I have a new goal to lease a piece of land since the one I have been farming on is too small to produce enough foodstuff for the household. This way I can increase food production for consumption and commercial.

Previously, I have been living in a small house that served as a kitchen, living, and bedroom to my family. Today, I have a different story to tell because the biggest difference in my daily life for the last four months is that I have successfully built a more spacious house that I have ever dreamt of. This has been enhanced by buying building materials which included iron sheets, nails, timber and paid laborers to build it using the transfers that were sent .

I expect my life to change in the next six months in that I shall have fixed a spacious iron sheet roofed house and replaced the small one by buying building materials every month with the sent transfer. My family will be enjoying the comfort of the space.

My new goal for the next four is to continue saving in merry go round group that we have started in our village to enable me to rent a piece of land to do horticulture. I have always had a passion for doing horticulture farming but due to lack of funds, it was not possible. I will receive my savings from the group and immediately buy seeds and fertilizers for planting. I will be in a position to have enough food and at the same time sell the surplus to meet other additional needs for the family.

The biggest difference in my daily life in the last four months preceding the current transfer is that I have built my own house. I used to stay with my parents in our house which was so inconveniencing. The house was so small and could not host all of us comfortable. Living with parents in our house with other siblings was so challenging during the decision making and cooking arrangements. I had saved some amount in the merry go round and when It was a turn to receive the money I used all to buy building materials and started the construction immediately and now I live with my spouse in our own house. I no longer have a misunderstanding with anyone and decision making is much easier unlike before. I am so happy I am no independent person.

I expect my life to change in the next six months in that I will have saved enough money from my horticulture project and from the merry go round group that we have in our village. I will be in a position to build a better house for the family and even pay school fees for my son who is yet to join primary school. I will have enough food and sell the surplus at the market to meet other household needs.

My life is currently different from how it was previously in that I now have my own house. This is a great achievement because I can now start making my own plans and work towards my goals. Living in my own house means I can plan my house depending on my tastes and preference without having to inconvenience anyone. I also don't have to consult anyone before doing anything. I am living a more peaceful life since its only me and my husband whom we agree with in most of the things. This is much better compared to staying with a bigger extended family where misunderstandings are common.

My goal right now is to finish building a kitchen that I started recently. It is my priority at the moment because we are using a tattered tent as a kitchen and when it rains, we sometimes sleep hungry. I plan to continue saving and buy the building materials. I know with time I will be able to assemble all the required materials. At least I will not have to punish my family by making them sleep hungry whether it is a rainy season or not.

The biggest difference in my life is that I am more peaceful in life. I am less worried about some responsibilities that used to stress me when I never had a reliable source of income. Previously, I used to stay with parents home. It is a spacious house that comfortably accommodated us but since we were many, we had different characters and beliefs of how things should be done. We would occasionally argue and fight which was not healthy especially for my kids. I am glad I now have my own house. We live peacefully and once in a while we go say hi to my parents.

My expectation in the near future is to complete building my kitchen. Using the tattered tents as it is now makes me so uncomfortable since I am always forced to cook early before it becomes dark or it starts raining. Once this is done, I plan to buy a dairy cow. Having a dairy cow will help me reduce the expenses that I currently have. I believe if I keep it well I will get some good amount of proceeds from the sale of milk which will improve my financial strength and hence the ability to take care of my family. I plan to use this money to start other income-generating activities. Ultimately, this to improve our general lifestyle.

My family is generally a happier family than it has ever been. Four months a go and before, life was so difficult for us. We relied solely on casual labour to get money to buy food and other basic needs for the family. This often left us straining to use the little money we got to meet some of these needs and at most times we could only afford to buy food just enough for the day as we left other things foregone. After getting the transfers we have been able to do tremendous things that we never thought we could do anytime soon. Putting food on the table for the family does not stress us anymore like it used to do four months a go. We have started doing less of casual work as we dwell more on our own investments as a family.

In the next four months, we have plans of leasing more land that will enable us plant more food crops. The land that we now have under cultivation is too small to provide enough food for the family. Buying most of these food takes a lot of money that could have been put into other meaningful use. Leasing land and cultivating it will enable us have more food for the family while at the same time leave us with surplus that we can sell to pay school fees for the children and meet other family needs. We are focusing on maize and beans growing.

Four months a go, we never had a new house that we are now staying in. As soon as we started receiving GiveDirectly transfers, my husband and I joined a merry go round where we requested to be among the first beneficiaries of the same. We were able to collect KES 10000 from the merry go round that enabled us buy building materials and pay a house constructor that helped us put up the structure that we are now living in. This has been the biggest difference in our daily life over the last four months.

In the next six months, we are optimistic that we shall have saved enough money from our improved farming practices and merry go round contributions that will enable us acquire our own piece of land where we can also practice more farming and increase our income base as a family. At this time we expect to be more financially stable than we are now.