I have a new goal which is to raise and save enough money so that I can able to pay school fees for my grandchildren once they transition to secondary school. I have been their guardian since day one, and I have always been wanting them to pursue their careers so that they can have a greener future together with their generations.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly did a very great job for the entire village by offering us unconditional cash transfers. This has empowered us to own livestock, and beautiful houses, and managed to take our children to school. Generally, it has brought a big change in my community. I, therefore, do not see anything that they did not perform well.

I spent part of my second transfer on buying two goats which cost KES 12000. As a farmer, I had yearned to have them for quite some time but because of financial hardship, I could not afford them. I opted for them because I am certain that in a few months to come, I will have many of them which will empower me enough to even achieve some other goals by selling some. Additionally, I cleared the arrears of KES 6000 for my two grandchildren who are both in grade five and six respectively. My dream has always been to see them get a better education and succeed in life. Finally, with the remaining portion of the money, I have been buying food for my family which is comprised of nine members. We are all grateful that since we started receiving the cash, we no longer skip meals like before.

I can still vividly recall it was around 7 in the morning when I was still on my bed when my helper said that I had received my cash transfer. Due to the excitement that I had, I started dancing and praising the Lord for seeing me through. Later on, I decided to call all my family members and informed them of the good news. They couldn't hold their joy as well because they knew that our life will never be the same again.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that I was able to send my grandchildren to school after staying for two weeks at home. I have been their guardian all along because their parents are still searching for jobs. Seeing them at home has been stressing me a lot because they used to miss exams regularly which has been demotivating them. Some had even opted to drop out of school which would be a big blow to us. Currently, I am unwell and I have not been working, for that reason to continue seeing us through for them to compete in their education. My wish and prayer are to see them graduate and become better people in the future together with their generations.

I spent KES 25000 of my first transfer on clearing a dowry to my in-laws. As a family, we never had peace of mind because of the frustrations. I am so glad that GiveDirectly came into my life at the right time because if it was not for them, I don't think I would have settled the debt anytime soon. Later on, I cleared school fees arrears for my three grandchildren who had been staying home for a couple of weeks. Also, I cleared another debt of KES 20000 to my lawyer which was to cater to the ongoing case about land disputes. This matter has been stressing me for year and I was worried that our land might be grabbed at anytime. It is now a relief to my entire family because we are certain all shall end well. With the remaining amount of money, I bought the foodstuffs for my family and other household items that I was lacking.