The prolonged drought has increased food insecurity in our land. This has caused great financial constraints especially in fulfilling basic household wants like food and education. Every penny I get directly goes towards settling these necessities. So I spent most of the transfer, KES 1800, on paying for my six children’s overdue school fees and bought food with the rest.

I spent my very most recent transfer to start up a business small business of selling fish. The amount I inveated in business amounted to KES 1200. That business has been doing pretty well because I can always raise a profit of KES 1,000 from it on a weekly basis. However, the rest of the transfers helped us in obtaining food as well as paying my children's school fees.

GiveDirectly has done an awesome job by seeking to help and elevate us financially because prior to this I mostly waited for the rainy season and I could get employment and work in peoples farms and that is how I earned my money but since drought kicked I barely got any employment and most times we would go to bed hungry including my kids. But ever since I started receiving the money I managed to cater for the basic needs of my family.

Right before I received the transfers my children had just been sent back home due to the fact that I yet to pay their school fees so the moment I realised I had received the money I gave the three of the KES 1,000 which would not clear the debt in their fees but it would at least allow them to get back to class for the time being as I waited until I received money. Since nutrition has also been challenging this past year due to the drought, I decided to buy ten packets of maize flour at KES ,1,000 which would take care of the meals at home for a while. As for what was left after, I went ahead and started a small business where I bought sardines and fish and sold them from the comfort of my home since I did not have a store in order I could make extra money on the side.

That day I was home cooking for my children since some of the toddlers and some of my children other do not attend school and the message arrived so one of them helped me confirm it, saying I was happy would be an understatement because the transfers came in a month earlier than expected. It was most definitely a good surprise and I hurried on to inform my neighbours who had also managed to get enrolled in the program so that we could all share the happiness collectively.

With the ongoing drought, prior to the funds sometimes my children and I would go hungry but with the help we have been receiving we afford a meal and avoid starvation. Also some years back two of my sons had to drop out of school due to lack of money to pay their fees but now with the help of GiveDirectly I do not have to worry about anymore of my kids not attending school or even dropping out.

Due to severe famine and drought that our area is experiencing I have not been able to plant any crops therefore having no harvest, so after I received the money I went ahead and purchased a sack of maize flour that contained twelve packets which I bought at KES 1200 to sought out nourishment for my family and I . I also paid tuition debts at my kids school and for three of them I paid KES 1000 and I managed to save KES 500 that would come in handy on a rainy day, and as for the rest of the money which was about Kes 300 I bought some necessities required in my household like beans and sugar.