All thanks to GiveDirectly for the support accorded to us inform of unconditional transfers during these tough times. However, in my own opinion, I would love to receive the amount wholesomely instead of getting it in bits to ensure proper planning of different projects.

The tough economic and financial times have pushed us to the limit but GiveDirectly has been a guardian angel sent from above. I am married to one husband who is a motorcycle taxi driver earning his income by ferrying people and goods from one place to their destination. Together we have four kids two of whom are in school and with the KES 3000 received, I have been able to pay up part of the school fees amounting to KES 600. Food in the house was finished and despite my day to day job of cooking and selling food to revellers, I was short of purchasing more from my income but from the balance that remained out of the amount received, I was able to spare KES 1400 to add to the food supplements. Poultry farming too has been a major goal and I have been able to buy five chicken for a total of KES 1000 with the hope of adding more in the near future.

Normally you would find me selling food in the street but on this day, I was at home doing some laundry. I was also very worried about where I would get the next meal. The children were hungry and unsettled. My husband and I had not been lucky at work the previous day and we had no funds. Therefore, when I got the message confirming that I had received money from give directly, I was lost for words. My heart was overflowing with joy. I finished what I was doing and rushed out to buy some sustenance for the children. 

With only KES 50 earning from the street food selling business, it has been quite hard to provide for my family leave alone put up a decent structure for them. My husband's pay as a motorcyclist is also very minimal. We (my husband and I) live in a one-roomed antiquated house. Since it cannot accommodate the children, we are forced to send them to my mother-in-law's house. The money I am receiving has and will make a great difference in my life. I now have hopes of putting up a three-roomed structure that will enable us to live as a family. If it was possible to get the funds in bulk, I would have preferred to get KES 55,000 so I may start working on my project. But since this is not possible, I plan on saving up until I get to my targeted amount and then proceed to work on it.

I work as a street food vendor. My daily profit is KES 50. This I would top up to what my husband makes as a motorcyclist (boda-boda operator) and ensure we meet our daily needs as a family. We have four children together. One is still breastfeeding, two are in kindergarten, and one is in class three. We always work to ensure we pay their fees on time. On the other hand, the most challenging need to satisfy is food provision. Often, we would skip lunch so we could manage what we have. On this very day, when I received these funds, we had run out of food in our household. Even though I had other plans with the money like building a three-roomed house from the one-roomed one that we had which couldn't accommodate us, I had no option but to use it all on food.