I have 6 children, 5 of whom are boys and 1 is a girl. My boys are now all grown and its uncomfortable having them in the same space with myself and my daughter as our house is a two roomed house. My goal is to ensure that this boys have a house of their own. My work as a tailor does not make me much and so I saw it fit to join a village loan and savings group to assist me with the saving. I sacrifice $10 monthly from my transfers to save so that I am able to work on this goal and maybe some time next year the boys will have their own place.

Givedirectly has been a saving grace to me and my children. I am a widow and I am the sole bread winner of my family. All my children are school going that means I always need to have cash on me to pay their respective school fees. Having this cash feels like having a helping hand in taking care of them. I spent $34 on school fees for the six of them. I was also able to use $21 to pay as bus fare to go pick my his school as he is deaf and dumb and needs constant help with navigating travel. I have also been able to ensure my children are well fed through this cash transfers. I spent $17 on food and food related purchases. I also joined a savings group in the village where I have recently saved $30.

My main focus is on accomplishing a significant goal: building a new house. I strongly feel the need for a separate space for myself and my teenage children. As they grow older, I believe they deserve privacy and independence, which having their own house can provide. Moreover, I truly believe that having their own space will boost their self-esteem and confidence, allowing them to flourish in their own way. It's essential for their growth and development, and I'm committed to making it happen. Building this new house isn't just about providing physical shelter; it's about creating a nurturing environment where my children can thrive emotionally and mentally. I'm determined to work hard and make this dream a reality for the betterment of my family.

With the recent transfer, I was able to save $30 in my Merry Go Round chama that I formed with my villagemates. The aim of joining this initiative is to build a new house so that I can have a separate one for my teenage children and one for myself, as I trust this will give them privacy. As a single parent of six who relies on a tailoring job, it was impossible for me to even think of building the house before this. Having a secure and spacious home has always been a dream, and being part of this collective savings group gives me hope that this dream will soon become a reality. In addition, I used $40 to pay the school fees for my two sons, one in college and the other in lower grades. Knowing that their education is secured without the constant worry of financial strain has brought immense relief. They are now able to focus on their studies and stand tall without the challenges that once plagued us. Furthermore, I bought iron sheets for $23 to renovate our current home after a part of the roof was blown away by strong winds. Ensuring a safe and comfortable living space for my children is a priority, and these repairs were urgently needed. With the remaining cash, I ensured that my family's basic needs were met, knowing that every meal shared under our roof was a testament to the progress we had made together.

I was once married but due to differences between myself and my husband I was forced to go back home. I would have been lost and without a direction in which my life would take had it not been Givedirectly transfers. I have a small business sewing clothes where I make an income. I was full dependent on my mother with whom I live with since I did not have a house when I left my matrimonial home. I want to build a house of my own for me and my children. I am working to ensure my income covers school for my child which is $67 in a term so I can use my transfers to get myself a new house as house building is an expensive affair..

I am very thankful for Givedirectly transfers as they have changed the course of my child's life. I am a single mother of 6, and one of my children has a speaking disability. I was all alone when this child joined Junior primary. I knew my child would not talk when they were 2 and could not say any words and I knew a regular school would not be able to allow the child learn and reach their full potential. I spent a total of $37 to pay her school fees and paid $9 for transport to get the child to school which I was referred to by a neighbour who also had a child in the same school. I also joined a savings group where I saved $3. I needed a door in January since the old door of the house had been chewed down by termites and could not withstand any of the different weather elements, I used $20 on the door, buying material for making it as well as paying for the service of repair. $8 was used to mill harvested maize, and purchasing of sugar.

My goal is to provide my growing sons with separate sleeping spaces by building a one-roomed house for them. With a family of 7 children; 1 girl and 6 boys and only a two-roomed house, the current living arrangement has become messy, and it's essential to ensure their comfort and privacy as they transition into adulthood. To achieve this goal, I'm committed to saving at least $10 from my monthly transfers and plan to commence construction by the end of this year, ensuring that my sons have a more spacious and suitable living environment.

I received the GiveDirectly transfers at just the right time. It happened to be during the harvesting season, and my maize had not yet dried for milling. As maize is a staple food for my family, I was running low on flour, and I didn't have enough funds to restock. To make matters more stressful, three of my children in primary school had received notices that they would be sent home if I couldn't pay their school fees. This financial strain had me deeply concerned about how to meet all these pressing needs. Thankfully, GiveDirectly came to my rescue. The transfers I received were a lifeline. With the $14.70, I purchased maize flour and other essential food items, ensuring that my family had enough to eat. I also used $10 to pay my children's school fees, ensuring their education continued without interruption, and I saved the remaining $10 for future needs. The relief I felt was immense, and I was very happy for the timely support.

