Before I received the transfers from GiveDirectly, I used to spend so much on the purchase of milk for my household's use. This used to drain me financially as I was still needed to meet other necessities. This has since changed as I was able to buy a lactating cow. Even though the cow produces just enough milk for our daily use because it is almost drying up, I am glad that I no longer spend money on milk. Having one's own cow also comes with some sense of satisfaction and I am proud to be an owner of two cows. I was also able to purchase some chairs for my house. We did not have any chairs but I had always wished to get some. But with other serious responsibilities that I had to meet that involved the use of funds, this was never to be. I am grateful for GiveDirectly for holding my hand.

In my opinion, I loved that GiveDirectly officers did give enough information for us during the baraza and were willing to answer all questions that we had. We loved that the help came straight to us rather than through intermediaries. Everything was well planned and well done.

I spent part of my second transfer to do the electrical wiring of my house. I am planning to have my house supplied with electricity and I have to have my house ready before then. I also bought a cow for rearing to add to the one I bought using the first transfer. I used the rest of the transfer to buy food and other household items.

I have been buying milk daily and it is always costly because I do not have a stable source of income. Sometimes, I used to buy them on credit when I did not have money. Currently, I own a dairy cow courtesy of GiveDirectly. This has helped me to reduce my daily expenditure as I no longer buy milk from my neighbors anymore. Knowing that my family now has enough milk for our consumption is the biggest difference in my daily life. This has enabled me to save to at least save some money daily that I would otherwise use in buying them.

I realized that GiveDirectly had finally sent us the promised money in the morning after waking up. My heart was filled with happiness as I read the Mpesa message over and over again. I then informed my spouse and children about the good news and they were all very excited after hearing the good news. I knew that I would soon own a dairy cow.

It had always been my prayer to own some assets that will help me in case of a financial crisis. Since I do not have a reliable source of income, I was not able to achieve this. When I received my first transfer, I spent some amount to achieve this by buying a dairy cow and two goats. When they reproduce, I will earn an income through milk sales. I will also be selling some of the goats and use the money to finance my children's education. Since I did not have enough seats in my household, I decided to buy some timber to use in making some of them so that we can have enough of them. I used the remaining amount to buy some basic needs for my family. I bought one sack of maize flour, some decent clothes and shoes and also paid the milk vendor some money for the duration I had taken milk from her without paying for them.