We lead a better standard of living after receiving the transfer. This is because we have more comfortable seats and adequate food items. Also, we look forward to a more promising future when we shall be getting income by leasing out our van. I was worried that no one would hire our vehicle had we not made the vital repairs and refurbishment. We shall be making some savings that would be used to fund developmental projects and other basic demands. Indeed, GiveDirectly came to our rescue when we needed it the most, during this period of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well by keeping its promises. After collecting recipient details and promising dates of sending the transfers, it does so. This shows how the organization is committed to alleviating poverty. However, GiveDirectly should also consider enrolling each household, even those that are not independent or active on a full-time basis.

I utilized 250 USD of my second transfer on refurbishing my van that I usually hire out to a local school. I had exhausted all the savings I had made due to the adverse financial impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. So, I was worried about where to get money for such necessary refurbishment and repairs. Also, we bought some furniture at about 180 USD since the ones we had were of poor quality. Still, we acquired a water tank worth 35 USD for storing rainwater that would be used when the piped water goes missing. At times we could face an acute shortage of clean water when the piped water goes missing for weeks. Finally, we bought some food items with the remaining amount to allow us make some savings to be used for any arising financial demands. We usually used most of our income on purchasing foodstuffs because crops no longer do well in our area due to the rise in tropical diseases and the effects of climate change.

We were just from waking up in the morning when I saw an M-pesa message on my phone saying that I had received the transfer from GiveDirectly. I informed my family and we were filled with so much excitement. We now believed that our dreams of doing what we have always wanted to do coming true. I thank GiveDirectly for this noble idea that they thought of.

The biggest difference that this first transfer will bring to our lives is that we will be able to have some income from poultry farming. This income will enable us to buy our daily needs like food and hence life will be better for us. I had always wanted to start the project of rearing chicken but due to financial constraints, I was not able to. I like poultry farming because it does not require so much labor and the maintenance is less. The market too for the poultry products, that is the eggs and the poultry itself is readily available.

This transfer from GiveDirectly has helped me a lot. I have always wanted to rear chicken but due to financial constraints, I was not able to before. So when the money came in, I used it in constructing a poultry house and bought some chickens. We had settled for this project of rearing chicken because taking care of them is easy, it requires less maintenance, the market too for eggs and chicken is readily available. This will thus enable us to get the daily income which will hence help us in meeting our needs. I also used part of the transfer to add some furniture that was missing in the house. The rest of the money, I used to buy some foodstuffs for my family. We also bought some other household items.