I took my phone to a nearby shop to charge it in the evening and didn't realize that transfers would be made that day. Later in the evening, a relative stopped by and asked if I had received my transfer because he had received his. When I heard this, I went to the shop to get my phone and check if I had received mine. When I turned on my phone, I saw several messages, including one from Mpesa. I was overjoyed and couldn't wait to withdraw the money, as I was thinking of using it to build an iron-roofed house to replace my current grass-thatched one.

With my family of five, we have faced a lot of challenges living in a small, grass-thatched house. This house used to leak uncontrollably whenever it rained, leaving my family in the cold sometimes. Additionally, the grass was worn out due to destruction by termites, and we had to replace it frequently, which was tiresome. Building a decent, iron-roofed house was out of the question, considering that we could not afford to buy the required building materials. I mainly do subsistence farming during the planting season, while my husband does casual jobs, such as working on other people's farms. Thus, it was really hard to plan to upgrade our house while providing for our family of seven and paying fees for my five children in school. However, when I received the transfer, it empowered me, and I was able to purchase iron sheets, building poles, and timber and pay the mason for his job. My house is now complete—a decent iron-roofed house. I am at peace with my family having a good house, which would have otherwise taken years to build had I not received the financial support, and I am forever grateful to GiveDirectly for this enablement.

I have always wanted to build a decent house for my family, but due to financial constraints, I couldn't afford to buy the necessary building materials. As a result, we had no choice but to continue living in our small grass-thatched house with our five children. I had no hope of upgrading to a better house where I would be free from the effects of heavy rains and the cold weather. However, our hope was restored when GiveDirectly came and promised to support us financially. When I received the first transfer, I spent $410 on buying 20 pieces of iron sheets, timber, and building poles, as well as paying for the cost of labour. My house is now complete, and I now live with my family. I am no longer as as worried about heavy rains as I was when I was staying in the grass-thatched house. My children had also been sent home due to a lack of fees, so I spent a portion of the remaining amount to pay for their fees, and they were allowed to continue with their studies without interruptions due to fees. Finally, I bought enough foodstuffs that could serve us for many weeks. This ensured that my family was in a position to eat three meals a day without much struggle. Since my husband does casual jobs, which are unreliable, having enough food has ensured my family eats well even when he fails to secure a job.