I usually run a small business of selling various vegetables, but the proceeds have not been good enough because of the tough economic times experienced in the country. When I received the second transfer, I boosted my business with $4. Having been a livestock farmer, I also bought four more additional goats worth $15 to add to my flock. I had some pending balance for when I had gone to pay dowry at my in-laws place for my wife, and so I used $20 to clear it. I also restocked our food pantry with a $10, which we used for the past two months. I used the rest of the money to buy new clothes for my children, as well as new pair for myself and other household items that were missing at the time.

GiveDirectly allowed us an opportunity to decide how best we can change our expectations for everyday comforts in our families through the free cash transfer we received. Dissimilar to different associations, GiveDirectly's help was genuine and the enrollment process was fair to the point that nobody needed to pay anything to the staff to be selected. I believe this is the best program ever that fulfilled our expectations after spending on the plans we had.

In the event that I pass on, I want to leave my kids behind living happily and so I intend to buy a piece of land and build a good house for them to stay in. I am hoping to relocate to a less expensive area where I can buy half an acre and practice subsistence farming to support my children.

I spent a portion of my first transfer on buying building materials which include; iron sheets at KES 9600, building poles at KES 2100, and the labour charges of KES 8500. I had intended to renovate my house by adding one room. Previously it only had a single room which could not accommodate all my four family members. Therefore my children had to sleep at their grandmother's house which they were not comfortable with since they were still young. I am so happy that for now, we are sheltering under one roof. Additionally, I bought new beddings which cost KES 11000. These were to replace the traditional bed and old sacks that we have been using for years. I am now grateful because we will no longer complain about the back pains like before. To add to that I managed to boost my business ( selling vegetables and cereals) that I have been operating before. With the remaining cash, I bought foodstuffs for my family.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that through the financial support, I was able to boost my business( selling vegetables and cereals). This has been the only means of income that we have been depending on for all those years. I was so worried that very soon the business might collapse because of insufficient capital and funding. Earning a profit of KES 100 a day was sometimes a nightmare all I could count was just loss. This has been affecting my two children are school going because I could not afford to raise their fees. Apart from that, fending for the family's basic needs was also hard. Currently, the story has changed because there is enough stock which has led to customer attraction. I have therefore been earning good profits (KES 500) in a day, which is very motivating. I no longer have to strain in providing for my family's needs like before. I have been also timely settling my bills.

I can still remember very well at exactly 5 in the evening when I was doing laundry when I heard my phone ringing so loudly. Without wasting time, I decided to check who it was since it was unusual for me to receive a text at that particular time. I was overwhelmed with joy after realizing that I had received my first cash transfer from GiveDirectly. I remember saying a special prayer before breaking the news to my family members.