Of my siblings, six are men, and considering the rule of inheritance in the Kalenjin culture, each son has to inherit an equal portion of land. It is unfortunate that my parents only own a 1-acre piece of land, and if this has to be shared among the sons, then the share can be negligible. It is for this reason that I hope to purchase 0.2 acres of land for $1200 so as to live with my family of five. I plan on selling the three oxen I currently own in addition to the profits from the bodaboda business that my family depends on for a living. Through this, my family can comfortably cultivate and settle.

I applaud GiveDirectly for the endless support of unconditional cash transfers. I am glad this is not a loan, and therefore one is lifted out of poverty through the financial support. If you make a trip to the village, then one easily realizes the change as people have constructed houses, children have gone to school, and families have put food on the table. I am also happy that the enrollment was done without discrimination, and so far everything is amazing about the organization.

In the Kalenjin culture, owning a cow is a sign of wealth, as it produces food and income for the family. When I received the transfers, I spent $430 on purchasing a dairy cow, as I had not had one before. Previously, I used to buy 2 liters of milk daily for $1.6, which was expensive compared to the $4 income I earn from the boda boda taxi business daily. At the moment, my cow produces 5 liters of milk daily, of which I sell 3 liters for $1.5 to the milk vendors in the community. From this income, I have paid school fees for my children in grades 2 and pre-primary 1, as well as purchased food for my family of five. I further used the rest of the transfers on fencing my compound and purchasing chairs for my house. I can now comfortably welcome visitors into my house without fear of victimization.

I was delighted and grateful to receive my first transfer from GiveDirectly. I received a message alert around 3:40 pm, and upon opening and reading it, confirmed the receipt of the first transfer. After seeing the exact amount that I expected from GiveDirectly, I had no reason to doubt the sender. I was extremely happy, and since I was at home with my family, I shared the news, which sparked the same excitement, and we ended up celebrating as we thanked God.

The biggest difference in my daily life is the addition of a cow, which we never had before. I am looking forward to a future where I have enough milk and don't have to spend money on it. I hope to start saving from the proceeds of the motorcycle taxi, which will be useful in starting other new projects in the future.

I was spending more than a dollar per day on milk for my current family of five. Food and milk have become so expensive that I am unable to save anything from the daily proceeds from the motorcycle taxi I operate. Enrolling in the GiveDirectly program and later receiving the first free cash transfer was a relief for me because I had planned to buy a dairy cow. As a result, I spent $300 on a good breed that I hope will calve soon enough to provide us with enough milk. I hope to start saving money from my taxi business once we have enough milk to use and sell the excess to buy other household foodstuffs. I also started the fencing project, spending $175 on fencing poles, barbed wire, and labor charges after dividing the grazing fields. The cow's restricted movement makes it easier to manage grazing patterns and allows grass to regrow after moving to the next partition. In addition, I spent $55 on groceries and the remaining amount on other household items. I appreciate the help and look forward to doing a lot more with the final transfer.