My main aim has been my children going to school so they can have a bright future. My oldest child who is 17 years old used to attend a very strict and good boarding school but since we had no much money I was unable to continue paying his school fees. He went to a day school which he quit after a while of having so many disciplinary issues. I had been unable to take him back to a school where he would be able to study such as the first school he was in and had promised myself when I get money that would be able to pay for the school feed of such a school I would do so. I am so happy now that my son is back to school. I am able to send small amounts of money whenever I make any money which will help him complete his primary school education.

I never thought in my mind I would get enrolled for a gove directly program as we had heard of the program from neighbouring communities. I was so happy to receive the transfer since it allowed me do things I didn't see myslef having the ability to do. I was also happy that the transfer were unconditional which meant I was able to sort out my most pressing issues. I wasn't aware that I would be counted together with my mother as one household but I do understand all programs have their rules and I was very appreciate that the amounts we recieved have changed our lives. It feels like when someone gives you a pair of shoes when you had none, now the stones that pressed your bare feet don't press you anymore.

On receiving my first transfer I decided to fulfill my desire of seeing my son back in school. I had identified a school and I got the fee structure as well the school requirements. I bought afew things for school including uniform, shopping and items such as a bucket for his use in school and a box for storage of his items and all this cost me 14000 shillings. This amount also included our transport to school and my transport back home. I took another amount of 8500 and paid school fees to his school. I gave my mother who we had been registered as one household and gave her 22000 shillings which she used to buy a water tank as well as a door for her house, she got herself afew clothes as she had very old clothes that were not even enough. I took 1500 from my first transfer and bought for my other children, who live with their father, school uniform. I took the rest of the money and got food for my family to help sustain them. With the second transfer I withdrew 35000 shillings first and spend 5000 on buying a mattress for my bed. I also bought a few goats which cost 3500 shillings each. I also took my child who broke his arm to hospital and paid 3500 and paid 3200 for my mothers treatment as well as transport to the hospital. The rest of the money we are using for food and water since we had a bad drought which means that water is scarce and water is quite costly.

It was on 14th October 2021 when I was doing my daily casual labour at a construction site when I received the transfer message from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy for it was my first time to receive such amount of money. Picturing how I had been struggling with basic family issues, I almost shade tears because I knew things were going to work out well. I composed myself and remained calm, thus no one in the site noticed any change in me.

Initially my life was full of debts; both in school and at the neighboring shops. But since the day I received this transfer, I was able to settle all the debts and I am now living freely. Sometime I was forced to hide due to shame but now I am free to everyone.

After withdrawing the money, the first thing I did was buying clothes for my 7 children. Thereafter I took my son who was somehow stubborn to a boarding primary school and paid his school fees amounting to KES 26250.00 inclusive of the shopping and transport. I also paid school fees for the other children who are in secondary school KES 16000.00 and primary schools KES 1700.00. Again I bought a mattress for KES 1500.00 and 9 plastic buckets for storing water for KES 1350.00. I used the remaining amount for the family upkeep up-to-date.