In the short term, building another house for my kids would be ideal. I am also aiming at getting getting dairy cows, which I can milk and sell their produce to generate another revenue stream for me and my household.

GiveDirectly goes above and beyond when it comes to actively changing the lives of recipients. That statement in it self says it all, they excel at improving lives. All I can add to that is that I wish they never stop helping the less fortunate and that if possible, they keep assisting the recipients, even beyond the 2nd transfer, so they can continue with the projects they started.

As a widow, it has been left upon me to maintain the home we currently live in. Thanks to the transfers from GiveDirectly I was able to plaster the walls and floors, plus also buy iron sheets for roofing purposes. Further more, I got 1 male and 2 female goats, to start me off on the journey of keeping livestock. I proceeded to clear fees arrears of KES. 6,000 and also allocated some of the cash to catering for my three kids in school. My 3rd eldest is in form 1 at Topanga Secondary School, my 4th child is in Class 8, while my youngest is in Class 7, and both go to Malomani Primary School, where fee is KES. 2,500, while I pay KES. 15,000 for their eldest sibling. On the farm I have I grow maize, peas and kunde, which I sell for KES. 3,500 per sack, KES. 30 per cup and KES. 40 per cup respectively. Considering my profit margins, I would never have achieved all I have, without GiveDirectly having stepped in. I am a happy recipient and very thankful.

It was around 7 am when I received a message alert on my phone. I was busy preparing breakfast before going to the grazing field to herd my goats. I was with my 3 grandchildren who were on school holiday. I handed over my phone to the helper who confirmed the receipt of my transfer. I was extremely happy for receiving the transfer that would enable me to fulfill most of my goals in life. I decided to go directly to the Mpesa shop to withdraw it since I had plans in place awaiting the aid.

The biggest difference in my daily life is I am currently sleeping on comfortable bedding unlike before when I was using a traditional twisted rope bed which was so hard and resulted in body pains. Additionally, I no longer had to worry when it comes to getting water for myself after connecting tap water to my home and purchasing a water tank. All this was made possible through the aid from GiveDirectly. I am very grateful for the transfer.

I used KES 10,000 to assist my grandchild in their educational needs. I am happy that my granddaughter was able to enroll in a secondary school since her parents did not have any savings to take her to secondary. In addition, I used KES 15,000 to purchase proper beddings for myself since I am old, and using a traditional bed made up of twisted threads was not comfortable and had hiding grounds for bedbugs. Furthermore, I used KES 10,600 to connect tap water to my house because I can not walk a long distance to the water pan to fetch water for my consumption. Similarly, I bought a water tank with a capacity of 700 liters for KES 6500 which will assist me to store enough water. Lastly, I spent the remaining amount on renovation by putting up pillars and floors.