For the longest time I wanted to build a kitchen for my house since the previous one I had collapsed and so I had wanted to be able to have a better place to make my meals and the idea of rearing livestock was also in mind if I ever got money or an opportunity to purchase any with the aim of domestic benefits.

This organization if I do say so myself could not have come at a better time because drought has really taken a toll on use and at times I would go to bed hungry severally but thanks to GiveDirectly it has eradicated the hunger, elevated me from the lowest point of poverty and even helped construct some parts of my house like my kitchen which was something I really wanted for the longest time.

As stated earlier I really wanted to build a kitchen ever since mine was damaged due to being blown away by wind since it was grass thatched, and so it left me cooking outside sometimes which was difficult at times with the weather changes especially when it was extremely hot or at times rainy. After receiving the money I went ahead to buy bricks worth KES 20,000, twenty bags of cement which went for KES 600 each that accumulated to KES 12,000 and timber worth KES 1,200.I also managed to put away KES10,000 that I planned on spending on food and so far I had spent KES 2,400 for buying two bag of maize flour that contained twelve packets each as I plan to use the rest of the money gradually. Eventually I lastly bought one goat that cost me KES 2,700 and maybe later I will buy another so that they can reproduce.

It was around 8 AM when I was at the farm watering my vegetable then I heard my phone ringing continuously. Without wasting time I had to notify my helper to confirm its content. Since we were very busy he suggested that we should proceed with the farming exercise. After about five minutes another message popped in. I couldn't control my patience and asked him to check for the second time. I was so excited after realizing that it was an Mpesa message from GiveDirectly. We even decided to return home and spread the good news to my family members..

The biggest difference in my daily life is that I am now a happy mother. Currently, my family takes three meals in a day as opposed to one meal like we used to do previously. This is because I am a widow and very old and I have been operating a small business of selling some vegetables in my village which has never been successful becasue of the stiff competition and I ended up utilizing the capital. Since then, I have been depending on my children who also have temporary odd jobs, and most of the days they could fail to provide for my daily meal. I was even malnutrition and this made me lost hope in life due to the prolonged hunger. I am so thankful to GiveDirectly because this has changed through financial help. I am now healthy and even growing younger day by day courtesy of GiveDirectly.

I spent part of my first transfer on buying some bricks worthy of KES 10000, specifically for the construction of a permanent kitchen and a granary. The previous one had collapsed due to the harsh climatic condition and most of my properties got damaged and I felt there was a need to construct a new one. I also bought a goat at KES 2700 which will serve as the living asset that I will depend on. I also spent KES 10000 of the money on buyng enough foodstuffs like maize flour, vegetable, and cereals. With the remaining amount of money, it will be for the completion of the construction for my kitchen since the laborer has not been around.