"I work as a fish monger, often selling fish both by hawking around and from home. Hawking can be challenging under the hot sun, and it's tiring. I have a plan to open a shop where I can sell essentials like flour, sugar, and cooking oil to my neighbors. This would provide a more stable and less physically demanding way to earn a living. To start this new venture, I intend to save from my transfers once I have fully settled my children's school fees. Additionally, I will use savings from my current fish-selling business. I estimate needing around $400 to get the shop up and running. This opportunity represents a significant step towards a more sustainable livelihood, offering me the chance to provide a wider range of products to my community while also reducing the physical strain of hawking fish. I am hopeful that with careful planning and hard work, I can successfully establish and grow this new business venture."

"As a mother of six children, I am currently undertaking a construction project to improve our living conditions. Our current home is too small for my husband, six children, and me, which often leaves two of my children seeking shelter elsewhere. Determined to change this, I have diligently saved to purchase two metal sheets every month. Thanks to the support from GiveDirectly, I have now accumulated twenty-five metal sheets. Next, I plan to purchase building sticks, nails, and all necessary materials to construct our comfortable two-room house. This new home will finally allow all my children to live together under one roof, bringing immense joy and relief to our family. No longer will my children need to seek shelter elsewhere each night. We are grateful for the opportunity to improve our living situation and create a better environment for our family's future."

"In March this year, I took the initiative to start my own business selling delicious Mandazis. Every morning, I diligently prepare them and go door-to-door in various compounds, selling them. After completing my sales, I then engage in cutting trees and producing charcoal to supplement our income. Meanwhile, my husband actively seeks construction work to make ends meet. I am incredibly determined to secure a better future for my children. My ultimate goal is to establish a dedicated spot where I can sell a variety of food items such as chapatis and Mandazis. This setup would not only streamline operations but also attract more customers, thereby increasing my earnings and improving our quality of life."

"My main goal for this year is to buy sheep. Currently, I own three goats, and I am determined to expand my livestock by purchasing sheep. I plan to save a portion of my transfers once school closes so that I can afford to buy them. Sheep are a wise investment because they reproduce quickly, allowing me to sell them and provide for my family's needs. Additionally, I have aspirations to start my own kiosk where I will sell essential items like flour, sugar, and other goods to my neighbors. This venture not only aims to generate income but also to create employment opportunities for myself."

"As a mother of eight children, my main source of income comes from burning and selling charcoal. My greatest ambition is to provide all my children with a quality education so they can achieve their dreams. I strongly believe that education is crucial for securing good jobs and building a successful future. By ensuring my children receive a good education, I hope to break the cycle of missed opportunities that I experienced by not attending school myself. This focus drives me every day, knowing that education will empower them to support our family in the years ahead."

"I was in a church meeting when I received a message notification, but I didn't bother to check it. A few minutes later, I received a call from my neighbor, informing me that others in our community had received money from GiveDirectly and that I should have received it too. At that moment, my pastor assisted me in confirming, and it was true I received $200 from GiveDirectly. It was hard to believe. The first thought that came to my mind was to send my son back to school since he had been sent home due to unpaid fees. I was filled with happiness and immense gratitude. Thank you, GiveDirectly, for this incredible support."

"Upon receiving $200 from GiveDirectly, I was filled with joy and gratitude to God and GiveDirectly. At that time, a flood had caused significant losses in my life. I had a farm of two acres where I planted tomatoes, and I was almost ready to harvest when the floods swept everything away, leaving me with nothing. I had been expecting the farm produce to pay school fees for my kids. By the time the money came, one of my children, who was in secondary school, was at home due to unpaid fees. I spent $100 to pay the school fees and sent my child back to school. This made me happy and less stressed because the situation became manageable. I used $50 to buy farm inputs and ventured back into tomato farming, this time on 1.5 acres of land in a safer place, away from the threat of floods. Now, I am just two weeks away from the first harvest, which gives me hope that anyone can bounce back when they have the platform and capital to do so. Tomatoes do well here, and their current market price is very competitive. I plan to use the money gained from selling the farm produce to keep my child in school. The remaining $50 was used to buy food, ensuring that my family of five kids had enough to eat since the floods had left us with nothing. This support from GiveDirectly has truly transformed our lives and given us a chance to rebuild and thrive again."

"With $350, I was able to kickstart a tailoring business, something I had always dreamt of. I already had a sewing machine, so I used the money to buy fabric and pay the rent for a small space to operate my business from. This gave me a stable base to work from and allowed me to start taking on more clients. It was a huge step up from hawking pastries, which never brought in enough money to cover our household expenses. My primary motivation for growing my business was to ensure that my daughter, who is in pre-school, gets the best education possible. I used $100 from the transfer to buy a new mattress, some essential food items, and new utensils for the household. Before this, I used to sleep on a mat, which was uncomfortable and not ideal for my health. Additionally, I used $30 to pay my daughter’s school fees, ensuring her education continues uninterrupted. With the remaining money, I bought clothes and other essentials for my newborn son. These purchases have relieved some of the financial pressure on me and allowed me to focus on expanding my business."

"I plan on starting a small kiosk that will help me make money as a sustainable venture. This is really important to me because I have three children in school, and I hope to be able to take them through their education without any financial strain.To gather the capital for this business, I will tend to my goats. Once they have multiplied, I plan to sell some of them to get the money I need to start the kiosk. I'm really glad that one of the goats has already given birth, and I'm looking forward to seeing more kids in the near future."

"The biggest difference I've seen since receiving unconditional cash from GiveDirectly is that we've finally been able to repair our leaking roof in the sitting area. We were also able to fix a section of wall that was falling off. That fallen wall had made the room uninhabitable, but now that it's repaired, I plan to buy a bed for my two children so they can sleep in that room. The room had remained unused and I am glad that it can now be put to use. Additionally, we now have enough food and can afford to have three meals a day, unlike before when we had to skip some meals. This support has truly transformed our living conditions and overall well-being and I very grateful to GiveDirectly."