My short term goal is to start a hotel at Gade, where I live. A nice, quaint, little hotel where I would make local delicacies such as chapati, mandazi, tea, beans etc, to cater to my local coastal market. I believe I could excel in this. In the long term, my plan would be to use this new revenue stream, as well as others I will get along the way, to ensure both my family, and myself, have a good and better life than we have had so far.

To say that GiveDirectly transforms lives, would be an understatement. I was literally without a door in my house, nor a place to call a bed and lay my head. Thanks to GiveDirectly, the quality of life I am living now is much better than I had previously. I have nothing to ask GiveDirectly to improve on, may they continue with the programme, by sending more transfers, to help complete the transformation they have already began in recipients lives. Eg. I would love help setting up my hotel business and an injection of funds from GiveDirectly would ensure I not only begin, but complete that project in record time.

The transfers from GiveDirectly bought me a bed and a mattress, which I had long wanted, but had been unable to purchase. The remainder of the funds were channeled towards buying 4 goats, of whom 3 are female and 1 is male. I am hoping that they will breed and become a secondary, if not primary source of income for me and my family. With the balance left over from my two initial big purchases, I paid school fees for my eldest of 2 kids, which is KES. 700 per term, at Kilifi Miriangu Primary School. My youngest is 11 months and was a beneficiary of new clothes from the money sent by GiveDirectly. As for me and my husband, we were thankful that my eldest, who lives in Kilifi with the grand mother, could study for a while longer without the doom of arrears looming over her head and that my husband, who earns KES. 2,000 per week carrying goods in Mombasa, could rest easy a bit knowing the funds had chattered for some of our recurring bills, for that period. We will eternally be grateful to GiveDirectly for all they have done for us as a family.

The moment I received my transfer, I can vividly recall that it was early in the morning when suddenly I had my phone ringing. On checking what the text message was all about, I realised that I had received money from GiveDirectly. This was the happiest day in my life, I was so overwhelmed with joy and happiness. When GiveDirectly promised us unconditional cash I thought it was a lie. I then broke the good news to my husband who was equally happy and finally we embarked on planning.

The biggest difference in my life today is that I was able to buy a bed and a mattress. I now sleep in a decent place unlike before. This is a dream come true. I could not afford decent bedding due to financial constraints. In addition to that, I no longer go to bed on an empty stomach because we were able to stomach enough foodstuffs. I am so grateful for the support that changed our living standard amazingly.

My husband and I depended on the charcoal vending business to earn a living, though for the past few months things have been rough on our side. The little we make from it is not enough to sustain us fully. Therefore the transfer was timely and it came when we needed it most, In that, I was able to secure foodstuffs for my family. This meant a lot to us because at some point we used to sleep on an empty stomach. I then used KES 7200 in renovating my house by putting on a steel door. Lastly, I Saved KES 5000 for my child's school fees. I was unable to achieve all this due to an unstable source of income. I am so grateful for the support that lifted my living standard tremendously.