I am currently living in my husband's family land which has been challenging because of the family wrangles between them. I have always been uncomfortable staying there but unfortunately, I cannot afford land. My long-term goal is to save some amount from my business and buy a piece of land that I will stay with my family without family issues.

GiveDirectly always takes their time to call us and talk to us with no hurry, Their phone calls are well organized and all the staff I get to interact with are polite which makes me feel comfortable letting them know of any concern I might have.

Before the transfer, I was working as a cook at a nearby school getting a pay of $50 a month. This money helped me pay school fees for my children and buy food for my family. Unfortunately, my last child has a heart problem which forced him to drop out of school and I have been spending a lot of money on hospital expenses. This has drained me financially and most of the time I do not have the finances to cater to the needs of the other five siblings. We all slept in a one-roomed house that was uncomfortable because it was tiny. Receiving this money has enabled me to build another house where my sons sleep which cost $120. I also started a new business selling peanuts which generates $5 a day. This money helps me buy food for my family and save some for their school fees. I am thankful to the organization.

It was around 11 AM when I was at my daily hustle as usual when I saw a message notification. I was a bit shocked but then I decided to check what the notification was all about. I was overexcited to learn that it was from GiveDirectly notifying me that I had received my first cash transfer. I couldn't keep calm and decided to go home to celebrate with my family.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have goats that I am keeping in my compound. It has been my wish to at least own one but I couldn't afford it because they were expensive. I purposely bought them for my children's education journey. Paying their fees has been stressing me so much since I am the family breadwinner of five kids. My spouse is very old and sick, therefore I have been working so hard to make ends meet but in vain. I trust that having the goats will enable me to pay the arrears in time, as soon as they increase in number. I am positive that my children will no longer be sent home regularly like before which is a motivation for them. I am so grateful to GiveDirectly for bringing a huge impact into my life.

I spent KES 20000 of my first cash transfer on clearing fees for my daughter who is in her third year. This has been stressing me for a while since their exams were approaching. Additionally, I bought iron sheets at KES 9700, nails at KES 200 and labor charge of KES 1500. This was for the construction of my son's house since he has been sleeping at his friend's houses for quite some time. Later on, I bought a goat at KES 4000 which will serve as a living asset that I can rely on. I also boosted a salon business for my daughter which was almost collapsing. I am so thankful that she has now been making good profits. With the remaining amount of money, I bought foodstuffs for my family and other household items.