Yes, I have a new goal of starting a new business. I am a farmer and depend entirely on the farm to earn a living by growing crops and selling the produce in the market. Since the drought begun three years ago, I have struggled to cater to my family by providing them with basic needs such as food, clothing and paying school fees. Starting a business will mean being financially stable and being able to take care of my families (Husband and 2 children) needs.

Give Directly does well by offering unconditional cash transfer to the needy. It helps us plan critically and spend the money in order to improve our lives. One thing I would like for Give Directly to improve is the timing when sending the transfers. Some of my neighbors were seriously affected as they did not receive their second transfer on time as communicated.  

Currently, I am a stay-at-home parent because I have no job while my husband works as a motorcycle rider, “boda boda”. He does not own the motorcycle, so he has to work very hard to earn for himself and pay the owner his daily rates for using it. This has proved very challenging because what he earns after remitting the daily dues is very little about KES 200, which is only enough to buy food for the family. Upon receiving my second transfer, I spent much of the amount in repairing the roof of my house. I replaced the thatched house (Makuti) which was leaking during the rainy season with durable iron sheets. I then spent part of the remaining transfer to improve the houses of my two sons. The bare dusty floors of their houses affected their health during the night while sleeping. Besides repairing their houses, I bought some new mattresses for them because sleeping on a mat on the floor was resulting in constant back and chest pains for the two. Last, I spent the remaining amount to buy a secondhand motorcycle for my husband. This will free him from the chains of being employed and paying daily charges for using another person’s motorcycle. The improved earnings will cater to our daily needs, save and invest it in other income-generating projects.

It was around 7 in the evening when I was preparing dinner when I heard my phone ringing continuously. I was a bit curious but I was busy I decided to proceed with the task I was handling. However, a few minutes later, there was another message notification popped in. I asked my spouse to check what the messages were all about. We were all happy after realizing that it was an Mpesa message from GiveDirectly. We started dancing happily knowing that we would finally sleep in a better place.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that I was able to renovate my house. Previously it was in a critical state; its walls had holes all over, the roof could leaky during the rainy season. I have been experiencing lots of losses especially my properties, they were always damaged and some of my livestock life chicken was stolen still there is not enough security. I had been yearning to renovated it but because of my financial status, this was not attainable. Having a family of seven sometimes we could even skip meals since my spouse was the only breadwinner with a low income. I had completely lost hope in life and this feels like a miracle to miracle to me. I was able to renovate my house and it's now in a decent state. We no longer have to worry about the cold nights, the security of my properties, and even the rains which have been a major challenge. I will forever be thankful to Give Directly for this great support which has brought a positive impact on my life.

I spent part of my first transfer on buying several building materials such as twenty-eight pieces of iron sheets at KES 21560, building poles at KES 1700, timber at KES 2000, five bags of cement at a total of KES 3000. I bought all these items to renovate my house which had an old leaky roof with weak muddy walls. It was so stressful, especially during the rainy seasons. I also bought two mattresses at KES 9000, which were for my children who have been sleeping on the floor for a couple of years. I also cleared school fees of KES 5000 for my son who is in secondary school. I received the cash in good time because their exams were around the corner. I was so worried that he would miss it because of the arrears. With the remaining amount, the money I bought enough food for the family and decent clothes.