In the coming year, I have ambitious plans to expand my farming operations and ensure adequate food production and surplus for sale. I have been reliant on a small piece of land on my parents' property, but I am currently looking into leasing additional land to ensure diversified production throughout the seasons. I believe that the harvest proceeds from the current plantations will allow for expansion into other pieces of land.

I am delighted that the program was carried out in such a detailed manner that it allowed every household to enroll and earn a similar amount of money that transformed their families. The freedom to choose how to spend made the program appealing to every household because we could deal with our individual issues without being forced to spend in a certain way. Many people solve the water problem by purchasing large water tanks that are currently collecting rainwater and saving every household a lot of time that would have been wasted traveling to the dams to fetch water. If this could be replicated in other villages, I believe it would result in a significant transformation and an improved standard of living throughout the villages.

After purchasing 22 iron sheets and paying the labor costs during the construction process, I spent $400 of my second transfer on the construction of a new house. I had to demolish a small house and construct a new, larger one for my family of four. I am relieved that my children now have a room where they can study and sleep quietly. I also spent $50 of the remaining funds on leasing land and later planting maize, the rest on a $45 sack of maize, and the last bit on new pairs of clothes for my two children. I am grateful for GiveDirectly's generous support, which has significantly improved our standard of living.

I felt so much happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. I was at home and was planning to step out for our normal casual work. I had just passed by a friend's place whom we were to do the casual work with. It was at around that time that his phone rang and when he checked, he found out that he had been sent money from GiveDirectly. He felt so happy and shared the good news with him. Minutes later, my phone too rang and I had also been sent a sum of KES 55000. I informed my wife of the good news and she celebrated with me. We had already made plans on how we were going to spend the money hence we did not have any problems whatsoever.

The biggest difference in my life since I started receiving payments from GiveDirectly is the fact that I am happier than I have ever been before. I feel so much empowered that I have living assets like cows and in the process of putting up a better structure. These are things I always yearned for but which I was always reminded that I could not accomplish them soon. The assets that I have shall definitely make my life much more easy and enjoyable. I have also been living in a small house that would not accord me the luxury of hosting visitors comfortably. I am so much happy that finally I am going to be able to realize this dream of building a better house.

We spent KES 40000 to buy two heifers and used the remaining amount to buy iron sheets and other building materials. The decision to buy livestock was so I could pay my dowry and so we could get milk for family as well. I normally rely on casual work to help me feed my family and I could not accumulate enough money to be able to do this all that while. I am happy that my child and family will have plenty of milk supply and will quarantee them a good source of protein.