Since I have relied on casual jobs for years, I feel it's high time for a change. This is because the work is tedious and not lucrative. Besides, I have numerous responsibilities to cater to. Based on that, in the coming months, I am thinking of starting a new business that involves selling green leafy vegetables and fruits. I believe this will enable me to make ends meet, especially by paying fees for my children.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly should keep up the amazing job it's doing. For me, the idea of giving me cash stood out because I had never encountered it from previous NGOs. This is unique. Also, I like the fact that after receiving the transfer, the officer made a follow-up to ensure that we received the cash; this shows how gracious they are. I do not see anything they should change so far.

Generally, my life has been full of ups and downs for so many years. This is because my husband and I have been relying on odd jobs( working on other people's games for a living). However, this has affected my family, especially with the prolonged droughts that we encountered. The most disadvantageous were my children, who have constantly been sent home due to the accumulated arrears. Oh, it was tough! Therefore, as soon as I received my second transfer, I paid fees of $280 for my son Baraka, who is in Form 1, my daughter Elliner, who is in college pursuing a computer programming course, and my spouse, who recently joined a driving school. I will be a proud and happy mother to see them finish their studies within the given time frame. This will guarantee a better life for them and their generations. Upon finishing that, I bought two goats that I consider my assets. As time goes by, they will increase in number, provided the climate conditions are favorable for them to thrive. At least I will have a steady source of income that I can depend on if I am experiencing financial constraints. On top of that, I bought new clothes for my children to replace the old ones that were in a bad state. I feel this has restored their self-esteem. I spent the remaining amount to buy food for my family and other household needs like utensils.

If I remember correctly, it was approximately 2 pm when I received a message on my phone while my cows were grazing in the field. I decided not to look till I got home and asked my assistance to tell me what kind of message it was because I cannot read. She checked and told me that I had indeed gotten the initial $550 transfer from GiveDirectly. Because I did not want anybody to find out that I had received some money, I refrained from jumping and ululating in joy.

That I will not have to trek far to find fresh water makes me very happy. This is the outcome of the transfer that made it possible for me to apply for a freshwater connection at my residence. At first, I had to spend a lot of money on water purchases for both my household and my animals. The journey was taxing, so I decided to pay extra to hire a motorbike to bring back some water. Right now, I'm thrilled because I'll soon have access to water nearby.

Getting fresh water was a struggle and expensive. I used to travel a long distance to fetch some water. Since I have some livestock, I was using a lot of water which cost me so much to buy apart from the transport cost. Therefore, I saw the need to apply for a water connection at my home. Based on that I bought all the plumbing materials and did the fitting as well as paying for the meter for $280 though the water has not been fixed yet. I am sure they will not take much time and soon I will have some water at home. This will reduce the burden of traveling and the cost to source the same. I am happy that GiveDirectly empowered me to fix a water tap at my home. Thereafter, I used $165 to buy a dairy cow. This cow will provide some milk for sale. It will serve as a source of income to provide for the family. I also paid $80 in school fees for my son who was joining secondary school. Since I rely on livestock farming, I opted to use the remaining amount in buying food for the family.