I depend on subsistence and dairy farming and I am at times forced to sell either a heifer or a calf and use the money in paying school fees for my children. So far, I still have four of them in different levels of education and it is my wish to continue supporting them in their education. This is because children are an investment that is not only helpful to me but to future generations also.

Our village has improved in terms of developments ever since GiveDirectly visited. Everyone now owns a dairy cow and most homesteads have at least one house built of iron sheets. This would not have been possible had GiveDirectly decided on what to do for people. I do not see anything that they did not do well.

GiveDirectly became a blessing to me and so many other people in the village. When I received my transfer, I did not want to spend it on something that I would easily forget, and for this reason, I spent KES 30000 to buy a dairy cow and KES 11000 to clear school fees balance for my child who was about to sit for her final year examinations in college. I will be selling milk when this cow reproduces and use the money to meet our basic needs. I spent the remaining KES 11000 on food and on the purchase of a mattress to replace the old one that we had been using.

I was all excited when I got a message on my phone notifying me of the transfers I had been expecting from GiveDirectly. It was 9 am as I was out in the field herding then. I immediately called my wife who was home looking after my old mother whom we had been staying together as she is currently old and needs special attention. She too was excited and could not miss a chance to remind me of the list we had made over what we will spend the transfer on. On confirming that it will be exactly as we had agreed on, she thanked God while still on the phone as she asked me when I will be going back home.

The biggest difference in my daily life after receiving the money is the clearance of the already piling debts in various schools where my children are currently attending. Even though I did a lot alongside the school fees payment with the money, I still feel that the biggest burden I had was ensuring that I keep all my four children in school without having them miss any exam or defer a semester because of lack of school fees. I am glad and working hard to ensure that before the next payment, I will have saved enough to pay part of the total amount.

After receiving the first transfer, I spent the first KES30000 on settling school fees for my two sons currently in secondary school, KES11000 for my daughter currently pursuing nursing at the Kenya Medical Training College, and also KES5000 to gather for rental fees for another daughter pursuing catering course in the technical college. It was a relief on my side to offset all the debts in various schools for my children as this will now give me a break till next year when the new semesters and terms will be starting. I also used the remaining amount on the completion of the new house I had been constructing that still needed new doors and windows and also obtained a new set of furniture at KES7000. I am glad that GiveDirectly gave us this opportunity to accomplish a lot as I would have sold the only heifer I had to pay all the school fees arrears for my children.