I am a mother of one child who is currently in grade one. Despite a tough month financially, with limited earnings from my job as a hairdresser, I managed to settle my child's school fees which was $14, thanks to GiveDirectly. I opened a savings account and I set aside $60 in a savings account towards my dream of opening my own salon. Working on commission has its challenges, which is why I am determined to establish my own business. Additionally, I invested in six chickens, purchasing two for $14 each, with hopes that they will multiply and eventually trade them for goats, and later cows. With the remaining amount of $14, I purchased supplies for my future salon.

I currently have four goats, and I hope they multiply so that I can trade them for cows. I want specifically a dairy cow because they multiply easily and I can sell their milk. By December, my goal is to have saved $500 to open my own salon in the city. I studied hairdressing and have a passion for it, so I am excited to start my own business to make more profits and give my family a good life they deserve.

I am a single mother of one. my life would never have been where it is had it not been for Givedirectly. I used to work as a local hairdresser in the village and I was not making much, I would make about $1 on a good day. My income was not enough to do things for my family. I joined Givedirectly and in turn joined a sacco to save so I could explore alternative income sources. I have been saving $2 a month, in the recent months I have saved $6. I also got to buy some chicken at $15. I paid school fees for my child at $10. I fell ill in February and the transfers helped me seek treatment, I spent $4 on seeking treatment at the hospital.

I am happy for Givedirectly as it has allowed me to dream. I have been building my finances to accomplish my dream. I moved out of the village in November to the nearby town using the Givedirectly transfers. I wanted to explore opportunities beyond my village with hairdressing which I was fortunate to get. Now I have observed that having a hairdressing business in the city will increase my income and I hope to invest my savings in starting my own hairdressing business.

When I started receiving my transfers after my successful enrolment, I specifically opened a bank account to help me save part of my monthly transfers and also to give me access to loans that I knew could be beneficial to me in future. To stay true to my dream, I have been saving part of my monthly transfers, mostly $20 then sharing the rest across my most pressing needs at that particular moment. Usually, my balance after the savings is spent of school fees payments for my child, foodstuff and other household requirements. In the month of September however, after remitting my savings and clearing my child's school fees, I managed to purchase a hen that was being sold at an affordable price by my neighbour who was in urgent need of cash. A chicken that size usually sells at around $5, but I got it at $3 which was the reason why I had to give it a priority among other needs I had at that time. It is also a good investment because I know that within 6 months, I shall have gained enough from the chicken to purchase a goat through the sale of the its offsprings.

I am currently employed in a local hair salon within the village as a hairdresser, but my dream is to own a Salon of my own in town where there are more customers and service charges are also much better compared to the village. Working here is good as it helps me sharpen my skills, learn new trends, gain more experience and above all earn a living to support my family, but having to surrender 30% of my earnings to my employer does not please me. For this reason, I would like to open my own salon by early 2024. This will boost my income and also give me an opportunity to employ others. Having been saving for a number of years, I will be able to access a loan from the bank soon which will help me set up this business in town. This business will guarantee me a full-time job, better earnings which means a better life for my family. Once I clear the loan with the help of the transfers and the earnings from the business, I will apply for more so that I can purchase a piece of land and construct a house for my family as I am a single mother and has no one to rely on.

I joined Imarika Sacco which is a formal saving society after enrollment to the Givedirectly program. I started saving then and have been saving till now $20 monthly to that account. We also started a savings group, an informal one in the village where we save $10 monthly. In April I saved to the formal savings society $20 and I also saved in the informal group $10. I also bought $4 worth of hair oil for my salon. In May, I spent another $20 in saving in the sacco, and $10 in the informal savings group, I also bought flour for $4. In June I spent $15 on school fees for my child, I sent $10 to the informal savings group and $5 on purchasing 2 chicken.

I learnt how to make hair in 2013 but since my parents did not have much money they couldn't help me open a hair salon. Over the years I worked to get the salon I have but its still a small business. I have a dream of having a big salon in a big city or town. This is a costly affair. I am saving to enable me fulfill this dream. I am working towards building a bigger business so I can be able to increase my income and even use skills I haven't used for long since in the village people make very simple hair styles but in the city people are quite different.

I have been saving my transfers in a Sacco, and my aim is to start a beauty shop. I am a skilled hairdresser, currently employed by a neighbour to work in her shop. The pay is insufficient to meet all of my needs. All along I have been longing to start my own shop, be self-employed, and get good profits while operating my own business. I, however, could not afford to raise the start-up capital. I managed to save to achieve this dream when I began receiving the transfers. I am hoping to save more and, later on, top it up with a loan from Sacco and start the business.

My goal currently is to save the monthly transfers in a Sacco, get a loan in the future, and start a hairdressing and beauty shop. I have been employed by a neighbour with a meagre income, and I want to start my own shop and be self-employed. I believe I will be able to pay for my son's fees with ease once I start my own business.

I have studied hairdressing, and my goal is to start a salon someday. Over the past months, I have been saving $20 each month. The first thought that came to my mind after receiving this transfer is sending this money to my account. With the remaining $10, I used to buy food for my son.

It has helped the village from poverty during this period of drought.

I have not yet cashed out my transfer. However, because I have hairdressing skills, I am saving money and planning to use it to start a salon business. It is a venture that will go a long way toward providing me with an additional source of income. As a result, my struggle to provide for my family will soon be over. This will be the start of a new phase of my life. It will be extremely beneficial to me because I have previously worked in a saloon and have the necessary skills.

Even though I still have my recent transfer, I intend to use them to start a salon. It is a business that I desired to run since I learned some skills while working in a salon. If this plan is successful, I believe I will have a reliable source of income, making it easier to support my family than in the past. I will have a daily income that will allow me to support my children and make life more bearable.

It was around 10 a.m, and I had just come home from the nearby market. One of the neighbors passed by unexpectedly, and her face was filled with joy. When I asked her what made her happy, she replied that she had received her transfers. When I heard that, I immediately checked my phone, and I, too, could not contain my joy. It was true, transfers had been sent. I am overjoyed because this gift will allow me to start and run my salon business soon.