I was unable to begin the construction of a new house, which we had always hoped to begin, after dividing the received funds and distributing them among the various projects we had. My growing family of five is currently struggling to fit into our small house, but I am optimistic that once we finish the current running projects, we will shift our focus to the construction of a larger house. The subsistence farming we are doing now is promising, and once we harvest in January, I hope to sell the excess produce and use the proceeds to purchase materials that will be useful in the early stages of construction.

GiveDirectly's in-house enrollment allowed each household to make an independent decision about participating in the project and, later, the best way to spend the received transfers. Unlike previous organizations, GiveDirectly's approach was unique in that it ensured fairness by giving everyone a chance and then sending us an equal amount of money. We were encouraged and advised on the risks that the fraudsters might pose, which reduced theft among the beneficiaries. I am grateful for the assistance and the clear enrollment process that helped us understand the entire project and the source of the funding that we were receiving.

Previously, I had only one lactating cow that provided us with enough milk during the peak seasons, and during the dry seasons, we had to spend at least $2 per day on milk for my family of five. We intended to add another good breed to supplement the production of more liters after receiving the transfers from GiveDirectly. I then spent $330 on a lactating cow, which is currently providing us with five liters of milk per day. We are no longer purchasing and have devised a strategy to alternate their breeding and ensure that we have enough milk throughout the year. I also spent $60 on two sacks of maize, which we are still eating. In addition, I purchased new pairs of clothes for my three children, my husband, and myself. In addition, I spent $120 on school fees for my older son, who is in fifth grade. To help pay some of the household bills, I have relied on the sale of surplus milk from my livestock. I am grateful for the help and the addition of another cow, which has ensured the consistent availability of milk for my family and, consequently, income when we have extra liters to sell.

It was around 6:00 pm when I received the money from GiveDirectly. I informed my husband later on after confirming that indeed we had received money from GiveDirectly. For a moment, I could not believe that I had actually received money from GiveDirectly. After confirming that I had indeed received money from GiveDirectly, I informed my husband who was very happy.

The biggest difference is in the investments that we have made so far. We wouldn't for example be able to buy a dairy cow since the amount of income that we get from his motorcycle hustle that my husband engages in is hardly enough to allow us make ends meet. For the first time, we were able to till land up to 2 acres up from half an acre.

We used KES 27000 to buy a dairy cow and used another KES 10000 for tilling a piece of land that we owned and purchase of seeds. And the remaining amount of money was used to buy food and furniture for the household. We did not have any dairy cow when we received money from GiveDirectly and it was bound to be a priority since it is something that will change our lives a great deal. For the first time, we also put more land under agriculture; putting almost 2 acres under agriculture and expecting a much more bigger harvest this coming season.