I have always considered myself an entrepreneur at heart. I would like to one day open a gas station where bodabodas can be refueled. Alongside it, I'd also like to run a successful grocery business, vending omena, pawpaws, apples, kale, and other fresh produce. I believe that by combining these two revenue streams, I can not only provide for my family but also ensure that our lifestyle improves greatly.

GiveDirectly has given both my husband and I  the motivation to keep going. The material and emotional strides we have made as a family and as a community would not have been possible without them. GiveDirectly gives a new lease on life to those who are at their lowest, for which I applaud them and hope they will continue to impact many more lives in the future.

As a mother of nine, I'm sure you can understand just how much we struggle with my husband to make ends meet. Making life-changing purchases, such as the 3 acres of land I purchased with GiveDirectly funds, were things we only dreamed about but never imagined it would become a reality. We had been living without enough seats in the house to accommodate us all, and the transfers allowed us to add six brand new seats for the family to sit on. Having prioritized our needs, we then jointly (mmy husband and I) decided that we needed one extra mattress that my kids could sleep on. Food and school fees took the majority of what was left, with the lion's share going towards school fees.My oldest child graduated from fourth grade last year; my second to fourth children are in grades 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2, respectively; my eighth child is in grade 1, and my youngest is 2.5 years old. The school fees we covered were a total of their respective tuitions, ranging from $20 per term for the second born who is going to Grade 8, to $24 per term for the third to seventh born, and $16 for the youngest of the learners. Except for the $10 I make per day from casual labor jobs, neither my husband nor I have a steady income, as he is unemployed and I am a stay-at-home mom. We would never do that.We completed everything that GiveDirectly funds allowed us to do. Thanks to GiveDirectly, we are a very happy and grateful family

I learned that I had received my first cash transfer at exactly 5 PM when I was at my farm watering the vegetable. I felt extremely happy about this great fortune that still feels like a dream to me. I also knew that soon I will be able to acquire the piece of land that I had been yearning to purchase for years.

My life has been full of sorrow all along and nothing significant was happening, was even giving up. My spouse and I have been relying on the vegetable and palm wine business which was a seasonal one. I could therefore not afford to fulfil long-term goals because I could utilise all our income to meet the family needs which was still not enough. Raising nine children has been a challenge and we had to think of a permanent solution to this challenge. I am so glad that the fact that I acquired the piece of land, I will achieve a lot through it. First, I am planning to build a rental house on this land and use the remaining portion for my agricultural activities. As a mother, I am so happy became the piece of land will not only be an asset to me but also, a place where my children will build their houses once they grow up.

I spent the whole of my first cash transfer to buy a piece of land (half an acre). I had been yearning to own it for so many years but I did not have enough resources to acquire it. I purposely prioritise it because I had a vision of building rental houses on it shortly and also practise small-scale farming. I am so hopeful that my dream will come true in a few months to come whereby I will generate an income and I will no longer have to lease my friend's farms during seasons as I used to do earlier.