Poverty has never spared me together with my family of 9. Imagine over the last 10 years since we shifted here, I have struggled to construct a 1-roomed house but all my efforts have been in vain. This has been the case because every coin we get goes to food leaving us with nothing to save. Whenever I look at my house, tears flow down my cheeks. What a life! The arrival of GiveDirectly has awakened my hope for a better future. I am planning to spend my entire first transfer ($550) to ensure I construct a spacious house for my family. This will bring joy to me and restore my dignity as a respected person in the village. Part of the second transfer will help me to venture into livestock keeping and on this, I intend to start with 10 goats which will cost me $300. The remaining amount will support us to meet our very basic needs like food and school fees. Hence, this is generally what receiving this money means to me.

In January 2023, I gave birth to a bouncing baby girl which I consider a huge blessing for this new year. I am currently having 7 children and I am a happy parent. Although I have challenges in fully providing for their basic needs, I am grateful for the efforts my husband has towards his family. I am now expecting a big day for the celebration of my newborn which is scheduled to happen on 4th March. I thank God for the gift of children and I consider this as what gives meaning to my life.

My husband and I never got the opportunity to go to school. This has exposed us to engage in strenuous activities like charcoal burning since we lack skills for better jobs. Our combined income from the charcoal work is usually $50 per month which does not fully cater to our basic needs in my family of 9. This has directly affected my children's education since a big portion of this money goes to food. In most cases, my children have missed classes due to a lack of school fees, a situation that has affected their performances. This has worried me most because their future life is currently at stake and as a mother, I feel the pain. Hence, financial constraints stand out as the main challenge that I am currently facing.