For the past three years, my family and I have been residing as squatters on our relative's land, having moved from our original home in Subukia. As a single mother with four children, I have not been able to claim a portion of my parents' property due to cultural norms that favored my brothers in terms of inheritance. I have depended on the goodwill of others, and at times, I have managed to lease land for farming to provide for my family. Thanks to the support from GiveDirectly, I have been able to expand my leasehold and enhance my harvest over the past four months. Looking ahead, my goal for the upcoming year and beyond is to utilize a portion of the income from my crop sales to gradually pay for the land we currently occupy as squatters. I am grateful for the understanding of the landowner, who is also a relative, and their willingness to accept partial payments whenever I have funds available for deposit.

I am glad to have been a participant in GiveDirectly's program, which has brought substantial transformation and enduring happiness to my family and numerous households within our villages. The equitable selection process that was employed ensured that every individual, without bias or conditions, had the opportunity to be enrolled. An exceptional aspect of the program was that they conducted household visits for each individual, without involving any community leadership in the decision-making process. Every person who had the chance to engage with them was included, and it is heartwarming that we were granted the opportunity to make decisions on how to utilize the entire transfer. I commend GiveDirectly for their commendable efforts, and while we wish for the chance to experience such support again, we also hold the hope that other disadvantaged communities will be afforded the opportunity to enroll and receive similar support.

It was during the commencement of the planting season when I received the final transfer from GiveDirectly. I was committed to investing the entire sum into a profit-yielding venture with enduring benefits. I leased a 2-acre parcel of land at $100 and promptly initiated the land preparation. The plowing phase incurred an expense of $60, while the subsequent tilling and harrowing amounted to $100. During this period, I spent $30 on food provisions to the hired labor force. Since I already possessed all the necessary inputs, I proceeded to plant without any additional cost. Given the limited rainfall, I combined the remaining $160 with my savings to purchase a water pumping generator, facilitating consistent irrigation throughout the growth cycle of the maize plantation. As a single mother of four children, it was a demanding endeavor to prioritize intensive farming over other needs, but I am content with the outcome - a harvest of 17 sacks, each weighing 90 kg. Presently, I am in the process of drying the maize, preparing to bring it to the market and utilizing the proceeds to fulfill various needs I had initially foregone, including payment of school fees for my three children. It was unfortunate that, my elder daughter had a miscarriage and was admitted in recent weeks, resulting in a medical expenditure of $250 from my savings. I am relieved that she has been discharged and is recuperating at home.

I love how GiveDirectly treats everyone in the village fairly. Everyone, including the wealthy, gets enrolled as soon as they choose the village. They don't accept presents, exhibit any bias of any type, and are always focused on what they are doing. I hope they can give us more money so we can carry on the good work we've already begun.

I love that Gd is fair, once they decide on the village every one including the well off is enrolled. They dont take anybgifts. My wish is that we could get morw funds toncontinue with the good work

We currently lease land at KES 10,000 for three months. My family can't afford this because we largely rely on subsistence farming in our semi-arid location. I'm currently planning to purchase land of my own. I'll set aside a portion of land for agriculture in addition to building a family home there. In addition to ensuring my family's access to food, this will also allow me to make a small profit by selling some of the farm's crops.

On a hot afternoon of February 15, after coming back from the farm, I received a message that confirmed the receipt of my first transfer from GiveDirectly. Even though I wasn't expecting any money from anyone, I was certain that it was from GiveDirectly. At that moment, I was alone, and I couldn't express my excitement. However, when my children returned later that evening, I shared the good news with them, and they were equally thrilled. Moreover, my helper also called to congratulate me on receiving the money, and we both shared excitement. I had to wait until the next day to collect the money from the nearby shopping center, but the feeling of hope and anticipation made me sleepless that night.

The biggest difference in my daily life is the beginning of the construction of a new house for my family, which will provide them with more spacious rooms and a sense of dignity by giving them a private space to sleep and store their belongings. Previously, my children had to sleep in various places around the neighborhood, but the new house will ensure they have a safe and comfortable place to rest. This project has brought a great hope and joy to my family, and we are looking forward to completing it with the help of GiveDirectly's support.

Upon receiving my first transfer from GiveDirectly, I decided to invest $110 in buying 10 quality iron sheets that I could use to construct a new house. My family of five had been living in a single house that served both as a kitchen and a living room, but with the new construction, I planned to build two new rooms, one for me and the other for my children. I spent the remaining amount on other essential items, including foodstuff, a new mattress worth $25 to replace the old one that my children had been using, and hiring a transport service to ferry the construction materials home from the purchase point. With the second transfer, I hope to add more iron sheets and other construction materials like nails and frames, as well as pay for labor charges during the construction process. This support from GiveDirectly has given me a new sense of hope and a better living standard for me and my family.