I am a mother of three children who currently does hairdressing at my doorstep, as I don’t have a physical salon. My goal is to open my own salon, as many customers are hesitant to come to my door for services. Acquiring a physical space for my salon is expensive, but thanks to GiveDirectly's support, I was able to join a merry-go-round and save enough money to rent a place. I am hopeful and believe that by November, I will be able to start my salon. Having a dedicated space will allow me to attract more customers and increase my income. I plan to offer various services, such as braiding and blow-drying, to draw in more clients and enhance my business. I am confident that this new venture will bring positive changes to my life and greatly benefit my family.

I am a mother of three who does hairdressing from my doorstep, as I don't have a physical salon. With the recent transfer, I spent $30 on braids for my hairdressing business, which will help me provide better services. I currently have eight goats and used $34 of the transfer to purchase another one. My goal is to eventually trade these goats for a cow, which I plan to invest in. Additionally, I spent $14 to buy three chickens, as investing in chickens is promising as they breed quickly and can be sold to help cover my children’s school fees. I also used $15 to pay my children's school fees, ensuring they stay in school and their education remains uninterrupted. With the remaining $9, I purchased food for my family, which brought them much happiness.

Currently, I operate a salon business which is my major source of income. Operating from my doorstep presents several challenges as some clients prefer not to visit a home-based salon. Therefore, I have to travel to their doorsteps, which is time-consuming and sometimes causes me to lose customers who arrive at my doorstep and leave before I can reach them. Additionally, the lack of electricity means I cannot offer services such as blow-drying, and I have to redirect customers to other salons in the nearby center. In the coming year and beyond, I am working tirelessly to raise $250. This amount will help me secure a place at the market to operate my business. Furthermore, the funds will enable me to purchase the equipment needed to operate the business more efficiently.

I have three school-going children who I need to take good care of. Therefore, since education is key to success, I allocated $10 to pay fees for my children just to ensure that they have ample time to study and not that they are sent for fee balance every now and again. Secondly, I bought one goat at $29 for financial security in the future since I can sell some once they multiply and get money to pay for my children's fees. I also used $20 to boost my salon business, I decided to invest in this business because it is my major source of income. With the remaining amount, I used $20 to save in our merry-go-round and $17 to buy food for family consumption. I am really grateful for this support; it found me when I was having nothing to eat with the children, hence the reason I allocated some money to buy food to take us at least for longer days.

My aspiration is to procure two cows by year-end, a goal I aim to fulfill through diligent saving and prudent financial management of my transfers. The acquisition of dairy cows holds the promise of significantly alleviating the financial constraints in my life, particularly offering a sustainable income source through the sale of milk, hence fostering the well-being of my family. Furthermore, as the herd multiplies, the potential to sell some of the cattle presents a valuable resource to address our immediate needs. The invaluable support from the transfers has been instrumental in elevating the standards of my life, for which I am profoundly grateful.

Following the loss of my husband, I have assumed sole responsibility for providing and caring for my three children. Utilizing the transferred funds, I allocated $10 towards addressing their immediate educational needs, affirming my commitment to their academic progress. Additionally, I made strategic investments by acquiring two goats for $48 and two hens for $10, recognizing their potential as future assets. These acquisitions hold promise as they multiply, presenting a resource for potential emergencies, thereby safeguarding our well-being. Prioritizing prudent financial planning, I set aside $14 as an emergency fund, acknowledging the importance of preparedness as the family's sole provider. Furthermore, I allocated $20 towards procuring ample food supplies, ensuring sustenance for my family. The invaluable financial support derived from the transfers has been pivotal in navigating these responsibilities, for which I am deeply appreciative.

My primary goal is to establish a successful salon business by December this year. As a single parent, I've faced numerous challenges since my husband's passing, especially in terms of providing for my children without a stable source of income. Leveraging my existing skills in salon, I aim to turn my passion into a thriving venture that not only supports my family but also provides a secure and sustainable future for us. I'm committed to saving at least $25 every month to achieve this.

The GiveDirectly transfer I received was a timely lifeline that made a significant impact on my family's well-being. With two of my children, one in grade 6 and the other in grade 3, sent home from school due to unpaid fees, I was facing a daunting challenge as a single parent with no income source. Thanks to GiveDirectly, I could promptly settle the school fees, totaling $10, and ensure my children could continue their education. Additionally, I invested $10 in expanding my chicken rearing project by purchasing two more chicks, helping secure a future source of income. Given my health concerns at that time, $5 went towards covering my medical expenses, which was a great relief. With the remaining $9.70, I managed to purchase essential food supplies for my family, easing our daily life struggles. The support from GiveDirectly not only brought immense happiness but also left me forever grateful for the positive impact it had on my family's well-being.

