My goal in the coming year and beyond is to complete my two-year tailoring course successfully. The course will equip me with the necessary skills to run my own tailoring business in the future. With my subsequent transfers, I plan to continue using the money to pay for my tuition fees and accommodation to ensure I complete the course without interruptions. Once I am done with the course, I aim to seek employment in the tailoring field, gain experience, and save a portion of my income to purchase a sewing machine. This will allow me to establish my own tailoring business and work towards financial independence. I am very happy and optimistic about the future, thanks to the financial support from GiveDirectly, which has helped me get closer to achieving my goal.

The financial situation in my family at the time I was finishing my secondary school studies was not favorable. This forced me to shelve my plans of joining university and instead pursue a tailoring course in college. The financial boost from the GiveDirectly transfers enabled me to enroll in the course at the beginning of this year. I have been using the transfers to pay for both my tuition fees and accommodation while attending school. I spent $68 from the transfers to partly cover my school fees and accommodation, which ensured I could continue my studies in a conducive environment. I also allocated $10 to purchase food, ensuring I had enough to eat. Additionally, I spent $18 on personal effects such as detergents, tissue rolls, and soap, maintaining my hygiene and comfort while in school. Unfortunately, I fell ill at some point and spent $6 on medicinal drugs for my recovery. I am relieved and happy to be well now, thanks to the medication I was able to buy with the support of the transfers. I am very grateful and appreciative of the financial assistance, which has helped me achieve my goal of enrolling in college and pursuing my dream course. The support has been instrumental in easing my financial burden and enabling me to focus on my studies.

I am currently away from home attending tailoring college. I finished my form four in 2022, and because we are a large family and my parents are unable to support all of us financially, I have taken on the responsibility of paying my own school fees. I see how challenging life has been for my older siblings who have completed their education, and I am determined not to face the same hardships. My dream is to complete my tailoring education and open my own shop where I can design beautiful dresses for my community. By doing so, I hope to not only fulfill my passion but also create opportunities for myself and contribute positively to my family's financial stability.

I joined tailoring school in February 2024. Currently, I am not at home; I attend classes there. Upon receiving my transfers, I promptly pay my teacher $45 to ensure my continued studies. Having completed my previous education in 2022, and with my parents unable to support all of us financially, I took the responsibility of paying my own school fees. My older siblings, who have also finished their schooling, are facing difficult times, which motivates me to complete my tailoring education. My goal is to establish a tailoring shop where I can design dresses for my community and create opportunities for myself. While away from home, I pay $30 in rent to avoid the risk of being evicted from my room, I always ensure that my payment is on time, thanks to GiveDirectly. With the remaining $27, I purchase essentials such as oil and food to sustain myself throughout the month.

My goal is to join college. I completed my high school in 2022, and I am saving towards joining school in August. Despite initially aspiring to study pharmacy, financial constraints led me to opt for tailoring, a field I am passionate about. After completing my tailoring course, I plan to invest in a sewing machine and start my own business. I intend to locate it in town to attract more customers. Once I have earned enough, I will pursue my dream of studying pharmacy to achieve my ideal life.

Upon receiving my transfers, I immediately allocated $20 towards my brother's secondary education fees, ensuring his educational journey remains uninterrupted. I then dedicated $4 to fulfill my personal needs, such as purchasing sanitary pads, to maintain confidence and hygiene. The remaining amount I wisely set aside the remaining $10, for my own future studies.

I am currently working as a house help because I could not land any descent jobs due to my level of education. I completed secondary school a while back, but has not managed pursue further education due to lack of funds to cater for the fees. So as not to stay idle at home and also to have a chance to support my struggling family and also raise some little money for my future dream of joining college, I decided to take this job. With the savings from my monthly transfers and the salary I earn from this job, I have managed to raise enough money and will finally join college next year. I have decided to take a fashion and design course which is more affordable and takes a very short period of time to complete even though my desire would have been to enrol for a course such as Community Health. A course on fashion and design promises a great future as the industry is ever green and a chance at self employment is not such a bad idea. With my savings so far, I will be able to fully cater for the required fees and also most of my personal requirements. The transfers that I will be receiving will also be of great support for my basic needs and I can rest assured that I will complete the course without depending on my already strained family which gives me a sense of independence and confidence that whatever I put my mind to, I can achieve. Once done with the training, I will start saving in order to set up my own business where I will also be selling African fabrics.

