The biggest hardship in my life was food insecurity. I earned very little from the charcoal business which it was hard to put food on the table. As at now I can say the biggest difference in my daily life is that I can meet the basic needs of the family without struggling after acquiring adequate stock of food. Initially I used to run up and down trying to make ends meet for the family to get some food and other basic needs. The only source was making and selling charcoal which was tiring and as at now I can no longer do that business due to old age. Currently I am a happy and relaxed grandmother, I do provide the basic needs for my family with easy because of GiveDirectly who settled my miserable life.

GiveDirectly does well in transforming our lives. Initially we were living in miserable conditions. We couldn’t meet the three basic needs. But now through GiveDirectly, our lives have greatly improved because shelter is no longer a problem to many and we no longer struggle to pay our children's school fees like before. I honestly do not see anything that GiveDirectly does not do well.

I am a widow living with my grandchildren who are orphans. One of them is in secondary school while the others are in primary school. On receiving the 2nd transfer, the first thing I did is; I bought 6 bales of maize flour. I took this step due to the hunger condition we have been going through. Thereafter I settle some fee balances for my secondary grandchild so to have good learning environment as well as to concentrate. Since I had no bed at all, I bought a bed and a mattress. The act of buying these items has made me to improve my shelter condition since am now sleeping comfortably not like before. The remaining little amount I kept it for emergencies.

It was around 9 AM I was at the farm when I unusually heard my phone ringing. Since I am old and illiterate I asked my helper to check the content of the message. He realized that it was the long-awaited message from GiveDirectly. I was overwhelmed with joy and I remember kneeling and thanked God for seeing me through.

For all those years, I have been sheltering in a traditional house which was very small. I never had peace of mind especially during the rainy seasons we had to move from one house to another seeking shelter. As a result of the movements, some of my properties would be stolen. Also in the summer season, my children never had ample space to study or do their school assignments at night. This has really been affecting them academically and even demoralized them at some point. However, since I no asset to lean on at that particular time, I had no option other than to endure the suffering. Therefore after receiving the transfer I definitely knew that I am finally relieved. I managed to construct a very beautiful hose which is spacious and ous and all the worry is now gone. We all now feel secure courtesy of GiveDirectly.

Since I have been yearning to own a better house, I spent part of first transfer on buying some building materials which include, building poles at KES 7000, iron sheets KES 12000, timber, nails, and threads at KES 3000. This was definitely for the construction of a modern house because the previous one was a traditional hut with a damaged roof. Also, I bought three bales of maize flour, beans, and enough vegetables. In addition, I gave my son KES 2000 of my transfer for his upkeep since he was jobless.