I still hope to transform a lot in the coming year to match the newly constructed permanent house. Despite the fact that there has been a devastating drought on rocky land marked by shrubs and herbs whenever it rains, I want to reclaim part of the compound for a kitchen garden by bringing in fertile soil, fencing around the parcel, and connecting water from the two tanks I purchased to irrigate the garden. The perimeter fence is a priority to keep stray livestock out of the garden, as is a strong lockable gate to improve security and reduce free entry into our compound. The kitchen garden project will reduce the cost of grocery shopping at the shopping center, and surplus produce will be sold to help pay school fees for the five children spread across different academic levels.

GiveDirectly's unbiased approach when they entered the village was amazing because it brought harmony while spending both at the household level, where we were allowed to choose a recipient , and also between households because everyone was enrolled to receive the transfer. We are grateful for the transformation that has occurred in the last few months, even though I believe that our participation will be brief and that the majority of the household will revert to their pre-transfer situation. When hunger and drought were all over, most of the households received the money, and a large portion of it was spent on food and not on lasting projects.

I have seen a great deal of transformation in the last three months, not only in my household but also in other families in our village. Despite the drought, which destroyed all of our farming activities, I have been able to accomplish a lot in terms of changing my household's immediate surroundings. I have planted trees and plan to start a kitchen garden once I have enough water. I spent a lot of money after receiving the second transfer to install a solar panel and buy a wet battery. I paid $150 for a 300-watt solar panel, $300 for a wet battery, $68 for an inverter and charger controller, $30 for electric cables, and $60 for installation. I am currently charging my family's phones at home, as opposed to a few months ago when I had to take them to a nearby shopping center with a charging fee every day. I am glad that the permanent house I built is well-lit in every room and that the lighting extends to the separate kitchen, my sons' new house, and my parents' house next door. I am grateful for GiveDirectly's generous and timely support, and while I am still waiting for the final patch, I am glad to have accomplished so much already. I am hoping to spend some of the incoming transfer on a 43-inch television so I don't have to commute to a nearby town to watch the news every evening.

The moment I received my transfer, I can vividly recall that it was in the evening when I was at home relaxing. I was told by my neighbour that he had received money from GiveDirectly, When I went to check if what he was saving was indeed true, that was when I confirmed to have received money from GiveDirectly. This was the best news that I had received that day. It was so refreshing that forgot that I was tired after a long day in the sun. I was overwhelmed with joy because I knew God had answered our prayers. We embarked on planning how we would utilise the money.

Receiving money from GiveDirectly has had a great impact on our lives. It is due to this cash that I was able to build my children a house which I wasn't able to do before due to lack of money. I'm relieved that my children have their place. We are forever grateful for the assistance which has brought us happiness in our lives.

I work with the county government on a contract basis. I'm married and blessed with children. Upon receiving my transfer, I thought of building a house worth $100 for my sons who are grown up. Culturally, it is right for boys to have a house of their own. This was not possible earlier due to the responsibility I had of paying school fees and other needs. I later spent $50 to buy foodstuff and afterwards used some money to plant trees within my compound. I'm happy to have been able to do this swiftly due to the cash transfers.