Although I didn’t have new goals, I really appreciate that I was able to crossover the drought season which was a threat not only to my livestock but also my family. I usually go by one goal to accomplishment at a time. The goal I had I was unable to fulfill it because I hadn’t foresee the drought, hence left the goals I had in mind and started calculating on how I was going to cope with it using the GiveDirectly second transfer.

On my side, GiveDirectly did well. It has offered us a great assistance which we couldn’t get even from the government. It has reached the less advantaged and uplifted them. On the section of what to b done so that it can be rated highly, I think if it can come again for a third and a fourth round we will be more grateful. And even if it won’t come as we were already informed in the earlier stages, we are still grateful for the support.

When I received the money, the climatic condition was not conducive for me to go as per my plans as far as the transfer is concerned. Since I am raring some livestock and it was a dry season, I used the money in buying some hey and water for my cows so that they could stay alive since I depend on them in milk production which is a source of money when sold. I also bought some food for the family and also a medium size solar panel for my children so that it can provide them with some light at night as they conduct their studies.

It was exactly 9 AM when I was preparing breakfast for my family when I heard a message tone. I decided to ignore it because my children were so hungry and I had to focus on that. However after like ten minutes, the phone started ringing again, and I became more curious. I asked my spouse to check what the notifications were all about. Upon reading the confirmed that I had finally received my first transfers as promised. I felt so happy and remember leaving what I was handling and started rejoicing with all my family members.

The biggest difference in my daily life that I am grateful for is the fact that I now have livestock. I settled for the dairy cows and the pair of oxen because they normally have numerous benefits as compared to other domestic animals. With the pair of oxen, they will be helping me in ploughing my 2-acre farm. For this reason, I am assured of getting good yields becasue I will be in a position to utilize my whole farm. Previously I used to till by myself which was tiresome and ended up getting low harvests. With my eight family members, we will be having ample food that will sustain us for a couple of months as compared to before. On the other hand, the dairy cows will produce plenty of liters of milk hence cutting on the costs of buying milk. We can also sell some liters to buy other basic needs such as food. Being jobless I feel this has transformed my life positively because for now, I will be able to fend for all my needs with ease, also, I can decide to sell any of these animals in times of emergencies.

I spent part of my forst transfer on buying two dairy cows and a pair of oxen at a total of KES 50500. I settled in buying them because they are normally considered to be the greatest assets which also have numerous benefits Therefore I opted to prioritize the livestock because I am certain that I will benefit a lot. I also believe these investments will improve my living standards since my sources of income will have an increase. Apart from that, I cleared school fees of KES 1500 for my four children who have been on and off because of the huge school fees arrears. With the amount of money that had remained, I bought enough foodstuffs for my family and decent clothes and shoes.