Right now I have three cows which I already bought using the cash transfers from the organization and I feel that I need one more cow to reach four, which is the appropriate number of cows needed for any cultivation session.

The biggest difference for me has been the three cows that I purchased using the cash transfers that I have been getting from the organization. It has not been an easy ride for us as a family but then due to combined efforts with my spouse, we have made this possible. Going into the future we will not be hiring casual laborers who used to come and cultivate our land using their own cows since we had none by that time.

I will have a big change because for one I will not be hiring cows and casual laborers to the cultivation at a cost, instead my husband will take care of that job. This, therefore, means that the money I would have spent on the hiring process will be diverted to a more useful channel within the house such as paying school fees for the kids.

I have a big change as I only dreamt of venturing into livestock but could not do so. Now, I am happy that my dream has come true and I am having a big fleet of livestock. Currently, I am able to save the transfer in merry-go-rounds that helps me fulfil my long term goals something, casual work can not enable me to.. I am also able to buy food for my family on a daily basis and I can confess my children are healthier now.

My new goal is to save and buy more livestock for rearing. I wish to increase my flock as the more I have the more wealthy I get.

I have been able to venture into livestock rearing. I have always wanted to rear livestock as it is associated with wealth in my community. This could hardly happen as I earned so little from casual work which only saw us buy a meal a day. The livestock rearing helps in raising income to use in paying school fees for my children, buy food for consumption and also clothes to put on our backs. That is the biggest difference in my daily life.

I want to save and buy building materials like cement and sand to use in plastering my house. I built a house a long time ago but could not plaster it as my income was so little it covered only a few needs in my household. I wish to add more and more livestock for rearing to help increase my levels of income for the family.

I have bought household items i.e sofa seats to beautify my house and clothes for my kids who had old ones. I also bought livestock for rearing for sale later when I have financial constraints. I also used the transfers to pay school fees for my children who now get to stay in school and concentrate on doing better in their studies.

I want to save some money from the transfers to use in buying building materials i.e cement and sand to plaster my house. I had not plastered it because I earned so little that cater to my family's upkeep. I also would wish to buy more livestock to rear for financial security.

The biggest difference in my life right now is that I have ventured into livestock farming since I started receiving the transfers. I have managed to buy a few goats that I plan on rearing for financial security. Whenever I have financial constraints, I can always sell them to get money. My children are sure to get money to pay school fees arrears on time.

I want to save some more to buy building materials that I plan to use in plastering my house. I had built a house in the previous years but I had not plastered it because I had other commitments and also earned so little from casual labour that could only buy food to feed my family.

My life is currently different because I can now afford to buy decent clothes. I used to have one that I wore on every special occasion. One could recognize from afar. I used to be embarrassed but that's life and there is nothing I could do at that time. I can also eat well, unlike before where I used to eat the same food in every meal for weeks. I could at times sleep hungry on bad days.

My new goal is to buy a cow so that I will no longer buy milk. Milk is expensive, I use 50 KES on a daily basis. One day the cow will give birth, therefore, increasing in number and produce milk at the same time. I will sell some of the milk produced and spare some of it for my family to supplement our meals. I could not afford to buy a cow with my charcoal business because all the profit went to our daily expenses.

The biggest difference in my daily life in the last four months is that I was able to buy three goats. To me, this is an achievement because my livestock has increased and the goats I bought are almost giving birth. In case of an emergency, I can sought my self out without asking for loans. I feel confident and can face life with lots of courage since my assets have increased. I can sleep peacefully knowing there is something that I can hold on to in case life turns into hell, like it at times does. I bet I could not have reached this far with my charcoal business alone

I expect my life to change in the next six months because I am planning to expand my house since it is small and uncomfortable. We normally hit each other when walking inside . My kids are growing and they will need to have their own rooms. I also need a room to store my grains after the harvest.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have money at least to meet my family needs as I have money from GiveDirectly.I have time to do other things unlike before when I could stay in the forest the whole day burning charcoal.

In the next six months, I expect to have built the house that is my new goal. My life will have changed for the better.

Were it not for GiveDirectly, I would still be enduring the strong heat that comes from burning charcoal. I would have never had any goats in my kraal for lack of money to purchase any. These are the differences in my current life were it not for the money I received apart from being healthy.

My new goal is to build a more spacious house. My current house is too squeezed to accomodate my growing family.