In Kalenjin land, when one marries, he is given a piece of land to construct and live on with his family. Being the case, we inherited 0.2 acres of land that we have since constructed, with a small piece remaining for kitchen gardening. Since we have never had the finances to purchase an addition, we leased another piece to cultivate maize to provide food for the household, and now we wish to have our own. My plan is to purchase an additional 0.2 acres of land to cultivate and provide food for the family of 4, and hence save the money that could be used for leasing land.

If it were not for the transfers, then I am not sure how my life could be by now. I am glad that the transfers have touched the lives of my family greatly, for we have acquired assets that we never thought could be within our reach now. This is the case for other community members, and I commend GiveDirectly for the amazing impact it has had on the people on the ground. I am grateful for the opportunity I have had with the organization, for it has been a life-changing one.

In Kalenjin culture, owning a cow is a sign of wealth since one can sell, pay dowry, or provide milk both for the household and for sale. As a family, we did not have a cow, and we used to purchase 1 liter of milk daily for $0.6 to use in the household. This was financially draining given that the family of four depends on my husband, who works at a factory, to earn only $60 monthly, which all caters to food for the household and therefore leaves no surplus. Therefore, when I received the transfers, I spent $280 on purchasing a dairy cow to provide food and income for my family through the sales. In addition, I spent $90 on putting up windows and a door to my two-room house that I had constructed before and an additional $60 on two chairs for the new house. For the rest of the transfers, I purchased food for the household.

Receiving confirmation of the first transfer was a joyous moment for me, one that I shared with my husband, Emmanuel. We were both at home when the message arrived, and we couldn't contain our excitement. Unfortunately, it was already 4:00 pm, so we were unable to collect the money on the same day. However, we made plans to get to the nearby town the next day to withdraw the funds. The anticipation of accessing the money made our evening a delightful one, and we could hardly wait for the next day to arrive.

The comfort of our new spacious house has been the biggest difference in my daily life since I began receiving payments from GiveDirectly. The old kitchen was always a source for worry because it couldn't withstand the harsh weather conditions, and there was never enough space for all of us. Our new home, however, has changed everything. We now have a sense of security because we do not have to worry about the roof leaking or the walls collapsing. We can finally sleep soundly knowing that we are safe. Furthermore, the new house has raised our status in the society, and we are now proud to host visitors.

With the most recent transfer from GiveDirectly, I was able to complete a number of tasks that had been on my to-do list for some time. First, I constructed a spacious new house that could comfortably accommodate my  family of three. Previously, we lived in a small kitchen that served the dual purposes of cooking and sleeping . The building materials included 26 iron sheets for $195 and building poles for $120. I also hired a skilled contractor whose services cost $40. When it rains, the new house provides us with a comfortable living space as well as protection from infiltrating raindrops. In addition to constructing the new house, I also used part of the transfer to purchase foodstuffs worth $60 for my family. I purchased two chickens for $10 each, which were added to the existing three for egg production, which will help pay some of the household bills. Finally, I used the remaining money to buy new clothes and other household items that we had been in need of for some time. The transfer has made a significant difference in our lives, and we appreciate GiveDirectly's support.