A few months ago, life was tough for my family. Our living conditions were poor and sad. Our house had a leaky roof and so whenever it rained, my wife, two children and I would get rained on. Being a water vendor earning very little money, I could not afford to build another house or replace the roof. The transfer from GD transformed our lives. I was able to build a better house. My family now has decent shelter, and I'm proud of this. I also bought ten goats that I plan on exchanging for oxen later on. That will enable me to work on people's farms and earn money. I'm very grateful to GD.

GiveDirectly has done well by helping many needy people by giving them cash transfers that improve their lives. They are able to build good houses, purchase livestock and feed their families. Their operations are smooth and there are no errors made.

Before receiving this transfer from GiveDirectly, my family lived in a house whose iron sheets were so worn out and so the roof would leak whenever it rained. So I prioritized building a better house for my wife, two children and myself. I spent KES 25,000 on materials and labour for construction of the same. I then spent KES 28,000 on purchasing ten goats. This is my investment as I plan to exchange them for oxen later on. With the oxen, I can work on people's farms and earn money.

I cant still remember just like the other day when I was heading to my daily hustle when I heard a loud vibration from my cell phone. That was an alert that there was a new message. Without hesitating I decided to check its content. I was overwhelmed with joy after realizing that it was an Mpesa messge from GiveDirectly. I still recall having returned home and shared the news with the rest of my family members.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that through the transfers, I was able to boost the two businesses that I have been running. This has been my main source of income and I was always worried because the business was almost collapsing since I was not making any profit. This is because there was no steady cash flow since most of the time I could utilize the capital and during those days I could get a profit of KES 300 which was not a guarantee. This was not enough to fend for my family's needs and I had to strain to make ends meet. However, after reviving it, I am glad to say the business is doing perfectly well and in a day I can make a profit of KES 1000. I am now in a position to take good care of my family without struggling like before.

I spent part of my forst transfer on buying some building materials such as iron sheets, building poles and nails, and timber and labor. This was for constructing a business premise since I previously used to hire those of my relatives and friends which were expensive. Also, I boosted my hotel and kiosk business which I was initially running in the neighboring town center. In addition, with the remaining amount, I bought enough foodstuffs for my family that would sustain us to the next harvesting season.