I lack words to express myself when it comes to how much this program has assisted me. Prior to getting introduced to GiveDirectly I was very ill and I was diagnosed with a kidney problem. After feeling better I could not get back to work and perform as I did before which made it hard to make ends meet especially since I have my daughter who looks up to me. But fortunately GiveDirectly came along to my aid and my living conditions have improved and my child is progressing with her education as well.

After receiving the funds I decided to pay KES 150 in tuition fee and the also paid KES 300 as lunch fee for my daughter who normally had her meals in school. I was left with about KES 2,550 which I decided I would take care of nutrition with. I bought one and a half bags of maize flour where in total I had eighteen packets of maize flour which would last us a while before I had to worry about the next meal. This cost me KES 2,090. I was left with KES 460 which I used in buying gallons of water weekly since we faced a lot of scarcity when it came to drinking water that was not contaminated so most times I had to buy the water from other towns.

The message arrived in the morning and I was so excited to say the least because I did not expect it all especially during the time that we were being signed up for this program I initially thought it was a hoax and if it was not then probably due to my age they would not allow me receive the money. Therefore it was honestly a pleasant surprise and I am I was not discriminated upon due to my age.

Apart from my age that makes things a bit tough for me I also happen to be have a kidney problem which makes it hard for me at times to even move and even do anything to earn me money. That is where GiveDirectly funds come in handy because in those times where my health deteriorates I become less of a burden to my family and I too can pay for my necessities and also keep my child in school in the mean time.

After the notification came in on my phone, my initial decision was to take care of some few things in my daughters which included paying the school lunch money for the entire month which was KES 600. Apart from that some time back the school administration decided that as parents we should pay for a new teacher since the school was public and they had no mandate to get a new one from their bosses yet the school had so many students and yet the teachers were not enough. So as parents we decided to come together and pay KES 150 each per month in order to pay the new teacher that the school was about to recruit for then sole benefit of better education and learning process for our children. Therefore I ended up paying KES 300 since I had not paid the previous month. I was then left with KES 2,100 which I opted to acquire food items for myself and my family since I was old and did not have a job that could earn me some money but rather depended on my children who were also casual labourers from time to time. I bought a bag of maize flour which contained a dozen packets for KES 1,400 then used the remainder of the money to buy greens like kale,tomatoes, beans and even sardines.