My current objective is to launch a fishmongering business. Since there are only a few people in my area, there is less rivalry, which is why I picked it. Since producing and selling charcoal has become unstable owing to the lack of trees in our area, the goal of this business is to generate income. I have therefore chosen to go in this way once I have some money.

GiveDirectly succeeds by donating money to the underprivileged in the neighborhood so they can improve their homes and even invest in various initiatives of their choosing. They were able to raise their standard of living as a result. I can't think of anything GiveDirectly did poorly. What I can suggest is that, while you do your location scouting in a region, please take into consideration the families who have trouble getting their kids to secondary schools and universities, and if feasible offer them some scholarships. This is what I'm suggesting because after you educate the youth, they will be the ones to end family poverty.

I had been sleeping in a partially collapsed home for a while after a tree fell on it. I had used my first transfer when this situation occurred. Since I had no choice but to take the risk, I did. There was no difference between living inside that house and being outside during the rainy season. When receiving the second transfer, the house took precedence. So, I went out and purchased the building supplies, including iron sheets, building poles, rafters, roofing timbers, and nails. I am unable to provide a precise cost because I left everything in my son's capable hands. I can only say that I am content because I now live in a safe home. I also recall paying $30 in school fees for my primary school-aged son after he was sent home for the same. I then used the money that was left over to maintain the family.

I left home for a neighboring village called Mavuani. I had gone to check on my daughter who was unwell. On the following day at around 2 pm, I received a phone call from my son who is my helper informing me that he has received his first transfer from GiveDirectly, so he was asking me to confirm too. Since I do not know how to check, I waited for my daughter who had gone back to the hospital for a check-up. No sooner had she arrived that I gave her my phone to confirm if at all I had received the money too. What a nice afternoon, the money had been sent and was in my account. I was filled with joy for receiving a huge amount of money. An amount that I have never received in my entire life. I wanted to ululate in happiness but the fact that I was a visitor, I could not.

For a while, I had been struggling to make ends meet. Poverty made my children to be often sent out of school due to school fees as well as sleeping hungry due to lack of food. As of now, I am very grateful for the support that I received from GiveDirectly. It enabled me to pay school fees for my college child and he is now undertaking his studies comfortably not as before. In addition to that, we have an access to food and we are living happily as a family.

When I withdrew the money, I first paid KES 18000.00 for college fees for my child who was on the verge of dropping out of college due to lack of fees. I also bought 6 pieces of Dumuzas iron sheets for KES 5700.00to add a second room to my house because it was small and congested to accommodate us and the household items. Besides that, I bought two goats for KES 9000.00 and a mattress for KES 6000.00. I preferred the goats over a cow because they can cope with the drought situation in our area. In addition to that, I added some stock to boost my business of selling fried fish which was collapsing, and used the remaining amount to buy some food for my family.