I have no other goal in life than to ensure my children get basic needs , education being key . I have nowhere I can get money apart from selling charcoal and casual jobs . I actually have no target but I do channel every little a mount I get towards this .

In my opinion , Give Directly did well to send us money . We have used the money on resourceful projects and this is just wonderful. Other people have build houses and others have paid school fees for their children . Thanks to you , I now own livestock in my compound and I have a house of my own ! There is actually nothing to change you are doing better already .

I'm a widow with no stable source of income . My late husband left me with 5 children . So when I received the second transfer , I thought of a long term investment , something that would benefit my children even after this project is finished . So I settled on 2 cows : a heifer and a bull . Each was worth $250 . I'm sure these two will multiply in number , I'll be able to sell some and pay for my children's school fees . I settled for livestock because it is better than letting the money lie idle in my pocket . Also my children did not have decent beddings , they would sleep on a mosquito net and this was so uncomfortable . So I topped up the remaining $30 and bought for them a comfortable mattress that cost $40 . Thanks to Give Directly that my children can now sleep like the babies they are !

I was preparing supper for my family when I heard a message alert on my phone. Since I could not comprehend the message, I called my helper who checked the message for me and to my surprise, I had received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. I felt happy and thanked them and began to plan how I could improve my living standard through this money.

I was greatly troubled about how I would raise my children after my husband passed on. I do not have a stable source of income, I am relying on charcoal selling with little pay. My husband was the breadwinner for the family and I was surviving on menial work. My children were frequently sent home for lack of fees. The house that had been my shelter collapsed and I could not afford to build a new one. I had to take shelter in my neighbour's house together with my family. I am grateful to GiveDirectly because ever since I received the money, I cleared the fees for my children. I am now in the process of building a new house, I purchased iron sheets and building poles. I am hoping to move into my new iron-roofed house soon.

My children have been using old and worn-out mats as their beddings. When I received the transfer, I bought a new mattress at Ksh. 8000 for them. They are now comfortably sleeping on good beddings. In addition to this, I also paid Ksh. 10000 to clear their school fees because they were frequently sent home. I am at peace having paid for them and they are now comfortably in school. The house that has been my shelter collapsed almost five years ago and I was not able to build a new one. A neighbour offered to accommodate me and my children though I was not at peace. I could not enjoy my privacy being in a neighbour's house and compound. My desire was to have my own home to live in with my family. I thus purchased some building materials such as iron sheets, building poles and nails to construct a new house.