As I said I am the sole breadwinner and this puts alot of pressure on me with my mobile business. My salon business is a good one but it can only fetch so much when I am only hired by those who know my skills. Getting a station to work from with increase those that seek my services and thats why I am saving with the aim of putting up a small salon for my business by December. I am also buying goats because I want to afford to buy a cow. I will eventually sell the goats kids and use the money to buy a cow.

I am a widow with three children, two are in school and one is still yet to start school as he is 3 years old. I make hair to make ends meet and I do this on a mobile basis as I do not have a shop. I do not make much in turn and so Givedirectly funds have been life changing in making a difference in our lives. I had a school fee balance of $5 for one of my children and $4 for another and I settled this using March transfers. I have also bought two more goats one in March and another in may while in April I bought three hens. I have been spending the amount left on food for my children although in April I paid for my land to be tilled for planting at $15.

I am honestly quite excited for myself this year, and this is because I have absolutely amazing plans that I hope will be productive and essentially help me when it comes to providing for my family. I plan on saving up a substantial amount of the funds that I receive, and when I finally have enough, I want to open up a salon and buy the equipment that I will need for the business. This means a lot to me, especially since after my husband passed, I was left all alone to cater for the needs of my children, which was extremely hard, especially considering I had no job. Therefore, I am excited to see what the future has in store for me, and I'm grateful that with these donations, I will finally be able to stand on my own two feet by starting my own business. I will also ensure that I use the money to pay for tuition for my two children as well.

We had two kids and a pregnancy at the time of my husband's death eleven years ago. Since then, I've been offering monetary, social, and emotional assistance, but it hasn't always been simple. The biggest accomplishment is being accepted into the program because it has increased my household's income. I invested the last three months' worth of transfers by purchasing seven chicks for $19 and a goat for $25. They produce offspring each year, which makes them a wise investment. Since I have three school-age children, I won't have trouble paying their tuition in the future since I intend to sell a few of the livestock's young animals to raise the money. In addition, I sent $9 to school to pay the arrears of $7 that they owed the institution from the previous year, with $2 covering a portion of this year's tuition costs. We bought enough food with the $49 I had left so that it would last us for a while. I periodically make people's hair and sell charcoal, but I don't make much money from any of them. I still don't have a permanent location where I can run my hair salon, so I only have a small number of clients that come to my house to get their hair done. Our household income has increased as a result of the transfers, and we appreciate the help.

In the initial meeting, GiveDirectly outlined the entire enrollment process and made it clear that everyone has the opportunity to participate in the program. This was the motivation that kept everyone at home waiting, and I am glad they came and kept their promise. The cash transfer we are currently receiving was the best option for us because we have the freedom to spend it however we see fit. I am grateful and hopeful that the entire five-year process will go smoothly in order to improve our living standards.

Since my two children started school, I have been working hard at both the firewood business and the small hairdressing business I had in the village. These two have been the primary sources of income for paying school fees and purchasing household goods. When I received the most recent transfer, I spent $20 on a goat that I believe will continue to reproduce and will come in handy when my children progress to the next level of their studies, where I will need to pay more school fees. Even though my hairdressing business is still small, I believe it will continue to grow with my current plan to raise awareness of my services throughout the village. I also spent the remaining $10 on groceries that my family of four has been eating for the past month. I appreciate the help and look forward to doing more with the subsequent transfer I expect in the coming months.

I had been looking forward to receiving my transfers since the time of enrollment. It took longer than I expected, but I remained hopeful. However, as the day approached, I could not believe it. It was 4 p.m., and I was just relaxing at home because I had nothing else to engage in. I first noticed a message notification and could not help but smile when I checked it. I felt wonderful and content. I was confident that I would be able to meet my children's needs.

Initially, I struggled to raise tuition fees for my children because my daily wages could only cover food. It had become a routine occurrence that had begun to worry me. As a widow with no one to rely on for financial support, I wondered if I would ever make it in life. However, the confirmation of my first transfer relieved me of the burden of paying tuition fees. This has greatly improved the well-being of my family.

I am a widow and a mother of three children. To support them, I always engage in hairdressing as my primary source of income. However, the business has not been performing well thus I had been struggling to pay off their fees. Therefore, immediately after I received my transfer, I spent KES 500 on paying school fees for my two school-going children who are in primary school. The transfer was of great help because from it, I not only paid fees for my children but also bought food for them.