I received the money at around 3:00 pm when I heard my phone ring. Upon checking and reading the name Segovia I could not read further. I had already paid school fees for my daughter who is doing her form four this year. I knew very well that failing to plan this cash would be detrimental because of the many needs that we had. The money came at a time that we hardly had any food within our household. I took almost a week organizing myself on how I was going to spend the money. I later withdrew the money and used it to fence a compound that now hosts my livestock.

The biggest difference in my life since I started receiving this transfer is that my stress levels have greatly reduced. Over the recent past some of my livestock were eaten up by a hyena since we stay close to a forest. Such happenings and failing to raise enough money to pay school fees are just but a few incidences that increases my stress levels occasionally. GiveDirectly came in handy and stood in the gap to help me reduce such stresses. I am personally very happy that I was considered to be part of this program. I am sure my life and that of my family shall henceforth change and we shall forever be indebted to GiveDirectly.

When I received a sum of $180, I used $60 to buy fencing posts and another $50 was used to hire a piece of land for farming under irrigation. $20 was used to cater for labour by people who helped me put up the fence. $15 was used to pay school fees for one of my children and the remaining amount was used to meet other needs of my family. I am eternally grateful that this transfer has completely turned around my life by enabling me achieve things that would otherwise have remained as just dreams. Being a single mother of four who relies on livestock keeping and irrigation farming to earn a living, things had been tough for me especially with the drought situation that we have been experiencing. We have hardly had any rains over the last three years making our lives very difficult. I am so happy and grateful to God for the mitigation that this transfer has brought not just in my life but for everyone within my village that has received this transfer. We look forward to achieving much more with the transfers that we are expecting and on top of my priority list is to clear school fees for my children and make them .kre comfortable in school.