My life is different than it would have been if I never received the transfer in that I am living a self-dependency life. Through the transfer, I was able to start livestock rearing a reliable source of income for the family with my first transfer. Before I was jobless and I use to depend on my children who had their families to take care of. In addition, I now stay in a decent, iron-roofed house something that I had never imagined to have in my life. Most importantly I was able to seek proper medical care through the aid. Lastly, I now have enough food for myself after purchasing enough stock with the transfer.

GiveDirectly did well in supporting the poor households in my village. Through the unconditional cash transfer program, my life has been transformed for the better. We were given the right to decide on our own how to use the cash to improve our living standards. In my opinion, I do not see any wrong that GiveDirectly does not do well.

I spent $350 of my transfer to construct a decent shelter for the family by acquiring the building materials such as 18 iron sheets, building poles, nails, timber, and payment of labour charges. This is because we had relocated to a new area since where we used to live earlier did not belong to us. I also use some amount to seek medical assistance because I was diagnosed with edema. The remaining amount assisted me in buying enough food stock for the time that I was not working because of my sickness.

I was so excited the moment I received the transfers. It was around 2 PM when I saw the message. I thank God and the organization for everything because I can now accomplish my dreams which I never expected would come true.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that I am now a proud owner of a dairy cow. I opted to buy it because I am optimistic I will achieve a lot from its various benefits. First, I will be getting some milk for free for my family consumption. This will serve as their surplus to their daily meals. To add to that, I will sell the remaining liters to the local markets in my region and generate an income. I will save the little money that I will be earning and pay school fees for my children who are still in school. Also, I will no longer strain in meeting their daily needs like before.

I spent part of my first transfer on buying one dairy cow at KES 16000. I have been yearning to keep it for years but I could not afford it at its cost. I also bought some building materials such as iron sheets, building poles, timber, and nails. I purchased all these to construct a new house to replace the traditional grass-thatched one which was leaking every winter season. I also bought some foodstuffs for my family that would take us to the next harvesting season.