I have been living in a grass thatched house which my husband built three years ago. During that time, its status has deteriorated with time and of late no matter how many times we smear it and repair the roof by putting new grass, it was like we were wasting resources, energy and time. It was old, small and even leaning on one side. It was time we built a new house. Since we did not have the resources, we had to wait a little longer and pray it did not collapse before we built a new one. This is why my priority was to buy building material such as iron sheets, timber and nails which I have used to put up a decent iron-roofed house. I feel so proud of the house and I am determined to plaster it and make it semi-permanent.

In opinion, I feel GD did well coming to our village and working independently. It was good to consult the village elders in moving around the village but making decisions on their own was the wise step. Had they involved the village elders, so many people in the village would have missed the transfers. According to me, I am satisfied with the process.

I spent my second transfer on buying tree seedlings which I have planted on my farm already. I know the process takes time but when they will have matured, I will be able to sell at a higher price which also helps in crop rotation on my farm. I also used the money to buy building materials which I have already used to put up a decent iron-roofed house. The house makes me happy because I feel I am at the same pace as my colleagues. I paid school fees arrears for my children to reduce the balance they had in school so that they may not accumulate until they are sent home for fees. The rest O used to buy some basic household necessities which had been used up in the house.

I have desired to build a bigger and spacious house that could accommodate my children because they have been seeking shelter from the neighborhood at night for a long time. Due to financial constraints, constructing a new house seemed impossible to me because I couldn't meet the full cost of the materials. I thank GiveDirectly because I am now in the process of building the house. I bought enough pieces of iron sheets, building poles and nails through the money sent to me. Had it not been GiveDirectly coming to us, then I would not have acquired all these materials. I know once this house is complete, then my children will no longer be troubled anymore concerning shelter, which makes it to be the biggest difference in my daily life.

I was woken up by a message alert on my phone. I was curious to know who could have sent me a message at that hour. However, on checking the contents of the message, I was overwhelmed with joy because GiveDirectly had finally fulfilled their promise. My first transfer had finally been sent. I thanked them as I planned for the money effectively in a way that my life would be transformed.

I spent a larger portion of the transfer to buy building materials in order to construct a new house since the one I currently live in is not spacious enough to accommodate my children. This has forced them to seek for shelter in the neighborhood at night. Due to this, I bought pieces of iron sheets at KES 20500, building poles at KES 16500 and nails. I also paid KES 10000 for my child's school fees. He is now comfortable in school and this will give me an opportunity to prepare for the next payment. I saved the remaining amount to pay for the mason for his job.