My life is different than it would have been if I never received the transfer because I managed to build a beautiful spacious iron roof house which is very comfortable than the grass thatched I use to live in in the recent past. I have also managed to pay school fee for my daughter who is in secondary school which had been a big problem in the past. She was continuously being seent from school due to the fee arrears she owed the school which made her miss her classes and as a result led to a drop in her grades. I am now confident she will do well in her final exams at the end of the year. I also have a business that can bring me some income unlike the past when I used to rely on casual labour as my main source of income which was very unreliable.

In my own opinion, GiveDirectly does well by giving cash transfer to the poor and allowing them to spend it as per their priorities.As a result, most of the poor households which could not afford the basic needs of life such as food, clothing and proper houses have been able to experience great changes in their life and feel proud of themselves because of the aid they received from GiveDirectly.

I spent my second transfer to build a new house because I had a small grass thatched house which leaked from the roof during rainy seasons and made us feel really uncomfortable because the house became very wet and cold. I am now very happy since I have a big iron roofed house and I no longer get worried when it rains instead I trap rainwater from the gutters I fixed on my roof. I also spent my second transfer to buy a dairy cow which I am optimistic that it will soon start producing milk for our consumption. I always buy milk from my neighbours which is very costly and unreliable for our nutritional needs as a family. Having my own now makes me proud and I believe it will bear more calves and in future, I will also be selling milk to get some income.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that my children can never go to bed on empty stomachs like they used to previously.

I received the message when at home at the time. I did not believe and I had to call my co-wife to help me confirm. I was so exited.

I spent my first transfer on buying building materials that I used to build a new house. I had a very small,squeezed old house. I am happy I am going to have a better house. I am also saving some for school fees for my children when the schools open.