After utilizing the second transfer, I developed a goal that I would like to accomplish before the first quarter of next year elapses. My desire has been investing in livestock farming specifically goats because they withstand the harsh climatic condition of our area. Not only withstanding drought but also they are cheap to purchase and maintain as well as easily convertible to monetary value due to their ready markets.

GiveDirectly did well in our village not only for me but also in other households that received the transfer. We used to struggle to fend for our families and the main source of income was from making and selling charcoals which are not reliable. Coming up with the cash transfer idea by GiveDirectly, helped a majority of us to solve the itching problems which we did not know how to go about them. On my side, hunger and school fees were the major challenges thus the transfer enabled me to solve them to an extent. As of now, I am at peace with my family even though I am still struggling, I have some hope from my fishmongering business which I started.

I am a mother of six children. Five children are in primary school while the sixth one is yet to enroll. Upon receiving the second transfer, the first thing I did was pay school fees for my children who were out of school for fees. Therefore, I paid $64 to the school and they happily resumed their learning. Since their school uniforms were tattered, I bought them a pair each for $33. Thereafter, I started a fishmongering business so that I could have something to rely on instead of depending on the business of selling firewood which I had before the transfers. Since we have had a prolonged drought in our area, hunger is the main problem we are facing. Based on that, I opted to use the remaining amount of money to buy some food for the family.

I was from taking shower at around 7:30 PM when I discovered that I had received my transfers. I was overwhelmed with joy since I never thought the organisation was a genuine one. Also after informing my spouse and kids they were all happy and this could be seen in the reactions on their faces.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that I was finally able to send my children to school after staying home for weeks. This has been our main challenge since I had five school-going kids and I did not have a reliable source of income. My spouse has therefore been struggling to make ends meet which was easy for him since he was a casual labourer. On most days, he could barely fend for our basic needs like food. For that reason paying their fees on time was not achievable. This forced them to stay at home while their colleagues were in school. As a parent, it has been frustrating me a lot because I have always wanted the best for them in life. I am now hopeful and grateful that their future is promising because I was able to pay for their whole academic year.

I spent 10000 of my first cash transfer on paying fees for my five children who are in primary schools. The money came in good time because they were about to sit for their exams. Also, I had to buy new uniforms for them since the initial ones had worn out terribly. This has even been lowering their self-esteem which also affected their academic performance. To add to that, I purchased a mattress which is a replacement for the initial one which was in a poor state. I used to experience pains whenever I woke up. I have now been sleeping peacefully and soundly. Also, I repaid a loan from our community microfinance (KES 6500). They had threatened me that they would take action since I could afford to return the cash in good time. With the remaining amount, I had to buy sufficient food for the family.