Owning a piece of land is the goal that I have at the moment. I am planning to purchase two acres of land in the coming year and beyond. This is because we are living in a place that does not belong to us and we lack the right over it. The owners have always threatened to send us away so that they could sell it. I am planning to save enough money from the profit that I make on daily basis to achieve this ambition and live a comfortable life.

GiveDirectly did well in choosing to come to our village and assist the poor households. I loved the fact that they issue mobile phones that has easier communication in our area since owning one was a great struggle for some of us. Also, it was voluntary and it requires one to consent by signing first before enrollment into the program. I feel the processes were good and easy to follow, there is nothing I think they need to improve on since everything went well.

I am having four children who are still schooling both in primary and secondary. Providing for their educational needs has been a great burden to me. The recent transfer was a big boost to their education. I used $170 to pay off all the fee arrears and as we speak they are happy going to school without their studies being interrupted due to unpaid fees. Moreover, I invest $70 in my small grocery business by purchasing more vegetables like tomatoes, cabbages and dry fish. Currently, I am glad that the business is stable and the income has increased by $2 per day. Furthermore, I used $75 of the remaining amount to acquire proper bedding for my children who were spending their nights on the floor. Lastly, I bought enough food and clothing for the family with the remaining amount of money.

I was busy cleaning my house when I heard a beep on my phone. Upon checking, I saw that it was a message confirming that I had received funds from give directly. I was very delighted. I continued with what I was doing as I waited for my husband to get back home for me to share the great news with him. We would then plan together with the way forward. My very first thought was to clear my two children's school fee arrears of KES 5700. After this, I will then work towards reviving my restaurant business.

Ever since I started receiving funds from give directly, there has been a great difference in my life. My family (my husband, my three children, and I) no longer sleep on the floor as we bought beds using the funds. I have also been able to revive my restaurant business so I could start contributing toward paying our bills. In addition to this, my children, who would often be sent home due to school fee arrears, and at times even stay home for three weeks as I was unable to raise their fees, are now in school and there have been no interruptions with their studies.

I used to run a restaurant business, but in 2020, I incurred a huge loss and was forced close it down. I then started depending on my husband, who works as a teacher. His job gave him very little earnings and it became tedious for him to meet all our bills. We also never had a bed, so, during the night, we (my 3children my husband and I) would sleep on the floor. Other than this, paying for our two children's school fees was also a challenge and by the time I was receiving the funds from give directly, they had accrued arrears of KES 5700. The school uniforms they wore to school too were torn. For this reason, I first used the money to clear their arrears, then went ahead to buy them new school uniforms. After this, I bought 2 beds and some bedding. I later bought more stocks for my restaurant business to start operating it again. Whatever amount remained, I used to buy some food for us.