My savings, combined with the remainder from the first transfer, are geared toward purchasing a plot of land in the neighborhood. I built a small house on my parents' property and plan to move it to mine once I have enough money to purchase a plot. I am glad I now have a small food business that I believe will help me save money.

Give Directly did an incredible job in our community, lifting many people out of poverty. I was struggling and on the verge of giving up when I received the GiveDirectly assistance that changed my family's standard of living. It gave me the ability to make spending decisions while also making a difference in the lives of other families in the village. The project's plan and execution were flawless, and we understood everything as explained by the staff who came to visit.

For the past year, I have been purchasing a liter of milk every day for my family of two. I live with my child, and the price of milk is increasing by the day. With the second transfer, I thought it would be a good idea to spend $130 on a heifer that will provide us with at least two liters of milk in the future and reduce our daily milk expenses. I will also consider selling the offspring in the future to pay for my child's school fees if I am unable to meet the school deadlines. I also spent $50 to open a small food joint where I prepared and sold local delicacies to the surrounding community in order to make at least $2 per day. It hasn't been doing well in the last month, but I am hoping that the holiday season will be the turning point. I put the rest of the money into my savings account in anticipation of purchasing a small plot of land in the future. I have been living on my parents' land with my child and would like to buy a plot where we can build a new house.

I was at home that evening having a good time with my children after a day's search for menial jobs in which I did not succeed. I got a message alert on my phone and on confirming receipt of the message, I realised it was an Mpesa message, informing me that I had received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. I was greatly relieved from the day's stress and rejoiced with my family.

GiveDirectly has significantly improved my living standard ever since I began receiving my payments. I was surviving on menial jobs like doing laundry with small pay. I was unable to fend for all of my household needs through the menial jobs because they are hard to get and unpredictable. At times I could stay for some weeks without a call. My desire was to start a small business that could sustain me and be able to at least put food on the table. I am grateful to GiveDirectly because I opened a food kiosk which I am currently operating in town. Being self-employed is what I needed most since I do not qualify for white-collar jobs. I am now earning a good profit from this food kiosk unlike when I relied on menial jobs. I am now able to adequately provide for my family and save the extra cash to cater for my children's fees.

I thank GiveDirectly for the financial support because I am now operating a food kiosk that I opened using the first payment. I have been surviving on menial jobs with little pay for a long time. My desire was to start a small business that could at least ensure that I am engaged and earning my own money. Sourcing for capital was the hardest task since I was not able to save from my meagre earnings. I invested Ksh. 30000 of the first transfer into this food kiosk and purchased enough stock to run it. In addition to this, I also purchased a new modern bed and a mattress and replaced the old beddings that I have been using for years. I can now afford to sleep well on my new bedding unlike when I was using old mats and a traditional bed.