I plan to start a business selling cereals such as maize going forward. This is because in our area we sometimes experience drought and hence the maize crops do not do well due to too much sun. As a result of this, there is a big demand for maize. I, therefore, believe that the maize business will do well. I rear cows and I usually supply milk to a milk cooling plant. I was also able to buy a hundred chickens with part of the transfer that I got from GiveDirectly. I plan to sell the eggs that the chickens will lay. The money from the sale of milk and eggs will be my source of capital for starting the business. With the business, we will have something that can sustain us and it will also help me with the payment of tuition fee for my two children, one who is in college and the other who is in the university.

GiveDirectly did well when they held a baraza with the residents of the village before starting the enrollment process. They have also uplifted the livelihoods of the people in the community with the transfers. The villagers have been able to use the money in various ways, to build houses, to buy livestock, to pay school fees for their children, to start businesses and so much more. They are thus very happy and grateful for everything. I would however recommend that in the future, they should just inform the village elder of their where bouts but not seek more information from him about the residents. GiveDirectly should just make their own decision after visiting the person in his or her household, this way the village elder will not get implicated in case someone in the village does not get enrolled.

I spent most of the money that I got from GiveDirectly on paying school fees for my two children, one who is in college and the other who is in the university. Payment of school fees has always been my biggest challenge and it usually takes up most of the money that I make from selling milk. I used to work in a tea factory before but I retired, dairy farming is now my main source of income. Thank you so much GiveDirectly for helping me out with my burden.

Receiving the first transfer was a confirmation that the struggles I had been having paying school fees for my children were coming to an end. I was so excited when I first received and confirmed the receipt from GiveDirectly. I was still home with my son that morning as we were planning to join the other members of my family in the neighborhood over the burial ceremony at the neighbor's place. I had to share the news and my son could not hold back his happiness too. we left the house feeling happy as we needed to inform the other members of the family too before planning on the withdrawal dates. I am still grateful that I received this transfer at such a right time when I needed it most.

The biggest difference in my daily life is the joy of seeing my two children well equipped with all the learning materials they need after paying school fees for my university son. This is quite a relief for me as I had been struggling to raise an equivalent amount to keep them both in their respective schools. The casual labor and the small-scale farming I had been doing could not raise an accumulated amount enough to settle those payments. I am grateful that GIveDirectly gave us this support that made it easier for me.

With my family of six, we had been dependent on casual labor and subsistence farming that did not earn us enough income to invest in new projects. Paying school fees was a great challenge as I am currently having my firstborn son In the University, second one is currently attached amidst his college studies. I spent KEs 20000 in paying school fees, and KES 9000 for the university student's upkeep, equipped the second born with KES6000 as he needed some equipment useful in his place of work too. I also obtained 3 sacks of maize at KES 9000 as I had been buying them over time in small quantities that were quite expensive. With the remaining amount, I used KES 3500 on buying a goat and the remaining KES7000 on obtaining clothing for all my children as each one of them needed at least a pair of a new outfits.