My new goal is to start a new business. I plan to start a shop keeping business in a nearby centre next to my home. Currently I rely on odd casual jobs like digging pit latrine in order to make income. This job is strenuous and gives very little income at the end of the day. It is for this reason that I am thinking about starting a new business in a nearby centre that will help me make more income. Currently I am on a savings plan towards actualizing this goal.

In my opinion GiveDirectly did very well in enrolling everyone without any form of biasness whatsoever. This gave all the residents an equal opportunity to benefit from the program.

I used all of my recent transfer to build a new house. I had managed to save some amount from the first transfer and I combined with the second transfer to build a bigger and better house from the first that I owned. I had for a long time stayed in a very small grass thatched house that could not provide me with the much needed comfort. I could not be in a position to build a new one too since I depend entirely on casual work to raise income which gives me just enough for food. I am so happy that GiveDirectly has enabled me build a more permanent, more decent house.

It was 6 am and I was still in my bed, sleeping when suddenly my phone rang hence jolting me from my sleep. I woke up and I reached out for my phone to check what the SMS was all about. I was surprised and I could not believe my eyes when I read that I had received KES 55000 from GiveDirectly. I was so happy on seeing this piece of wonderful news that I immediately lost sleep. I went out and I met with my brother who was also happy and celebrating because he had also received the transfer. I joined the celebration and we thanked God and GiveDirectly for blessing us.

The biggest difference that the transfer has brought into my life is that with having bought the cow, I no longer incur the cost of buying milk. I also no longer go out to do casual jobs to earn a living since I am busy looking after my cow. I get my income from the sale of milk. I usually supply 2 liters in the morning to one of my neighbors and he pays me at the end of the month. In the evening, I also sell 2 liters but on retail. The money that I get from the sales usually helps me in buying essential household items such as sugar, tea leaves, etc. My life has thus changed for the better and I am no longer poor like before. This is all thanks to GiveDirectly.

I spent KES 30000 of my recent transfer on buying a cow. I bought the cow because I didn't have one. I hence usually incur the cost of buying milk. I have also been renting out my piece of land to one of my neighbors for his cow to graze on it. It has always been my desire to have a cow of my own but due to a lack of money, I have not been in a position to buy one. I do not have a stable source of income and hence I have been depending on casual jobs to earn a living. The money that I get is little and it is only enough to buy food and milk. There is hence nothing to save. Other than the above, I also bought seven iron sheets at a total cost of KES 5950 and I used them to construct a cowshed. This way I will not be rained on when milking the cow. With the remaining transfer amount, I spent it on buying some things that were missing in my household. I bought three tables at KES 1400 per table. I also bought a hand sprayer machine at KES 1850, clothes, some utensils, a pair of shoes, and some beddings, that is, a mattress, three blankets, and a bedsheet. I am thus so much grateful to GiveDirectly for their support.