I have a plan of joining college next year, but because my family is not able to raise the required amount due to low income, I have been saving part of my monthly transfers ($25) through my brother's bank A/c and a merry-go-round group. I have been saving part of the transfers in my brother's bank account because that way, the money is completely inaccessible to me which restricts my expenditure and helps me focus on the goal ahead. Whatever little I have left after the savings is usually spent on foodstuff and other personal requirements. I am currently working as a housekeeper, but my salary is not that much, so when I add a bit of my monthly transfer ($5) to my salary, I am able to send my mother back home a decent amount for their basic needs.

After completing my enrollment and fulfilling all necessary school fee payments, my intention is to save up and acquire a sewing machine. This way, I can engage in regular practice during my course and even during school breaks, thereby generating income by sewing clothes for others.

I allocated $18 from my June cash transfer to a merry-go-round savings group This will assist me in funding my enrollment in a tertiary institution for a tailoring course starting in July. Up until now, I have managed to save $150 out of the total target of $350. Knowing that I will receive a monthly transfer, I plan to discuss an agreement with the school to pay the remaining balance whenever I receive the monthly transfer. Additionally, I contributed $10 towards my sister's hospital bill, while the remainder of the transfer was used for purchasing food.

It is now 1 year and beyond since I completed my high school education and currently doing nothing. My main goal is to continue with my education and I have been saving part of my transfers to help me pay my school fee. I also want to open a business and employ someone and the income from the business would also help in paying part of my school fee as I continue with education.

I completed my high school education last year(2022) and due to the financial challenges, I had never been lucky to further my education and pursue a course of my choice. Getting into this program would be one best way of seeing my dreams come true. I have been saving a greater percentage of the transfers that I have been receiving and with the most recent one, I managed to save KES. 2500 to cater for my school fees in the future since I am planning to join a college in September. I also spent KES. 500 on paying school fees to one of my nieces and the remaining amount of KES. 470 to cater for the medical bills of one of my sisters.

Give directly did well to provide the funds in my village because most of us who could not complete school can now go back to school or college. Personally, all my plans to attend college would not exist if they did not enroll me in the program.

Financial constraint is one problem faced by my family due to lack of employment. I am born into a family of ten children and it has been a struggle to complete my high school education. I have planned to save and enroll in an Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE). I plan to complete my diploma and seek employment to assist my parents in educating my siblings. All my cash received of $30 is being saved towards my college tuition fees. I am planning to join early next year which will cost me $300 per year.

When I learned that I had received my transfer, I felt so excited. I had planned to use the transfer to pay off my college fees because I had some fee arrears. Immediately I talked to my mother, who had been taking care of my ailing younger sister, and I changed my priority. Upon realizing that her condition was not good, I diverted my attention. I am glad that she is now improving. I am more at peace and proud of GiveDirectly for the financial transfer. The last time I talked to her, she expressed that the transfers from GiveDirectly have to a given extent put a mark on her life.

Since I diverted all my recent transfers to meeting some medication costs for my sister, I feel that was the honorable thing I could do then. With the transfer, I consider contributing to her medication as one of the biggest differences the transfer has in my life. I feel so good whenever I hear her talk, smile, and sound strong. What a joy to be among the countable people that have contributed towards putting a smile on her face. I am indebted to GiveDirectly for the unconditional cash transfer.

I have my younger sister that has been suffering from growth in the breast. The situation worsened to the point that she got admitted for a surgical procedure at Kenyatta Hospital. Due to the high cost of medication, our family got drained financially. Therefore, when I received my transfer I sent it all to my mother. She has been taking care of my sister. I am glad that at the moment, the procedure has been done successfully. She is now feeling better than before. She has a steady improvement. I thank God for such kind of help that has enabled me to contribute towards saving a dear life.