What a great relief to me to have received GiveDirectly to my home! Over the last 7 years, I have been seeking refuge from my son's house because he mostly stays away from home. This has been a period of shifting to my kitchen when they visit us with his wife. Culturally, this is not allowed and I have always felt breaking our "Giriama" norms. Since I have desired to have a separate house, I am now a happy person to be part of the potential beneficiaries. The money will help me to construct a 1-roomed iron-roofed house for myself, which will restore the dignity that I have lost for a long time. This project will cost me utmost $600. The remaining amount will help me to buy food and medicine. Thus, this is generally what receiving this money means to me.

Over the past 8 years, I have been on medication because of my health condition. Although this is a stressful life, I am grateful to God for his mercy. In the whole month of December last year, I was able to get free medicines from our nearby health center. This was a great relief to me since I did not spend money from my pocket to buy medicine. For this reason, I was relieved from the stress of missing medicine due to lack of money. I, therefore, consider this relief as what brought joy to my life.

Eight years now! This has been a period of hardship in my life since I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. Our area's main economic activity being charcoal burning, I find it tough for me to engage in this work because of my condition. This means I have to depend on my son to provide me with food and other basic needs. Since he has a family to take care of, sometimes getting his full support is a challenge and in some cases, I forfeit meals. Skipping meals has worsened my condition since I am still on medication. This situation has robbed away my joy because I am always in stress. What a life!