My main goal is to have an income-generating activity in the future. My husband and I have been struggling to get the finances to feed our children and also to cater for other needs, something that had never been so easy. And therefore considering the family’s financial situation, I decided to construct residential houses that would be of great help to my family in the long run even after the program comes to an end. Have been spending the better part of the transfers on the construction works and I am happy that it has come to a completion. The house will be able to generate an income of $40 per month which would be of great help to the family.

GiveDirectly is doing great in terms of providing financial support to the needy like us in the society and the support had so far enabled us to accomplish some of the dreams that we had. Everything GiveDirectly does well and there is nothing to improve on.

The transfers that I received was of great help to me because I received them at a time when I was in dire need of money. I had commenced the construction of two rental houses which were halfway completed, and due to the lack of money, I could not carry on with them. I was also stressed because I was required to settle school fees for my two children who were in primary school and also to buy new items for the one who was to join junior high school, and considering the family’s financial situation, nothing was working for us. Luckily I received the transfers and I felt like I was relieved of a huge burden. I managed to buy the roofing sheets worth $300 so that I could finish up on the construction project, I also paid school fees for the primary school-going children worth $100 and bought school items for the child who was yet to join junior high school where I also spent $100. With the remaining amount of $30, I managed to buy food for my family and currently, I feel much more relaxed and happy for the great financial support that GiveDirectly accorded us.

We were notified of the possible date for receiving the transfers after GiveDirectly officers enrolled us in the program. I could not leave my phone behind in the second week of December, and not a single message came in without me checking it. I was overjoyed when I finally received a Mpesa message that I confirmed was from GiveDirectly. I was in a planning meeting for one of my neighbors' wedding at the time, and most of the people in attendance had received the same news. Everyone wanted to notify their respective families, so we had to stop everything we were doing to celebrate the good news first. I got a call from my spouse, who had heard the news as well, and since he was at my co-wife's house, he had to ask me about it. When I told him the news, he was equally excited and promised to come home later because we weren't finished with the planning yet.

Access to tap water at my doorstep has made the biggest difference in my daily life because it has saved me $10 per month when I used to buy it from the neighborhood. I am relieved that I can do a lot with the water that is currently available, as well as save a lot of time that I would have spent fetching from the central dispenser located half a kilometer away from my house.

I had been purchasing water from a nearby water point for both my livestock and our household use, which was very expensive because I would receive a large bill of up to $10 at the end of each month. We chose to connect a pipe to a tap at our doorstep to solve this problem. The purchase of the pipes, labor costs, and project subscription cost me $150 in cash. I am relieved that I now have a steady supply of water throughout the season. I also finished furnishing my new house, which required floor plastering, the purchase of new window panes, and a new door, all for $123. I also paid the labor charges, which totaled $48. I also purchased a $140 heifer to supplement the three I had been rearing in the hopes of selling them for a profit once they reached maturity. I used the remainder to feed my four-person family.