We have thought of starting the rearing of a few goats and sheep. We decided to settle on that decision because we wanted to invest in something that is going to help us in the future. Goats and sheep multiply very fast in terms of numbers and when they do, we will sell some of them and use the money in buying a calf. To achieve this dream, we plan to use the money that we will receive from the merry-go-round contributions of the self-help groups that we have joined to buy them.

GiveDirectly has uplifted the livelihoods of the many in the community because people have been able to do what they never thought they will be able to do. I thus don't see any wrong that they have done, we are so much grateful and we are so happy.

We spent most of the money that we got from GiveDirectly to finish the construction of our house that we had started to build using part of the first transfer. Constructing another house is what we have always wanted to do but we were not able to due to lack of money. I do the business of selling eggs where I make around KES 400 per day. My husband on the other hand is a broker of the business of buying and selling cows. The money that we make from our income-earning activities most of it usually goes to the merry-go-round contributions of the self-help groups that we have joined. The little that remains, go to the purchase of food. There has thus been none for making developments.

I was out in my kitchen garden with my husband when I received a message notification from GiveDirectly. On opening it up, I was so happy that I had to stop what I was doing to celebrate the great news. My husband was equally excited that we had finally received the promised amount. Since we had already planned for it, we were sure to soon see our dreams come true. We had to move out of the farm as we needed to first collect the money from the nearby shopping center.

The biggest difference in my daily life after receiving the transfer is being the legal owner of the cow that had been providing my family with enough milk. This is an investment that I am hoping to see grow as the calves being born going forward will be ours unlike in the past when the owner would pick them to sell immediately after weaning. I am hoping to see the herd grow, and in the future, I will not be having a hard time raising school fees for my daughter and can as well be an immediate source of extra finances to initiate other new projects.

With the first KES32000 from my first transfer, I paid for the cow that I had earlier on obtained from my neighbor hoping to pay in installment. I was lucky to have been enjoying milking at the expense of rearing it in my compound. Since I never had any other cow, I had to pay it in full as the owner wanted to sell it out. I also obtained 22 iron sheets at KES16400, 63 timber, and some posts at KES 4500 in readiness to construct a new house for my children. With KES750 out of the remaining amount, I hired some neighbors to till the land that I am currently preparing for the panting season. I also managed to obtain clothing for my children and a sack of maize to replenish our food baskets as we had been buying in small quantities for quite an expensive rate over time.