Had it not been for the financial support which I received from GiveDirectly, I would still be sheltering in my old house which was weak and its roof dilapidated. As of now, I managed to construct a decent iron-roofed house which has changed my life. I feel happy living in a decent place with no worries about any weather change. Besides that, I am training to be a tailor. Purchasing a sewing machine using the transfer is a big step towards achieving this dream. Soon, I will open my own tailoring shop that will be my main source of income. I have also saved a portion of the money to help my husband start a carpentry workshop. Our family goals come first and through this business, we are hoping to achieve even more goals.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly did a good job of enrolling needy households which have, in turn, uplift our living standards. Most of us can afford basic needs like access to a better shelter which was not possible before due to our low financial status. I do not see anything that GiveDirectly didn't do well.

I spent part of my second transfer to buy a sewing machine worth KES 15000. I am hoping to use this machine to start my own tailoring shop as I gather enough capital to buy textile materials. In addition to this, I also took KES 10000 for the medication of my mother in law who was undergoing an operation. We couldn't have managed to raise enough money for her treatment had it not been financial support from GiveDirectly. We can only thank this organization for saving her life. She is now recuperating well. I also took a portion of the money to buy foodstuffs and paid for other household expenses. Thinking of another goal that we had as a family, I decided to save a portion of the money to enable my husband to start a carpentry workshop. He has been working as a casual labourer for long without any good results on income. I am hoping that through this workshop, he will be generating a good income that will enable us to accomplish our family goals.

Having my own sewing machine has greatly transformed my life in so many ways. This is because previously I used to hire from a friend and in the end pay her on a monthly basis. It was a challenge for me in that, I had to share the little money I got with the owner of the machine. It was so difficult for me to settle all my bills. This made me depend on loans from different banks so that I can send my children to school. The story is now different because I can settle my own bills including paying school fees for my children because I have my own sewing machine courtesy of GiveDirectly that I do not hire at any cost. whatever I am earning is all mine. I am so grateful.

It was around 5 am in the morning when I was preparing breakfast for my children that I heard my phone vibrating continuously. I was a bit curious and decided to check the content of the message. When I realized that GiveDirectly had sent the transfer, I was very happy because I knew that I was going to meet most of my goals.

I spent part of my first transfer in buying some building materials such as iron sheets, timber, building poles, and some nails purposely for the construction of a new house. The current house is in poor condition. I have been sleeping at my grandmother's house which is stressful just because according to our community, it is a taboo but I have no options. I am happy that I will soon have my own house that will come with a lot of freedom. I then bought some goats as my potential assets. Buying a sewing machine was also a great idea. Before then, I could hire from friends at a cost that was costly. I thank GiveDirectly since having my own has increased my income. Besides that, I also hired someone to prepare my farming since it was planting season. The remaining amount of money was spent on purchasing enough foodstuffs for my family and some other household items.