Our new goal is to build another kitchen that is roofed with iron sheets and to cement the floor of the main house. We had tried our best to build another house before we got the transfers from GiveDirectly but we did not manage to build another kitchen and cement the floor of the house because we lacked enough money. The kitchen that we are having at the moment is grass-thatched. Getting grass for thatching the roof has become a big challenge since they are no longer available due to the prolonged dry season that we usually experience in our area. We also want to change and be like our neighbors who have houses roofed with iron sheets. We plan to achieve this by saving little by little the profit that we will make from our wholesale business.

GiveDirectly did well by enrolling everyone in the community. They were not biased at all. They also did well when they honored their promise of sending the money just as they had said. I do not see anything wrong and I would like to encourage them to continue with the good work.

We spent most of the second transfer money on buying a cow and its calf. We bought the cow at KES 37000 and the calf at KES 12000. We decided to buy the cow because the one that we use to rear was not ours. We had borrowed someone. We had always wanted to buy our own but we did not have the money. Our wholesale business was still small and the little money that we were making from it was only enough to buy food for our family of four. We are grateful and happy because we returned the other cow to the owner and we are now taking care of ours which is much better. The cow and the calf will help us in getting milk for our consumption and in the future with the children's school fees. The remaining amount of money we used in buying food and clothes.

I was in the kitchen setting up my breakfast that morning when I heard the message tone from my phone that I had connected to the power to charge. At first, I thought it was the usual messages I have been receiving from the service provider but the second alert made me curious, and had to check only to realize that it was the good news from GiveDirectly. I was so happy that I left all I was doing in the kitchen to confirm with the other members of the extended family whether they had received the same news. It was unfortunate that I was alone at home that morning as my sister in law whom we would have celebrated together was already out to school. I gave thanks to God as this was a confirmation that the plans I had were soon going to start.

The joy of enjoying a free supply of milk after receiving the first transfer and buying a lactating cow is the biggest difference in my daily life. I have been able to get enough milk not only for my household use but also to sell the surplus to the nearby restaurant that picks every morning after milking. This has cushioned us in settling other household bills and even making some savings that will, in turn, help us in obtaining household foodstuff in the future.

I was glad to finally obtain a lactating cow at KES30000 after spending a lot over the past years on buying milk from the neighborhood. This was my first call as I had been patient enough over the years as we would miss a cup of mixed tea for some days before getting some money to help us in buying some milk. I also had to buy foodstuff in bulks as we had been buying in small quantities that were so expensive. I spent KES 4500 on buying maize, rice, and other foodstuffs that we had exhausted in our kitchen. I also had an accumulated debt of KES 10000 that I managed to clear and inject the remaining on my husband's retail business that he had been running for the past year in the nearby town. At the moment, everything is moving so well in our household and I am grateful to GiveDirectly for the amazing support that I received.