Towards the end of the year, my objective is to save a sufficient amount of money to acquire livestock. The acquisition of livestock will provide me with an opportunity to amass wealth as their numbers multiply. In addition to investing in livestock, I intend to allocate a portion of the funds from transfers towards paying for my children's school fees. This will ensure that they receive a quality education and pave the way for a prosperous future.

As the sole breadwinner of my family of seven members, I have faced numerous challenges in meeting our basic needs. Despite earning a modest income as a tailor, it is often insufficient to support my family financially. However, I recently managed to allocate $15 from my May transfers to pay for my son's school fees. He attends a special needs primary school, and I am glad he can continue his education alongside other students. Additionally, I used $8 to purchase a single piece of iron sheet, ensuring the security of my property by having a broken door fixed with $4 paid to a mason. This brings me peace of mind, knowing that my belongings are protected even when I'm not around. Lastly, I spent $7 on purchasing food to feed my family. Given the current challenging financial circumstances, my tailoring business is not always lucrative. Thus, being able to provide nourishment for my loved ones brings me great joy and contentment. I am sincerely grateful to the organization for their unconditional monthly transfers, which have made these essential expenses possible.

My goals this year are very simple. I want to finish patching up the roof now, to prepare for the rainy season although we have been experiencing a drought. This will need 18 dollars that i will get from my GD transfers. I want also to create my own source of income. I am a tailor who rents out machines from people to make clothes and they will usually charge me 15 dollars to rent it monthly. I make about 45 dollars a month which means that once I pay for the machine I am only left with 35 dollars. I want to increase my earnings and so I am planning to Save 15 dollars a month so I can reach my goal of 150 dollars in ten months which I will use to buy my own machine making me independent.

Givedirectly has brought a wonderful change in my life. My roof has been leaking on some sections and I needed six Iron sheets to repair them. I have been able to use my November and December transfers to buy 4 sheets of Iron at 9 dollars each and paid a construction worker 25 dollars to replace them. I am only left with buying an additional two sheets to finish this repairs. I am very excited to say that I am not afraid of the next rainy season since I know my roof will no longer leak and we will sleep soundly. I am a mother of six children and they are all school going, my last four had school fees debts that were about 46 dollars and I was very worried since one of them is disable and in a special school and I would not want them to miss school. Since I used GD transfers to repair the roof, I used the 10 dollars left to cover the debt in school fees for those in the regular school while I used 15 dollars from my own earnings to cover the debt for the one who is differently abled. I was also able to used GD transfers in January to buy water which is a very hard commodity to come buy in our locality as well as food whenver I am left with any money from my transfers.

GiveDirectly is a practical NGO that does well at providing financial assistance to the most vulnerable members of society. It aims to strengthen positive relationships with each recipient through the way it operates.  The sensitization and visitation sessions it conducts with each household during registration serve as evidence of this. It also conducts regular follow-ups to determine the effect the transfer had on the neighborhood. However, GiveDirectly excels at everything, and members of our community always complement its work.

I am a single mother of seven children and I depend on tailoring services to support them. This I have done for over five years now since I divorced my husband. Although the business is not doing well, as a single breadwinner I sometimes feel overwhelmed with the responsibility. By the time transfers were sent, I did not have sufficient food hence I opted to spend KES 2400 on buying food for my family of eight members. The remaining amount of KES 600, I diverted them to buy two additional fowl. I have also been doing poultry farming though on a small scale. This investment occasionally helps me raise some money especially when I am down financially. As a result, despite the struggles, my children have been able to make it to school.

It was 8.00 p.m. while I was preparing supper when I heard an M-PESA message notification from my phone. I knew I would receive the money because I had been enrolled in the program and informed in advance. I was overwhelmed with joy that night when I checked my account and found I had some money.

The biggest difference in my daily life was increased joy. The ability to provide money for transport for my son relieved me of the burden of borrowing money elsewhere. In addition, buying more food enabled us to be assured of food security when the cost of essential commodities was not so affordable to low-income earners like me.

I am a single mother with four children who are all school-going. I do tailoring work that I depend on to cater to my family's basic needs and pay my kids' school fees. I do this business in a rental house where I pay KES 1500 per month using the income from the tailoring job. I received the money when my son was to report back to school though I did not have enough money for his transport. I, therefore, used KES 800, part of the GiveDirectly transfer, to pay his fare back to school. I also bought food worth KES 400 because we did not have enough then. I thank GiveDirectly for supporting me financially.