I am currently thinking about starting a chicken farming company. I created this objective after observing how quickly they mature and how ready markets are. In addition, starting this business doesn't demand a lot of money and it is manageable. I intend to achieve my goal once I have some money, so.

We have relied on GiveDirectly at our most trying moments. Providing us with transfers with no conditions attached has made our tasks more efficient. Some of us didn't even have the resources to afford decent housing, but now that GiveDirectly is here, we have both decent housing and a place to call home.

When I withdrew the second transfer, I first bought a bed and a mattress for $136. Initially, I was sleeping on a small traditional bed tied with ropes. That bed was not comfortable to sleep on. Currently, I sleep on a modern standard bed that has a good mattress. This has brought me happiness because I am more comfortable than before. I also spent $60 to plow my shamba ready for the planting season. After that, I renovated my house by doing flooring and also bought a durable door. Thereafter, being the breadwinner for my family, I decided to keep the remaining amount for family use as I carry on with my casual labor of charcoal burning.

I remember very well that evening I received the transfer notification. I was at home with my family, waiting for supper to be ready and finally retiring to bed. While I was taking my supper, I received an alert on my phone. Since I could not comprehend the contents of the message, I showed my helper who informed me that It was a Mpesa message. I was over the moon when she disclosed to me that I had received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. I thanked GiveDirectly for coming in and raising our living standards through the transfers.

The biggest difference in my daily life so far is that I was able to renovate my living house through the transfer. I have tried for several years to save money for this purpose, but I could reach this goal. I have been sheltering in a temporary mud house with no plans of upgrading it to be a permanent one. The walls had become weak and could easily be swept away by heavy rains. Though I was still staying in this house, I was not at peace. I was worried that my house would one day be carried away by a heavy downpour. I am grateful to GiveDirectly because I am no longer worried about rains since I rebuilt the house using cement, sand and stones. It is currently decent and stable unlike before the renovations were done.

I spent a larger portion of my first transfer on purchasing building materials to renovate my living house. Initially, it was built using mud hence temporary. My goal was to rebuild it to at least be a semi-permanent one. I thus purchased building stones, cement and sand to facilitate the renovation. I am glad that It's now decent and stable unlike when I had not I received the transfer. In addition to this, I also spent Ksh. 11000 on buying three goats which I am currently keeping on my homestead. My expectation is that these goats will reproduce and increase in number. They are assets that I can readily rely on in case of a financial need. I spent the small portion that remained on buying foodstuffs which include a bag of maize and vegetables daily. This ensured that food was adequately available for my family to take three meals a day.