My foremost priority is ensuring the timely payment of my children's school fees to prevent any disruptions in their education. I understand the profound impact that delayed payments can have on their academic performance and self-esteem, as the shame of being sent home due to outstanding fees can be debilitating. However, my overarching goal is to improve my family's living conditions by constructing a better house before the end of the year. Our current dwelling is in a dire state, having been partially destroyed by recent heavy rains. To achieve this goal, I plan to allocate the next payout from the savings group, which I will receive mid-year, towards purchasing the necessary materials for the construction of a new, sturdier home. While the $100 I will receive may only cover some of the required materials, such as iron sheets, I am hopeful that my husband will soon secure stable employment to support this project financially. Without his contribution, progress may be slower, but we remain determined to improve our living situation. The current condition of our house fills us with constant fear and discomfort, especially during storms or heavy rains accompanied by strong winds. Despite our efforts to repair and seal vulnerable areas, the structure remains unsafe, and the fear it instills in us feels like a slow agony. We long for a safer, more comfortable living environment where our family can thrive without constant worry.

Last year presented significant financial challenges for my family. Due to my delicate pregnancy, I couldn't engage in income-generating activities, and my husband lost his job, struggling to secure alternative employment. Consequently, we faced difficulties in meeting various expenses, particularly our children's school fees. A portion of my transfers was already committed to a monthly savings platform, where I contribute $20 monthly, leaving limited funds for other household needs. As a result, our children accumulated a significant school fee debt totaling $32 by the end of the year. Fortunately, I received my share of the savings in January, allowing me to clear the accumulated debt comfortably. Additionally, I managed to pay part of this term's fees, ensuring our children's continued education. With the remaining funds, I addressed other pressing household needs, including purchasing a new mattress worth $30 for our children. The previous mattress was old, worn out, and unhealthy due to the dust it generated, impacting their sleep quality and health. Moreover, I utilized the funds to procure other essential household items and food supplies, ensuring our basic needs are met as my husband endeavors to secure stable employment. Despite the challenges we faced, the support from the savings platform provided crucial relief, enabling us to navigate through tough times and maintain stability for our family.

From humble beginnings selling potatoes during pregnancy, I have set my sights on a remarkable goal: establishing my own hotel. Beyond potatoes, I envision offering a diverse range of delectable dishes. Through a combination of dedicated personal savings and a strategic merry-go-round system, I'm working towards turning this dream into reality. My journey embodies determination and the pursuit of a promising future.

Being a mother of three has inspired me to think outside the box. We came together as a family of five to establish a merry-go-round system, a unique approach to managing our finances. I decided to contribute $20, and out of that, I allocated $10 to cover my children's school expenses, ensuring their education remains a top priority. With the remaining $4, I embraced the opportunity to invest in something meaningful for our family. This financial journey underscores our commitment to both education and our collective well-being. Thanks to GiveDirectly I can easily meet my family's needs without any difficulties.

From the beginning of this year, my main goal was to buy a new mattress. I have therefore been working on that by building up my savings toward the same. Acquiring a better mattress will relieve me from the pain that I have been bearing while using an old mattress. Secondly, I had a goal of supporting my husband's business to make him have a reliable source of income. Because I have three school-going children, I also aim to raise goats which will give me an avenue of raising fees for them as they advance with their academics.

My children and I stay at home while my husband runs a small business in Mombasa. His business has not been doing well lately. My most recent transfer enabled me to save $ 20 in a merry-go-round. Although there are only five of us, when it is my turn, I intend to utilize my savings to replace my old mattress. I have been sleeping on a little, worn-out mattress that hurts my back. I also used $ 10 to buy food because we had run out of food. As a result, we had enough food to last us three days. Thanks to GiveDirectly for the transfers, I am glad we could afford some meals.

I want to increase my income this year. I currently sell African doughnuts largely in the mornings because most people eat them for breakfast and I'm always free in the afternoons. I'll launch a business selling silver cyprinid with the help of my shares so that I may keep myself busy all day. Given that it is a staple food, I am confident that I will make a substantial profit. I will save aside money once the business is stable so that I can buy my kids each a bed and a mattress. They are sleeping on a mat-covered bed constructed of sisal ropes. Sleeping in such a situation is uncomfortable, and I worry about their potential for health problems. Because I make less money from my present business, we cannot afford to provide children with quality bedding. On the other hand, my spouse also makes less money from his street bulb sales than I do. I'm hoping to complete all of these by December.

I contributed $30 of the transfers from the previous three months into a savings group with five other people who also receive monthly installments. My goal is to launch a business using my shares in order to increase my income. Three of my kids were attending a public primary school, but they weren't doing well academically. Thus, I paid $17 to enroll them in a private primary school. Since there are fewer learners in private schools, the teachers can devote more time to each student, thus maybe they will improve. Additionally, when I received my transfers in December, my father was ill, so the $25 allowed for both my transportation there as well as some of his upkeep costs. Further ,  I added $5 to my business to expand my sales of African doughnuts. I bought food for my family with the $35 I had left over. I'm so grateful to GiveDirectly for making it so simple for us to take care of our financial requirements.

What GiveDirectly is doing well is giving out unconditional cash transfers to the community's less fortunate which has helped boost the current economy as many used the transfers to improve their well being ranging from buying livestock to starting businesses to paying school fees to buying food. I also liked GiveDirectly's good customer care services. They have always handled us with dignity, patience, and with respect.

 I am a mother of 3 and my current struggle was getting a birth certificate for my children which cause a lot of complication when it comes to being enrolled into the new system of education in Kenya CBC. On many occasions, my child in grade 1 and pp2 would be sent home by their teacher to come to collect the birth certificate. My recent transfer facilitated the process of obtaining the birth certificate as I had to travel from the village to Kilifi, I used $ 10 as fare, a $10 birth certificate fee, and the remaining $ 10 on food. I felt very happy to have gotten the certificate for my son who is currently in PP2. Through the transfer, we have been enjoying decent meals unlike before when we could only have porridge from morning to evening, as a result, the health of the family improved greatly. My children are also relaxed from being sent home frequently to collect birth certificates. I wasn't able to obtain the certificate since what I earned from selling sandwiches was not enough to support the family's basic demands such as food, fees, and medical health. I felt so grateful to be part of this program.

At around 9 p.m., I was about to take my shower when my phone vibrated with a message notification. Upon checking its contents, I could not believe my eyes when I found that Give Directly had sent my first cash transfer. I skipped severally with joy, drawing the attention of the children who were close by. I guess they were wondering what had come over me! The money relieved all the stress concerning my children's school fees that I had undergone throughout the day.

Before the transfer, my three children were routinely pulled out of class to collect overdue school fees. This usually broke my heart because every parent wishes to see their children study peacefully without missing lessons due to tuition fees. The transfer gave me a chance to pay part of their school fees and they resumed classes. Gladly, they have never been dragged out of class since then.

I had called my husband earlier that day to ask for money to buy food for my three children and settle their unpaid tuition fees. They would not be able to attend class the following morning failure to pay the fees. It broke my heart when he informed me that his business had borne no fruit that day. Thankfully, Give Directly sent the transfer that evening.  The next morning, I paid my children's school fees of KES 400, and they resumed their studies. I also purchased scandals for KES 200 because I lacked flat shoes; the ones I had were somewhat high, making walking uncomfortable. I saved KES 100 through a self-help group. The goal is to withdraw this money in times of need to meet the needs of my children. I channeled the remaining amount towards the purchase of food.