I have been able to set up new goals which in my whole life I thought would be beyond me. My first goal was building my home which I knew would require a lot of money which we did not have. I was able to buy roofing sheets that would build my home. The second goal was buying livestock that would breed and multiply providing for the family financially. I was also able to start a business in the transport sector by buying a motorcycle. All this would not have been possible without the help of Give directly.

I am thankful towards GiveDirectly as a recipient this is because their whole objective is to help us who are in need and I can honestly say that I am not where I was early this year. I was hungry struggling to make ends meet but now with this help, I have been able to fulfill dreams I never thought I would have such as building a home and owning livestock.

I spent this money on starting a business that would increase our sources of income. I did this by buying a motorcycle on a higher purchase where I paid KES.20000 upfront and pay KES 300 daily for a year. This is helpful in that whatever money we get from the business slowly pays itself back. This was a decision my husband and I came together with. The next thing I did with this money was that I bought more galvanized roofing sheets which I had previously bought with the first transfer but was not enough. I had to buy KES.5000 worth, plus cement .and KES.15000 worth of poles to be used in the construction. The best was used between buying water and food as we are in drought season.

It was exactly 8:30 AM when I was about to prepare breakfast for my children when I had my phone ringing loudly. Since I am illiterate, I asked my brother-in-law who is also my helper to confirm who it was. After checking he realized it was an Mpesa message from GiveDirectly. They had sent me the first transfer as promised during the enrollment period. I felt so happy and without wasting time I had to share the news with my spouse and started planning on how we would use it appropriately.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that through the transfers, I was to purchase a dairy cow which has brought a positive transformation into my life. For all those years I have been depending on my spouse for our family's daily upkeep which most of the days couldn't meet the family's needs. He is a carpenter by profession and in a day, he sometimes KES 300 though it was a temporary job. Therefore I had to think of an asset that would facilitate my children's education journey. I am now hopeful that once they transition to secondary schools I would have saved a lot from the dairy business. In addition to that, we will also be healthier because we will not have to buy milk, it will supplement our daily meals. I am now a happy mother because I am so sure I will no longer strain to cater to the family's needs as before courtesy of GiveDirectly.

I spent part of my first transfer on buying a dairy cow at KES 16000, I had been yearning to own it for years, but because of the financial constraints, I could not afford it. Also, I bought some pieces of iron sheets at KES 12000, nails, timber, and building poles KES 5000. I later gave the mason KES 6500 as his labor fee. I opted to prioritize these with an aim of renovating my house becasue it had an old roof and holes all over the walls. It was so pathetic during the rainy seasons and I was always attacked by cold-related diseases eg pneumonia. With the remaining amount of money, I am using it to buying enough foodstuffs like maize flour, beans, and vegetables.