I currently have a new goal of raising livestock. I managed to achieve what I had planned for the two transfers but I feel there is something I would have done or I will have to do once I get some cash in the near future. The reason is that, if I invest in livestock I will be able to convert them to money easily if need arises.

The organization did greater things for me. If I can mention, my house was in a bad condition but through the organization I was able to build a new house. In that regard, I can candidly say that GiveDirectly does wonderful job to the community residents and it has no fault at all because the plan they came with, fits our need well.

When I withdrew the second transfer, my main mission was to construct a new house since the one I had was leaking profusely and I was afraid because we are nearing the rain season. I spent an approximate of KES 20000.00 in the building process. I also paid KES 2500.00 school fees for my 2 primary school children since they were ever being sent home for fees. Thereafter, I decided to buy them some clothes because the ones they have were very old and worn out, thus I spent KES 4000.00 for their clothes. Since the transfer came at a time when we were struggling in getting some food, I used KES 1380 to buy a bale of maize flour. Having done that, my mother fell sick and I used the remaining amount for her medication unfortunately I lost her.

It was around 8 in the morning when I was at my farm with my family when I heard my phone ringing so loudly. That was an alert of a new message but because I couldn't read it, I asked my son to check the contents of the messages. Upon checking, he realized that it was an Mpesa message from Segovia Technology. I had received the first transfer that I had anxiously been waiting for. I was overwhelmed with joy because I knew that I would achieve all my goals. Due to the excitement that we all had, we opted to go back home and started celebrating with my family members for the financial breakthrough.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that through the transfers, I have been able to build a decent modern house. For all those years we have been living a very stressful and sorrowful life together with my family. We used to shelter under a very small traditional house whose condition was not pleasing at all. It had old grass-thatched roofing and holes all over the walls. Being the family's breadwinner who solely depend on burning and selling charcoal, the little he could earn (KES 200) in a day was too little to facilitate the construction of a new house. This has been frustrating for me for so many years but I did not have any other options. With my family, of six, we had to seek shelter from relatives which was a routine, especially during the winter season. Therefore, after receiving the money, building a modern house was a priority and I am glad my dream had finally come true. We are now living happily with all my family under one roof without having to worry about the rains ad the harmful animals which have been attacking us severally. I will always be thankful to this organization for restoring my lost hope and joy in my life.

I spent part of my first transfer on buying building materials such as pieces of iron sheets at KES 9100, building poles KES 6000, nails and timber, and labor KES 7000. I had to settle for this first because I had intended to construct a new house since the initial one was a traditional hut that had a leaky roof and its condition was generally poor. In addition to that, I cleared school fees of KES 2000 for my two children who were about to sit for their exams. I later bought new clothes for my family and me to replace the old ones. With the remaining, I am using it to buy foodstuffs for my family that would take us to us the next harvesting season. I am glad we no longer skip meals like before.