In the coming year, my main goal is to ensure that all my five children across all levels of education have their school fees cleared. I am determined to put in the necessary effort to improve our farming practices on our pieces of land, which will help us produce more crops for both domestic consumption and for sale. To further increase our income, I plan to sell the mangoes from our trees to earn additional revenue. Additionally, I aim to work hard on the casual labor opportunities that come my way to earn more income and support my family's needs. I believe that achieving these goals will help me provide a better life for my family and ensure that my children have access to quality education and a brighter future.

The impact of GiveDirectly's work in our village leaves me at a loss for words. We have undergone an incredible transformation, from a state of deprivation to a place where we have regular meals without fail. With the unconditional cash transfer, I have been able to achieve a lot. The staff who came to enroll us were very helpful and made us feel at ease while answering our questions, which improved our comprehension. I appreciate their generosity and wish that other villages could also benefit from GiveDirectly's kindness.

For a long time, I faced numerous challenges in meeting my household responsibilities and paying my children's school fees. Due to the unavailability of steady income sources from the scarce casual labor and the unfavorable weather that destroyed all my crops, my son was unable to continue with his Form 2 studies and dropped out of school a year ago. However, receiving the recent transfer provided relief for my son, as he was able to enroll in a vocational training program where he acquires masonry skills. I used $50 to purchase the required masonry equipment and paid his $120 tuition fees. Additionally, my younger children required new school bags, which I purchased for $26, making them happy to keep their books safe and organized at home. The remaining amount was used to purchase $88 worth of food, $50 worth of cushions for my old seats, and to pay for my children's remedial and examination fees. I am grateful for the positive impact that the support has had in my household and in others in the village.

When I saw a message from GiveDirectly around 5:30 p.m., I was ecstatic. When I checked the balance in my Mpesa account, I discovered that there was an additional $180. I informed my husband, who works as a chef at a nearby high school. He came home excited, and because all of our plans were in aligned, we picked up the entire transfer the next day.

The availability of foodstuffs that we purchased after receiving the first transfer is the most noticeable difference in my daily life. Even though we have nothing on our farms right now except mangoes and newly planted bananas, I am confident that the food we purchased will feed my family of seven for the next month until we receive the second transfer.

We were purchasing food for my family of seven with the proceeds from the casual labor that my husband and I were doing in the village. My husband works as a chef at a nearby secondary school, while I work on people's farms in the village, where I am paid only after the job is completed. Even though job availability has never been consistent, getting at least one a week would supplement my husband's earnings and allow me to feed my five children. Receiving the first transfer was a relief, especially since a large portion of the money had been spent on food. I paid $55 for a sack of maize and $28 for 20 kilograms of beans, which we are still using to date. I also spent $20 on new clothes and other household items for my five children. We were previously reliant on mango sales from our farm, and we are now establishing a banana venture that will provide food for my children. I paid $8 for 8 banana tubers that I just planted and hope to plant more in the future. I am grateful for GiveDirectly's assistance, and I am looking forward to doing a lot more in the coming weeks when we receive the second and third transfers.