The transfers that I have so far received have been helpful in paying fees for my two grandchildren who are currently in primary school. I was left to take care of them after their mother remarried and since then the support from her has not been enough. I do not have a stable source of income, I mainly depend on selling brooms I make using coconut tree leaves. The transfers have enabled me to set aside Ksh. 2000 every month to pay fees and do a shopping on stationeries for them. I was also unable to buy food because most of the money was spent on fees. I am grateful to GiveDirectly because I can now budget for fees and food unlike before. I have never lacked food in my household ever since I started receiving the transfers.

I have no complains as of yet because there has been nothing to complain about. I am so grateful for the chance of getting enrolled in this program because I am quite old and the only job I had included subsistence farming which has been hard to practise with this drought we are experiencing. But I am glad because I managed to pay school fees for my children which is very important to me.

When I received the money I took as an opportunity to get stuff fr my children which they had been requesting from me from the longest time I did not manage because I had no money . The school bags that my children carried were so old and worn out that they could barely carry their stuff well since the straps were cut too. Therefore I went ahead and took KES1,800 and bought the two of my daughters nice school bags so that they would be happy and the following year they would have what they requested. I also paid their school fees since I had pending debts which was KES 1,000. I was left with KES 200 of which I went ahead and bought two packets of maize flour so that we would have food in the house.

At the time I was actually on my way to my matrimonial home and that is when I noticed the message which was read out to me by my grandson and I was very happy because finally I could take care some of the stuff that were important like my grandsons education.

I have at least managed to gain some stability because I practise subsistence farming to feed both I and my two grandsons, and with the effect of drought the land barely rewards us due to lack of rain and so even nutrition was getting hard for us. With the money I could get food for us to eat because I take care of my grandkids ever since their mother remarried and my husband died therefore making me their guardian.

Before receiving the money I was having financial struggles especially since my grandson had been sent back home from school three days earlier due to unpaid school fees so after receiving the money I immediately went ahead and took care of what I owed by paying KES 900. The remainder of the money I went ahead and bought a bag of maize and a portion of sardines which cost around a total of KES 200.