I had wanted to build a better house for my children and I since the one we lived in was very old and did not have a strong foundation and I also wanted to start my own business that would help me i n earning some money and assist in affording bills for my family.

GiveDirectly has helped me in building a better home for my kids and I and finally I venture into my own business which will help me in being more sustainable financially and for that I am genuinely grateful.

The first money transfers helped me in constructing my house but I was yet to finish the roofing to the house and so I bought twenty pieces of iron sheet which went for KES 1,150 which accumulated to KES 23,000 and timber worth KES 1,600 which would help in finishing the house since the previous house was almost collapsing due to a faulty foundation and also for being aged. I also bought three goats worth KES 9,000 which I planned on rearing for domestic purposes and a water tank which cost KES 2,000 since our area was experiencing drought plus buying water every now and then was expensive and I needed to store water so that both my family and the animals could benefit. Lastly I saved KES 10,000 which I planned on starting a business mostly for selling lady clothes.

I was ad the dam together with my cousin when I received the message from my mobile phone but since I am illiterate I did not even bother to check its content. I had to wait for my souse so that he could assist in checking how it was. Upon checking, he realized that it was an Mpesa message from Segovia Technology. On receiving this awesome news, I was overwhelmed with joy other with my family and I remember it took us like two days then we started spending the cash after agreeing with my souse what to buy.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that through the transfers, I have been able to construct a very decent spacious iron-roofed house. Initially, I used to shelter in a very small house with weak walls which were almost collapsing, besides it had an old roof. I had even wished to at least renovate it but because of the poverty life that had stricken my household, I could not afford to purchase the necessary materials. During the summertime,w used to be hit by the direct sunray because the roofing was only plastic nylons, also in the winter season, it was the worse becasue we could be rained on till dawn. To add to that most of my properties were destroyed as a result and I had always experienced loss. With my seven family members, I had to seek shelter from one compound to the other every day which was very frustrating. Being jobless we only depended on my spouse who relied on casual jobs earning KES 200 in a day. It would take ages for us to construct the house using our own money. I am happy and grateful for now because I no longer have to worry about the security of my children and the harsh climate courtesy of GiveDirectly.

I spent part of my first transfer on buying some building materials like the poles KES 5000, iron sheets, nails, and timber at KES 20000. I bought all these with an aim of constructing a new spacious house since the initial one was almost collapsing with poor roofing. Also with my seven family members, it could not accommodate us all and this led to some of them sleep at my relative's houses. In addition, I am planning to buy five goats at KES 3000 each in the neighboring market. These will now serve as the assets that I will rely on in case of any emergency, Also, I paid school fees for my five children who are still in the neighboring primary school KES 2000. With the remaining amount, I am using it in buying enough foodstuffs for my family. I am happy we no longer skip meals like before.