Despite the challenges I face in meeting the payment of school fees for my five children who are currently attending school, I am determined to continue and intensify my farming practices. Looking ahead to the coming year, my goal is to expand my farming operations to a larger area, enabling me to achieve better harvests and subsequently increase my income. By doing so, I aim to not only fulfill my responsibilities in paying for my children's education but also save towards the future purchase of a piece of land. Through this endeavor, I hope to secure a brighter future for my family and create a stable foundation for their well-being.

GiveDirectly has distinguished itself by providing a unique form of aid that was previously absent in our community, even though we had received support from other organizations. The execution of their monetary support was flawless, as they efficiently communicated the project's details in a single meeting, ensuring everyone understood the process. I appreciate the high level of responsibility and accountability demonstrated by every household in my village, with each individual committed to utilizing the funds for their designated projects. The fair and transparent enrollment process fostered trust among the recipients, and the support from GiveDirectly's officers was greatly appreciated. To further enhance the impact of GiveDirectly's assistance, it would be beneficial for them to address cases where recipients may have misused their transfers. By offering additional guidance and support, such as idea generation and involving a responsible person from the neighborhood to monitor their planning and purchases, those who previously wasted their transfers could have an opportunity to use the funds in a more effective manner, thus alleviating their poverty.

With the second transfer, I allocated the funds strategically to further develop my new piece of land, which I intended to cultivate for vegetable farming. The fencing around the land required significant resources, and I was grateful that the transfer proved invaluable in this regard. To complete the fencing project, I invested $290 in purchasing barbed wire and six chainlinks, successfully enclosing the area. Additionally, I hired a labor force to clear the wooden remnants from the ground, spending $80 to complete this task. I am delighted to see that the land is now almost ready for planting, although I have yet to install irrigation equipment due to unfavorable weather conditions. In terms of my family's well-being, I allocated $35 to purchase food for our household of nine individuals. Moreover, I ensured that my second-grade daughter's educational needs were met by paying her $25 school fees, enabling her to focus on her studies. Previously, our livelihood relied on subsistence farming, supported by my husband, who is both a teacher and a farmer. From his salary, we managed to cover the school fees for our five children while attending to other household responsibilities. Additionally, I used a portion of the funds to purchase necessary household goods, ensuring the needs of our family were adequately met.

Looking ahead to this year and beyond, my aspiration is to fully focus on farming and establish it as my primary source of income. Irrigation facilities and support from Give Directly for financial assistance, fills me with great optimism regarding this new investment. I am also looking forward to having a more comfortable family by having all our basic needs taken care of without struggle.

Give Directly excelled in providing us with unconditional transfers, and additionally, they conducted individual follow-ups to track the utilization of the funds. This approach proved to be highly effective in fostering financial responsibility among all recipients in our village, as we were accountable for showcasing tangible outcomes from the transfers. As a result, even after the program concludes, we will have gained the confidence to make informed decisions and utilize substantial sums of money prudently.

Firstly, when I received my second transfers, I decided to invest in tomato farming. With $270 of the unconditional funds, I saw an opportunity to generate sustainable income and provide for my family, I bought tomato seeds, equipment, and other necessary supplies to start my own small scale farming operation in an acre of land. In addition to investing in farming, I recognized the immediate need for nourishment and well-being. I allocated $40 of the unconditional funds to purchase essential food items. This allowed us to provide nutritious meals for me and my family, ensuring that our basic needs were met for about one month. Since education is a powerful tool for empowerment, and I understand its value. I prioritized the education for my children by utilizing $140 of the unconditional funds to pay school fees. It was very important for me to clear the arrears since my kids have been off school for so long and I had to let them catch up with the rest of the children

I was not expecting to receive the money that month having been informed by officers who enrolled us that we were going to receive the money in a month's time only for us to receive the money almost immediately after enrollment. I felt happy that I was finally going to accomplish the things I had planned without any stress.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that I now have a clear plan on what I need to do. Having been greatly boosted by GiveDirectly to do some of the things like farming and sending my child to school have made me so proud of myself and in a position to plan ahead. The helping hand offered by GiveDirectly has been replicated everywhere and people have gotten what to do for once. We are proud and happy for this as a village. There is total change across my village that cannot go unnoticed and unappreciated. We are simply happy and proud as a people.

When I received my most recent transfer of $200, I used $85 to till a piece of land , erect ridges for purposes of irrigation, bought maize seeds and paid casuals who helped me with the planting. I used another $100 to do some shopping for my daughter who was joining nursing school at that time. The remaining amount was used for travelling expenses and to meet other small needs for the family. Without this transfer I would have had to forego some of these things in order to concentrate on paying school fees and settling my child in school. I am so happy that my crops are doing perfectly well right now and I can only look forward to a better harvest. Last year we had serious droughts that rendered our farms almost unproductive and which affected livestock keeping which normally supplements the income that we make.