On realizing that I had received the promised transfer from GiveDirectly, I was very excited. It was still early in the morning as I was getting ready to visit the hospital where my niece had been admitted. On picking up the phone before I could step out, I noticed that there was a new message that I could not resist opening up - this was a confirmation of the receipt of my first transfer. I was very happy and had to get back to my seat, called my household members around, and shared the great news with them. After what seemed like a celebration as we reflect on the struggles we had been through, I decided to withdraw the money right away and keep it somewhere safe in the house before moving out.

The biggest difference in my daily life is the purchase of a dairy cow that has been providing my family with an adequate supply of milk. It has been a good feeling for my family in that I am no longer struggling to buy but instead selling the surplus to the neighborhood as an additional source of income.

After my elder sons and daughters moved out to start their respective families, I had been living with my grandchild for over a year now. During this period, I had gotten a dairy cow to keep from one of my generous neighbors. The cost of buying milk was not a part of my budget since the milk I would get would even earn me some proceeds after the sale every morning. It was almost an unfortunate occurrence when she needed to clear the debts she had, and the only way she could raise the money was through selling out of his cow that I could not afford to buy then. For a period of two months, we had been taking black tea and sometimes obtaining a liter of milk from the neighborhood for our morning tea. It was a relief when I finally received the first transfer that I spent KES 37000 on buying a lactating dairy cow that has since been producing at least four liters of milk every day. This has restored the happiness that we previously had in that, we now have enough milk for our household's usage and a surplus for sale every day. I also obtained two sacks of maize at KES 7000, a new bed, and a mattress worth KES 4700 - that has made my nights comfortable after sleeping on the floor for a long time. I also spent part of the remaining amount on buying new clothes both for my grandchild and mine at a total cost of KES 2900. I spent the remaining amount on buying other household goods that were still missing.