My life is different than how it would have been had I not received the transfer because I have been able to build a spacious house for my family. I never thought that I would ever achieve this in my entire. The roof to the house we used to live before was always leaking during the rainy season and our clothes would at times be soaked with rain water. Also, because of the transfers, I was able to purchase a welding machine. As a result, my daily income has started to increase since I now work for myself.

In my own opinion, GiveDirectly does well by giving out unconditional cash transfer and I do not see anything that they do not do well.

When I received my transfer, I spent KES 25000 to build a spacious kitchen for my family. We settled on this as a family since we used to share a kitchen with my mother and my spouse always felt uncomfortable. Also, I spent around KES 18000 to fence my compound. I decided on this so that my poultry will not be going to the farm to destroy my crops. Also I bought two goats for rearing at KES 8000 and used the remaining amount on food.

I was away from home when the SMS’s were being sent. I was on a motorbike heading to Bomet town to do some casual work. My wife called me while I was still on my way heading there. She told me that people in our neighborhood had started receiving the transfers and hence she asked me if I had received it too. I could not confirm this because I had not checked my phone and also because of the traffic noise, I might have missed hearing an incoming message. I checked my phone when the call ended and to my surprise, I saw the M-pesa SMS saying that I had received the lump sum transfer of 55000/= from GiveDirectly. I was so happy when I saw this that I could no longer proceed to my journey. I asked the motorbike guy to turn and take me back home. I then called back my wife to inform her of the good news. She was so happy to hear this too and she could not wait for me to get back home so that she could confirm it by herself.

The transfer has brought a big difference in my life and that of my family. I have been able to build another house that I have always desired to have for my family. We hence have a bigger house with enough space for us and the children. Guests visiting our household will thus not suffer in getting a place to sleep. The iron sheet house has also made us look like some of our neighbors who have houses roofed with iron sheets. I was also able to buy a calf that I plan to rear so that it can help me in the future when it reproduces. When it reproduces, we will hence be able to get milk that our children can consume and we can sell some to get income. The transfer also enabled me to buy some chairs that were missing in my household. We have hence been able to sit comfortably and chat together with our other family members and guests. The two bags of maize that I bought will push us for a while and hence I will not be having any worries about what my family is to eat. The children are also happy because they got new clothes for themselves and they now have enough food to eat. Thank you GiveDirectly for making this possible.

The transfer from GiveDirectly has helped us to move a step forward. I have been able to build another house for my family and buy a calf. I also used the transfer in buying chairs for my house. I was also able to buy some food, that is, two bags of maize for our consumption, and with the remaining amount, I used it in buying clothes for my children. I have always wanted to build another house that is roofed with iron sheets for my family. This is because we have been living in only one house that is small and grass-thatched for a while. The family has grown in number and hence the small house is no longer enough for us. Guests too visiting the household do not usually have a place to sleep in. I also bought a calf because I have never had a cow of my own and hence I wanted to have one. I will take care of the calf and when it grows and reproduces, I will be able to get milk that my children can consume and I can sell the surplus. I also bought the chairs because I had none in my house. I had only one stool. Although I have always desired to do the above for a long time, I have not been in a position to due to financial constraints. I depend on casual jobs to earn a living and the money that I get from these casual jobs is only enough to purchase food and other household necessities.