My biggest accomplishment would be to educate my children. The eldest daughter has completed her teaching training and my worry is to have my lastborn son join her sister who is in university. The funds enabled him to pick his certificate, but his accomplishment would be to have all of them complete their college training and get jobs.

It is every parent’s wish to see his or her children happy, and what more could you give your children other than education? This will remain to be one of the outstanding things that GiveDirectly did well. Water is a major issue and for many years, I could not afford a water tank. It is an accomplishment to own a tank and see some of my neighbors' tanks as well. I am grateful to realize that brought by GiveDirectly and would pray that they will continue in the same spirit.

I have been worrying about the future of my family and how to educate my children without a reliable source of income. My husband is old and we mostly depend on farming, but the prolonged drought has caused me to work as a charcoal burner to support my family. I have three children, who have been struggling to educate, and education, bursary one finished high school, the other is in university and the eldest of them is completing his teaching studies. As soon as I got enrolled, the first transfer was used to clear outstanding balances for all three of them, and what remained was just enough to buy four goats. I used my second transfer of $210 as the final payment for my eldest daughter to complete her attachment, which included accommodation, food, and teaching materials. I bought a bale of corn flour for $24. I sold a goat for $60 and with the remaining cash, could buy a 5000ltr water tank. For years, I was drinking dirty water, and with the rains and the gutters that had been installed sometime back was the only way I could take advantage of the short rains experienced in the area.

I was distraught about how I would raise fees for my three children in high school. I had tried every way including seeking help from government offices but I was not successful. I was not at peace at all until the following day when I woke up, I took my phone to check the time and prepare my children for school. I was surprised to find a Mpesa message. When I checked who the sender was, it was from GiveDirectly. I could not hold back the joy that I felt. I cleared the fee arrears and my children were allowed to continue with their studies.

Seeing my three children going on with their studies without interruptions on school fees makes it to be the biggest difference in my daily life. They are all in high school and raising the fees for all of them has been my biggest struggle. I opted to seek help with bursaries but they have not been consistent in giving them out. My husband's meagre earnings from the casual jobs could cater for food only and not fees. Because of this, my children were frequently sent home and it could take me weeks to pay for one, the others had to stay at home until I had enough to pay. I am grateful to GiveDirectly because had I not received the money, they would be at home waiting. I cleared the arrears on time which gave me enough time to save and prepare for the next payment.

I thank GiveDirectly for giving me the transfer which has brought peace to my household. My three children were sent home because I could not pay for their fees on time. They are in high school and they were missing a lot since their learning was discontinued. When I received the transfer, I spent Ksh. 35000 on clearing the fee arrears and they were allowed to continue with their studies. Apart from this, I also spent Ksh. 12000 on buying four goats which I am currently keeping on my homestead. These are my living assets that I can readily rely on when a financial need arises. I believe that through the goats, I will be able to raise fees for my children as they advance their education. I am a housewife and my husband relies on casual jobs which are hard to find. Saving money for my children is not possible since every coin goes to food. Owning the goats is a security for the future of my children's education. I spent the remaining amount of the money on food. I purchased a bag of maize which could serve us for weeks.