My new goal is to buy more livestock. Currently, with the rains and the support received from GiveDirectly, I intend to buy goats with little savings from our business. In the future, this will enable our business to be independent to have our slaughterhouse and distributors of meat in the area.

GiveDirectly is doing well because I had nothing before but now am a proud owner of three cows and my neighbors as well have either bought cattle, or goats like I did or built their homes, which is improving our lifestyle here in the village. I also bought a motorcycle which has helped my husband cut down on transport charges as well as earn the family some money whenever it's leased. I would not want the organization to do anything different, but would request that they would consider coming back to the village and enrolling us again.

My husband is a butcher and I am a stay-at-home parent for our three children. The drought affected our business negatively because most of the livestock starved to death. Most of our customers narrowed down their needs to basic needs and consumption of meat was a luxury for a few. It would be expensive for my husband to lease a motorcycle and look for goats to slaughter and, with the challenges, business was on the low. As soon as we received our first transfer, we bought a secondhand motorcycle and the remaining cash was used to buy food and pay my children’s school fees. The second transfer of $430 bought two cows and one calf, which would be a lasting investment in our business. I also bought my children a bed and a mattress which was $75. The remaining cash was used to buy food, which would last us the next two weeks. I was grateful that my children were no longer sleeping on the floor.

It was around 5 in the morning when I was from the bush grazing the goats when I realized that I had received my first cash transfer. This was the most joyous moment in my life since I had never received such a huge amount of money which is nonrefundable. Also, I was so certain that I would achieve a lot through the transfers. I had to share the news with my other family members and they could not keep holding onto their joy either.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that I now have a motorbike which is operated by my spouse. It has changed my life ever since I owned it in such a way that we never skipped meals and I can afford to pay for my children's school fees on time. I decided to purchase the motorbike after seeing my villagmates having a hard time finding means of transport to the town centre and in cases of emergency at night since vehicles in our area only operate at intervals and the latest being at 6 in the evening. Therefore, I have been providing transport in my area day and sometimes at night helping me to get enough income for my family which is composed of five. I am so grateful to GiveDirectly for this huge support and empowerment in my life and I do not take it for granted.

I spent a huge portion of my first cash transfer on buying a second-hand motorbike at KES 45000. This has been my desire to own it for a long but I could not afford it because they were too expensive. I intentionally bought it for my spouse since he has been relying on temporary jobs for all those years. Additionally, I bought new clothes and shoes for my children which cost around KES 4700. To add to that, I cleared school fees of KES 1800 for my three children who are in primary schools. With the remaining amount, I bought food for my family and sorted other pending bills.