The biggest difference is that I am now hopeful of living in my own home. Through the transfers I got from Give Directly I have already bought the necessary building materials. I have also managed to pay school fees for my children and they can now attend school undisrupted. Initially, I only used to depend on casual jobs. The money I got from these jobs was enough to buy basic needs. I used to save nothing towards this goal therefore there were slim chances of establishing my home. I am happy that soon I will be living with my family in our homestead.

In my opinion, the fact that the grant issued by Give Directly is unconditional makes it so unique. One can use the money how best they feel without restrictions and again as I have said it is a grant hence you owe no one. Saying GD has done well will be an understatement. If I were a donor then I would replicate what GD has done to our community with confidence.

Upon receiving my second transfer, I decided to upgrade my house. I had been living in a grass-thatched house for quite a long time and I felt it was the opportune time to transition. So I spent Kes 25,000 to upgrade to an iron-roofed house. I bought a second-hand motorcycle for the taxi business I have been yarning to start then the remaining amount I paid fees to prevent my children from being sent home for school fees.

Having dairy cows has made my daily life to be totally different. I settled in buying them because I was very sure I would achieve a lot since they have numerous benefits. First, I will be getting some milk for free for my family consumption, secondly, I will sell the remaining liters to the local markets. This will be my major source of income. I will save the little money that I will be earning and send my children to college once they graduate from secondary schools. Apart from that, I will also be able to fulfill their daily needs from the sale of milk. I thank Give Directly for empowering me because I wouldn't have achieved any of these without their help.

I was awakened by a loud vibration from my mobile phone. I was a bit shocked and became nervous at the same time because It was unusual to get a message that early. I decided to check what the notification was all about and who might have sent it only to realize it was an mpesa message from GiveDirectly. I was very happy to have received such news. I immediately started planning on how I would utilize it. I thank Give Directly for making my day that morning.

I spent part of my first transfer on buying three dairy cows at KES 34000. It has been my long-time dream to own them but due to my low income, I could not afford to even buy one dairy cow. I later bought two mattresses because previously we were using old ones that were torn. We used to add torn clothes to cushion us from the old thin mattress. We always complained of back pains as a result of using old and torn bedding. In addition to that, I also cleared school fees for my children so that they could study without being distracted by being sent home more often. I bought some foodstuffs for my family and some other household items with the remaining amount of money .