At the moment, I am looking for a piece of land to buy for my children in the surrounding villages, where the cost of land is still lower than in our village, where an acre costs $4000. It has been difficult to get a piece, and prices have been rising due to high demand from new members moving in from other villages. I am hoping to relocate to a less expensive area where I can buy half an acre and practice subsistence farming to support my children. As soon as I get a piece, I will sell my four cows and use the proceeds to fully pay for the land.

GiveDirectly arrived in the village when we had run out of ideas for how to deal with the difficult economic times that had caused most households to go hungry while their children missed school. This was during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when every business and job had been rendered non - functional. On the other hand, due to the devastating drought that had destroyed our crops, nothing was happening on our farms. I was overjoyed to receive a free cash transfer and the freedom to spend it however I saw fit with my family. Many families were able to save their livelihoods and make sound decisions that would keep them going even after the final transfer. The project coordination and detailed information provided by the field officers were satisfying and instilled confidence in spending because they assured us that they did not expect us to pay it back later.

We had been living on a quarter-acre plot of land with my family of seven. The majority of it was taken up by our homestead. When I received the first and second transfers, I planned to find and purchase an additional half-acre of land to farm and produce food for my family. With land prices skyrocketing and a scarcity of land to buy, I decided to invest in livestock, which I will later sell once I obtain a piece of land. I then used some of the first transfer to buy two cows and $360 of the second transfer to buy two heifers that I am currently rearing at home. I intend to relocate to cheaper and larger plots of land because an acre in our area currently costs $4000 and leasing for a season is $30, which is prohibitively expensive, especially given the low productivity caused by the adverse weather conditions. I also spent $30 on tuition for my three primary school children, who were experiencing a lot of disruptions and were being sent home more frequently to collect the arrears. In addition, I spent the remaining funds on new clothes for my five children, some for my spouse, and one for myself. Everyone was overjoyed and grateful for GiveDirectly's generous assistance, which arrived just when we needed it the most.

Farming has been my source of livelihood, Though we are forced to rent land for farming in the neighbouring county because the place is fertile compared to ours. The moment I received my transfer I can recall that it was around 6 pm when we were still occupied with farm work. Then suddenly, I Was startled by a message tone, Upon checking, I was surprised to see that I had received money from GiveDirectly. I was full of joy and happiness because the message was refreshing. I then informed my family members who were all happy and grateful.

The biggest difference in my daily life today is that I am hopeful that I would be able to purchase a parcel of land once I resell the cows. This is because raising money at once was hard with the financial challenges that we have as a result of school fees responsibilities. Secondly, my children are all happy because I bought new cloth for each one of them. I am so grateful for the support that lifted our living standards.

Where I come from the Lands are small and scarce. This is the reason we have been renting Land in the neighbouring county for farming. My dream was for me to be able to purchase a parcel of land that we would use for farming. Thus, upon the receipt of my transfer, I bought two cows worth KES 44,000 so that I would be able to exchange them for a parcel of land once they are grown. I am married and blessed with five children and I depend on farming in earning a living. I then used the remaining amount on foodstuffs and clothes. I am optimistic that in the year to come I would be able to meet my expectation of buying a parcel of land.