The construction of a kitchen that I started after receiving the second transfer is still on at the moment. I am hoping to complete it soon so that I can initiate my new goal of buying a dairy cow. I have been buying milk to supplement the few liters we get from an indigenous breed that we currently have.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly did a great job in our village from the first day they visited. We were educated on the security details and also given a chance to make our own spending decisions which helped many people to address their household challenges. A lot has changed in the village since then and no one complains at all but appreciates the good work done by GiveDirectly.

With my family of four, we had been living under one roof that has been both a kitchen and a living room - separated by a mud wall. Every time we started cooking, the smoke and the fumes from the kitchen would fill the bedroom space and the falling particles of soot would always settle on our clothes and bedding. The second transfer brought a lasting solution to this problem when I spent KES 39000 on the initiation of the construction of a separate kitchen after the purchase of iron sheets, building poles, and also setting aside the labor some amount to cater for the labor charges. Once the construction is done, I am hopeful that a big space will be left on the initial kitchen space that an extra bed can be fitted to accommodate my daughters who had been sleeping in the neighbor's place. I also spent KES 6000 on foodstuff for my family that included a sack of maize, a bag of rice, and other kitchen utilities. I also used the remaining KES 8000 on clothing for all my family members who appreciated GiveDirectly for the generous support.

I had gone to the market and was accompanied by one of my neighbors. While we were still shopping, she inquired if I had seen anything interesting on my phone. It was at this time that I decided to check and know what she was speaking of and my heart was filled with joy on seeing that I was KES 55000 richer. I decided to withdraw the cash the same day instead of incurring extra costs later coming to withdraw them and to also buy some food items for celebration purposes for the good news.

When one sees my house at the moment, he will think that it was completed recently but the truth is we completed building it a few years ago. The renovation that we did recently gave it a new and more attractive look and I am grateful to GiveDirectly for making this possible. At the moment, I boast of having a brick house that was well built and stands out in the neighborhood as people can use it as a landmark.

We had completed building a permanent house but left it without painting it due to insufficient funds and we laid down according to our priorities how we would spend the transfer once we received it after the enrollment. Upon receiving it, our priority was in improving our house, thus we spent KES 30000 to purchase and fix the ceilings, painted the walls both inside and outside, and paid for the labor. Using the remaining KES 24000, we bought clothes for every member of our family and a different variety of foodstuffs.