I used to struggle through casual construction jobs before I started receiving the transfers. My father is a construction worker and he introduced all of my brothers and I into the job as a way of earning a living. The scrumble amongst the four of us for any available jobs was too much and only the aggressive ones benefited. I was never able to make enough money even for my needs through the jobs so I had to look for alternative casual jobs which were equally tough. Receiving the transfers allowed me to set up a clothes business where I now earn a decent amount each day without struggling too much. I am now able to support myself and my family through the business and the transfers.

I am currently operating my a clothes business in a temporary structure by the roadside. The problem I face is that when it rains, the clothes get stained by mud and during the dry season, they gather a lot of dust and fade from the scorching sunlight which makes the clothes impossible to sell. My plan is to move the business into an enclosed building where the clothes can be safe and my business protected.

In the past month of January, the clothes business I am running was not so good because most people had to spend on school requirements. This affected my business because I was unable to make any decent profits to cover for what I took from the business for personal needs. To stabilize the business, I used part of the money I received this month to add more stock. I then saved the rest of the money for future plans.

Before the transfers, I did not have any source of income. I used to depend on inconsistent income from construction work which was also paying very less. I could not even take my children to school and even support my parents as I would want to. I ended up having a lot of debts from my friends which I was not able to pay back with the little income I get from the same job. When I started receiving these transfers, I knew finally my help had come and God had answered my prayers. I have set up a cloth business which has helped me pay back all the debts I had from the profits I get on a daily basis and even take my son to school. I am able to handle my needs successfully without help because of the business I started with the transfers.

The only goal I have now is to continue boosting my cloth business by adding more stock. I would also want to have a business premise hence I will still input more of my transfers into the business until I achieve my goal. I would not want to keep on hawking as I do now.

I spent my transfer on paying my house rent. I was already late with the payments at the time when I received the transfer. The rest of the transfers I used on boosting my clothes business by adding more stock.

Currently, my life is different from how it was in that I do not idle around with rowdy friends like I used to do before. I managed to start my own business which makes me busy and so there is no time for passing time with idle friends. I have also been able to take care of my needs easily. I am more dependent. I do not depend on my mother to take care of my family's needs and I thank Give Directly for the financial empowerment.

My goal at the moment is to ensure that my business becomes stable. I want to focus on growing it so that I won't go back to doing casual jobs. I hate doing casual jobs since they are usually tiresome and unreliable. The wages paid from these jobs are also very little. At times when we get bad bosses, you don't get paid at all.

I spent part of my transfer to pay rent. I have a business and depending on it can be disappointing especially when the sales are low. This is why I had to priorities on paying rent first. I was once locked out because I had not paid rent and went to stay with my friend. I am glad that I have never been into that situation again since I managed to boost my business with Gd's transfer, hence pay on time using the profits that I get. I also bought a few household items and clothes because the old ones that I had could not be worn anymore.

With my clothing business that is picking up very first, I am planning to rent a shop where I can sell my clothes from and with time expand to a boutique which will then generate more income. My plan is to become a brand ambassador and change my community and empower the youths to embrace their talent in the Ghetto.

Initially, I could not afford to pay my bills on time. This really made my life miserable. Some times I was forced to sleep out after finding a strange padlock on my door. The landlord was forced to kick me out because of delaying payments for several months. But ever since I started receiving my transfers, I am among the tenants who pay their rent on time and on good days I even pay upfront.

Upon receiving my most recent transfer, I boosted my business stock. I sell second-hand T-shirts for men by walking door to door and when I bump into orders I supply in bulk. This has helped me generate more income for my household. I started this business with the very first transfer that I received from GD and so far I have seen it grow and currently is my major source of income.

When I received the phone from GD, I was convinced that the transfers were bound to be sent. So I kept cool and crossed my fingers. When I received the transfers I was very happy and relieved. I saw my plan coming to life.