In the coming year, I would want to raise enough cash to finance my children throughout their educational journey. This has so far been the major challenge, and my wish is to see them grab a better education and be responsible souls in the future. I never got the chance to go to school because of the poverty that had struck our lives, and therefore I do not wish any of my kids to undergo what I experienced.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly did a credible job by coming to my village and transforming my life. The unconditional cash transfers have empowered me enough to take my three children to high school. If it were not for them, they would still be at home. Also, the GiveDirectly staff were very humble and approachable, which made their stay in my village a success. Therefore, I do not see anything that needs to change so far.

I spent a huge portion of my recent transfer on paying for school for my three children, who are in grades 4, 2, and 1, respectively. Being a casual labourer, it has never been easy for me and my spouse to raise the fees, which has led them to be on and off. This condition has however been affecting their performance since in a month they would only be attending classes three or four times. It used to demoralize them, but they were very optimistic that God would open the door. I am so thankful to GiveDirectly since this happened so fast, and I will never take their support for granted. Once they are done with schooling, they will be in a position to grab lucrative jobs and take good care of their generation. Also, with the other percentage of the cash, I have been purchasing food for my family of six. At least now my children are very strong and cheerful since initially, they could sometimes not go to school due to hunger.

I had gone to assist in doing some wedding preparations at our neighbor's place at around 3 pm when I hear people talking about receiving their first transfers. Since I am illiterate, I waited until I returned home at 4 pm and consulted my helper to check my phone whether I was among the lucky ones to receive the transfers. When she checked, she jumped and hugged me in happiness and I was left wondering what message it would be. She thereafter informed me that I had received my first transfer of $550 from GiveDirectly. My heart broke down in happiness and thanksgiving for receiving such a huge amount of money at once knowing that some of the things I have been unable to do due to lack of money were going to be taken care of.

Cooking outside was not going well with me. During the rainy season, it was terrible. It forced me to cook in my house something that did not go well because of the smoke which could not allow us to sleep in peace. Currently, I am happy that through the organization, I was able to build a good mud-walled kitchen that serves as the store as well. This has reduced the congestion of utensils in my house since I transferred all the kitchen-related items to the kitchen.

Upon receiving the money, I first opted to build a kitchen. I decided so because I used to cook outside which was tricky and pathetic during the rainy season. Therefore, I bought 14 pieces of iron sheets for $112 and $49 for the building poles, rafters, and nails. The kitchen will be of great help to me, especially during the rainy season. Thereafter, I bought my helper a bed and a mattress for $120 since she used to sleep on the floor something that did not give me peace of mind. I also paid $100 school fees for my five primary school children so that they may be retained in school. Using the remaining amount, I bought a window for my house costing $35, and I added the stock to my fishmongering business as well as buying some food for my family.