambition, I fervently pray for admission into a prestigious wiring school upon my graduation. The burning desire to establish my own business propels me forward, and I am wholeheartedly committed to volunteering in order to gain invaluable experience. Recognizing the significance of continuous growth, I remain resolute in my pursuit of success within the industry. With deep gratitude for the education I have received, I eagerly anticipate the day of graduation, when I can secure a rewarding job and transform my entrepreneurial dreams into a vibrant reality.

In my journey as a student of electrical engineering at Mabati Technical, I carefully managed the transfers I received. Out of the total amount, $10 was allocated for essential food supplies, ensuring my well-being. The remaining amount I carefully spent on my education necessities. I dedicated $20 to paying off a portion of my school fees, allowing me to reduce my debt and pursue my studies with determination. Recognizing the importance of learning materials, I wisely invested $4 in books and pens, equipping myself for academic success. With responsible financial management and a steadfast commitment to my education, I am forging a path towards a brighter future.

The moment I started receiving my transfers is the moment I started having hopes and believing that my future is bright. I have always had a dream of becoming great and accomplishing all the purpose in which I was created for and also helping my parents. After college, I believe I will get a very good job that will help me give back to my community and parents. In the meantime, I would want to sell Vegetables to my community people and get enough profit. The selling of vegetables is just what I will do while waiting for a good job but my goal is to be great.

I completed my form four studies last year 2022 and joined college in January 2023. I have always desired to study Electrical Engineering and become one of the greatest engineer in my home country. The moment I joined college, I dedicate most of my time to my studies and the sky is the limit. My father happens to be our breadwinner and he barely gets enough to feed my whole family in general. The moment I received my transfers, I took $20 and added it to my education and the remaining amount of $14 I stocked for food in the place where I live in school so that I would have enough to eat in the course of the month.

GiveDirectly did an excellent job of assisting the less fortunate members of the society. We are incredibly grateful for the amazing improvement in our lives. I have not seen any inefficiencies since everything was carried out effectively.

I graduated from high school last year, but owing to financial difficulties, I was unable to enroll in college since my humble background could not afford to fund my further studies. Instead of staying at home, I chose to work as a housekeeper in the neighborhood to support myself. With the money I have been earning from doing housework, I also plan to continue saving, which will be useful for paying for the computer package course. When I was accepted into the program, my desire to enroll in college and pick up new skills to assist me with my business venture was revived. With the help of my supportive parents and some of the savings I am making, I plan to pick up my goal of initiating a clothing business. As a result, when I got my transfer, I saved $10 for college, spent $10 on my siblings' tuition, and then spent the final $10 on food for my family. It has been a blessing to get funding from GiveDirectly, and I am grateful.

I was very excited when I received the first transfer. We had gone hungry the whole day because my mother could not raise money for our meals since the farm produce was low due to lack of rainfall. Receiving the money meant that we would finally have something on the table especially, for my younger siblings who go to school.

The biggest difference in my daily life since I started receiving the transfers is having been able to purchase food for my family especially, for my younger siblings. My mother has been struggling to raise money for foodstuffs since the beginning of the year because she depends on subsistence farming. Since we come from a drought-prone area, the crops do not do well leading to low productivity. I have five siblings who are still in primary school and it was hurting to see them go to school on empty stomach. I feel proud of supporting my mother to provide for our family.

I spent the whole of the first transfer on some of the foodstuffs to sustain our family for some time. My mother relies on subsistence farming, but we have not experienced rainfall for the better part of the year which has affected our farm produce. My father works as a domestic worker in Nairobi but the money he sends us mostly caters to my siblings' school fees. Therefore, raising money for our meals has been a challenge. I am glad I was able to support my mother to raise money for our meals.