Before the coming of GiveDirectly, I was living in a grass thatched house with no hopes of building a better one. However, my life is currently different because I now live in a decent iron roofed house. The transfer also helped me to cover for my medical expenses. I was sick suffering from tuberculosis and raising enough money for the medical bills was a challenge to me. I am now under medication because of this financial help from GiveDirectly.

GiveDirectly came to help us and lift us up from the poverty we were in. In my opinion, it has done well in the whole process targeting, choosing and enrolling the needy households to improve on our living standards. I don't see anything that GiveDirectly does not do well.

I spent a larger portion of my second transfer to cater for my medication expenses and bills. I am suffering from tuberculosis and getting medication before the coming of GiveDirectly was difficult considering the financial hardships that I am facing. Even providing daily food for my children is almost impossible for me. Thus apart from medication, the transfer has helped me on buying foodstuffs and paying for other household expenses.

Owning the house is the biggest difference in my daily life. I have been longing to build a big house but due to my financial status, I could not afford it. My previous house was a small hut which was grass-thatched and in a very poor condition. Whenever it rained it was hectic because of the leaking roof. My children also had difficulty finding a nice place to sleep. They were forced to sleep at my neighbor's house of which they felt uncomfortable. After completion of my house, the problem was solved. Secondly, whenever they wanted to study, they found it hard because the house was not spacious and due to this reason it was affecting their academic performance. Nowadays, they are studying comfortably without any interference.

I vividly remember that it was around 10 PM when I heard the notification. On checking its content I was overexcited when I saw that this was money that I have received from GiveDirectly. I was so sure my dreams were now achievable.

I spent part of my first transfer on buying 20 pieces of iron sheets, 120 building poles and nails purposely for the construction of my new house. My previous house was a small and grass-thatched hut hence the need to have a new one. I then bought two goats at KES 6000. I decided to buy goats because they reproduce twice a year meaning they will multiply at a high rate increasing on investment. With the remaining amount, I bought enough foodstuffs for my family that would take us to the next harvesting season.