For the better part of my life, I was self-employed. I worked hard as a farmer to grow different types of crops. I sold the produce I got from my farm in the market and earned money from it. I also reared some livestock such as chicken and sold them when I need money. Five years ago, as I was farming, I pricked my leg. The small pricked wound started developing from a minor wound to now a big wound that affected my normal way of life. I since then visited many hospitals but I have never gotten a proper diagnosis of what the problem with my leg. Some doctors told me its cancer while others told me it was diabetes, so I am not sure what it is. Due to lack of funds, I could not seek proper medication, which includes the tests required to find out the real problem. It is the reason I started a small kiosk to earn profit and save for my medical care. Prior to receiving my third transfer, I had visited a tradition doctor who prescribed some herbal medicine. I paid KSH 1000 for the herbs using the remaining amount from previous transfer. Now that I have received the transfer, my plan is to use the money to seek proper medication. I want to be back to my normal situation where I can again work on the farm and feed my family.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well in terms of helping the less privileged in society. I can say I am a living testimony that when people are given a push in terms of funding then they can be able to stand on their own and provide for their families. I am grateful for the opportunity that GiveDirectly gave to me.

At my current age, I cannot engage in manual or strenuous activities due to the state of my health. When I was enrolled in the GiveDirectly program I was a very happy man. I was struggling to be able to feed myself since I do not have any work that I do. When I started receiving the transfer I knew this was one of the ways to my breakthrough and be able to provide for myself. With the first transfer, I added some amount of money that I had saved over the past year and decided to buy a young dairy cow. I can say that I am currently happy the cow is progressing well and in a few months to come I will be able to sell the milk that the cow will be producing. I opted to start a small business with the second transfer I got. I have a small structure from where I sell maize flour, books sweets, and other small products. I am happy with my progress of now as I can provide food for myself and no longer sleep hungry or even skip meals.

Well, I currently cannot read and write due to old age. I heard the notification that I had received a text message at 11 am. Because of my condition, I waited for my son who had gone out to run some errands. When he was back he checked my phone and informed me that I had received the transfer from GiveDirectly. I was very happy to hear that.

Yes, the money has made a big difference in my life. I currently have a new business. With the business, I will be able to save and ensure that I finish the construction of my house which has stalled due to a lack of funds. I thank GiveDirectly for the transfer that will make my dreams come true

I spent the money on starting a kiosk business. I have a dream of completing building my house. I have not been able to finish building the house due to financial constraints. Before receiving the transfer I thought it would be wise to start a business that will in turn help me to finish the construction of the house. The house requires at least 1 ton of sand, 20 bags of cement, and several jerricans of water. The house is a three-bedroom house. Once the plastering is done my family will have a spacious house to live in.