I would like to start a business selling water to people in my neighborhood. This would significantly increase my income and, potentially, allow me to provide a better life for my children in the future.

GiveDirectly gave me the opportunity to realize many of my dreams and ambitions. I wanted to change my situation numerous times but was unable to do so due to financial constraints. I hope they will continue to help others as they have helped me for many years to come.

I used the GiveDirectly funds to upgrade my house to a two-bedroom with an attached verandah. This had been a long-held ambition of mine, and GiveDirectly enabled me to realize it. This was closely followed by my purchase of pvc water pipes, which I installed throughout the house to ensure we have a consistent supply of piped water. I went on to buy a female goat, food for my children and myself, and school supplies. I'm a single mother of six children. I had seven children, but both my last child and my husband died. My three eldest children are all married and raising their own families. They have a sibling in Mombasa who is a college student studying tailoring.My final two are both casual laborers. I was relieved that the funds enabled me to meet the financial needs of my children without requiring my eldest to assist in their care. I was previously solely reliant on burning wood to make charcoal and selling it to make a living, so the funds from GiveDirectly came as a huge relief.

It was some minutes to 7 pm when I heard a message tone from my phone while cooking. Since I do not know how to read, I contacted my helper who came to check the message that had been sent to my phone. Upon checking, he confirmed that I had received KES 55000.00 from GiveDirectly. My heart became cold in happiness and thankful for receiving the first transfer.

Initially, I relied on making and selling charcoals for survival which was very tiring work. I am glad for receiving the transfer because it enabled me to take a long rest from the charcoal job. Since the time I received the transfer, I have never gone to the bush looking for tree tramps for making charcoal. Through GiveDirectly, I have been able to eat well and do my things comfortably. My house is now better, it looks beautiful and this is because of GiveDirectly.

Since I am a widow, I do not have someone to depend on fully. The job that has been keeping me going was making and selling charcoals which is now a difficult job due to old age. When I withdrew the money, I bought a modern standard bed and a mattress for KES 15500.00. I bought these because I was using a traditional bed and a mat which were not comfortable to sleep on. I also bought a wooden door for my house because for quite some time I had a door made of an iron sheet and it was not secured enough to give me confidence once I leave home. Thereafter, I assisted my elder son with KES 13000.00 to complete the roofing of his house because he was stuck and they had nowhere to sleep. I had to offer some shelter for my daughter-in-law due to the situation the house was in. Currently, they are happy in their house after completing the roof. I also bought a sack of maize to ensure food security at home. Since the unconditional transfer aimed to uplift our living standards, I opted to plaster my house to make it better than how it looks. I bought 9 bags of cement for KES 6120.00 and used KES 9000.00 for the labor charge. Having done that I opted to save the remaining amount for my upkeep.