I am pleased and satisfied with what I have accomplished so far. Due to a lack of funds, it is difficult for me to plan what I will do in the coming year. However, if given the opportunity, I would like to start a business that will help boost my finances and lead to financial freedom.

The GiveDirectly sensitization meeting was very informative and detailed on the program's operation. We were given an overview of how the organization operates and its payment method from the start of the program, not to mention the security details, which went a long way toward enhancing our safety.

I am a single mother with six children, three of whom are in school. Paying my children's school fees has been a difficult task. This is because I rely on selling firewood to make ends meet. It was not an easy task, but I had no choice because it was the only way I could be certain that my children's needs would be met. When I received my transfer, I spent $150 on school fees for my children and the remainder on groceries and clothing. This was not easy because I used to pay school fees bit by bit which resulted in them being sent to collect school fees regularly. I am extremely grateful for the assistance that highly uplifted my living standard amazingly.

It was a few minutes past 10 pm and I was preparing to go and sleep when I received a message alert on my phone. I informed one of my children to help me read it and inform me what it was all about. My heart was filled with joy when she informed me that GiveDirectly had honored their promise and a sum of KES 55000 had been deposited into my account. It was then that I decided that I would cash it out the following day so that I would start actualizing my goals.

I have been going to the forest looking for firewood and selling them to people and sometimes helping people with their farm work as means of survival. It has always been my dream to live in a semi-permanent house but I had not been able to build one since I have two children in secondary school and their education has been my priority. Currently, I foresee my life-transforming for the better very soon. This is because I have been able to buy some building materials and I will be commencing the construction of a more permanent house made of timber walls with the floor that has been cemented. I am grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling me to actualize my dream before my old age.

I live in a mud-wall house and I have been walking for a long distance looking for clay and sometimes having to buy it to renovate this house. It had always been my dream to build a better house made of timber walls but I had not been able to since I usually channel all the money that I get from doing various casual jobs on food and school fees for my two children who are still in school. With the coming of GiveDirectly, I saw the hope of upgrading our living standards and actualizing my goals. Because of this, I spent KES 15000 from my first transfer to purchase 15 pieces of iron sheets, KES 10000 to buy some timber and I still have KES 15000 that I am planning to commence the construction process. In addition, I spent KES 5000 to purchase barbed wire and poles that I am planning to use in fencing my farm since livestock has been destroying my crops and finally spent the remaining KES 10000 on clothes and food as a way of celebrating this good news.