My biggest accomplishment is self-employment. In the next few months, I would want to put my tailoring skills into practice. My interest is specializing in tailoring classes every month. Currently, I have one student, but I intend to grow the numbers with time. The fee charged to every student will enable me to expand and buy more sewing machines and support my basic needs. This will mean so much to me because as much as I will earn from the training, it feels good to give back to the community by passing down my skills.

GiveDirectly is doing well by providing support through cash transfers, which is a major impact to eradicate poverty. Through cash transfers, most of the villagers have built their houses and improved their lifestyles. Most of the children that had dropped from school because of financial constraints have gone back to school. The funds may have not solved all our problems, but have played a major role in solving part of them. I would like GiveDirectly to consider having funding programs for Education and water. Those are some of the main problems that have caused our village to be underdeveloped.

The biggest challenge has been unemployment. I am married with two children and my husband has been unemployed for a long time. We mainly survive on the casual jobs that come his way, and most of them pay as much as $5 a day. The cost of living has gone up. It is nearly impossible to budget for food and other things with such earnings. I have looked for piecework jobs, but we are still facing major financial issues. I spent my first transfer on buying bedding for my children, food, and three goats. The second transfer of $200 went towards a piece of land we bought before and we were struggling to clear the balance. I was optimistic and bought my sewing machine for $140. I spent the rest on food, for which I used $140 and saved $50 for any unexpected expenses. The biggest difference in my life is food has been a challenge to many homes, but the support program has enabled my family to have enough for the next few months.

It was exactly 5 PM when I was preparing porridge for my son when I heard my phone ringing. Without hesitating I decided to check where the message was coming from since I was expecting to hear from a friend. I was so excited to learn that it was from GiveDirectly notifying me that I had received my cash transfer. I decided to alert all my family members so that we can plan appropriately.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that I was able to purchase a sewing machine. Before the coming of GiveDirectly, I used to hire from friends and pay daily which I used to experience loss. This is because I had to share the money I earn with the owner of the machine. It was so hard for me to take care of my four family members since I have been the family's breadwinner. I was not even able to take care of my two kids including paying their fees. Also providing for their daily bread was sometimes a challenge. I am now thankful because after acquiring the machine, I no longer hire at any cost, what I earn is all mine. I have been able to provide for the family without any hiccups like before.

I spent part of my first cash transfer on buying a sewing machine which cost KES 15000. Previously, I used to hire from a neighbour which was too costly and all I have been experiencing is loss. Also, I bought a mattress and a bed at a total cost of KES 11500. Previously, I used to sleep on the traditional beds for the four years that I have been in marriage. It has been tough because I used to undergo lots of discomforts. Additionally, I cleared fees of KES 5000 for my son who is in grade one. He is now settled in school unlike before whereby he used to be sent home regularly. To add to that I bought two goats at KES 6000. I am so happy to have them on my homestead because I am positive through them, I will active most of my dream since they reproduce faster. With the remaining amount, I bought food for the family.