In the coming year and beyond, I hope to establish my own carpentry shop and make good use of the skills I have gained working for a friend who already has his shop running. I have been working for him for the past 3 years, and throughout this time, I have learned a lot that I believe will be helpful when I finally open my own shop. At the moment, I am making small savings to facilitate the purchase of carpentry equipment, and I hope that by early next year, I will be able to secure a space in the nearby shopping center where I can start operating my own business. This will be a great accomplishment for me, not only in terms of profitability but also in enhancing flexibility since I will be able to do other things alongside my carpentry work. Unlike at the moment, where I stay in the shop all day even when there is no work to do.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly is doing a great job not only in our village but also in other communities they are visiting. The generous financial support we received was timely and has made a significant impact, as many challenges can be addressed with money. The freedom to spend the funds on what we saw fit was also a great advantage, as it allowed us to meet our diverse needs effectively. I am truly grateful for GiveDirectly's efforts and hope that they will continue their commendable work in other villages. However, one area for potential improvement could be to offer financial literacy or skills training alongside the transfers to help us make the most of the support we receive in the long run.

I was all set to begin the construction of a new house when I received the second transfer. At that moment, I had already acquired most of the construction materials, including timber, nails, and building poles. I only needed to purchase iron sheets, which I bought using the second transfer. With $234, I acquired 30 iron sheets, sufficient to complete the roofing of the new house. Previously, I lived in an old house that, even though it had iron sheets on the roof, had walls made of mud that could always be washed off by the rain. I also invested $70 in purchasing metallic window frames and paid a total of $1,50 in labor charges for the entire construction. I am pleased to say that we now reside in a decent and spacious house with my spouse. Later on, I used the remaining $76 to buy food, which lasted us a considerable amount of time, and made other necessary additions to replenish our supplies. I work as a carpenter in a friend's shop and have been earning enough for our daily expenses, although there are times when work is scarce due to the available tasks. Nonetheless, I am happy that I am honing my carpentry skills, which I hope to utilize in the future when establishing my carpentry business.

I felt so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. I was going about my daily duties and I was in a noisy place where I could not hear my phone ringing. when I heard people close to me claim that they had received their share, I checked my own account and I was met with a pleasant surprise from GiveDirectly. It was a message confirming that indeed I had received a sum of $550. Never had I felt so much excitement before than I felt when I received the money.

My life has changed a lot ever since I received money from GiveDirectly. We have had enough food ever since and we have also been able to accomplish a lot with it. My plan is to use the second transfer to improve the floor of my house. I am and will forever be grateful to GiveDirectly for the support that I got

I used part of it $470 to buy timber for constructing our house. and used the remaining amount to buy food for my family.. For a long time, I have lived in a mud walled house that was hard to maintain especially me as a person who is yet to get married. I would ask my mother to help in maintaining the house something that I did not feel so comfortable with. I feel so happy that the money has improved our living standards by a great deal.