Now that I have been able to send my son to school,  I would want to start a business which will support him till he graduates.  I have been thinking of selling vegetables, fruits, and fish, which is a bit lucrative compared to the rest. This is an assurance that I will not struggle to pay for, or rather meet, the basic needs of my seven children, considering that I am their only surviving parent.

In my opinion, GiveDirectly did an amazing job in my entire village by helping out the neediest individuals financially. Personally, the unconditional cash transfers empowered me enough to take my son to school and I have been lacking words to express my joy ever since.  Therefore I do not see anything that they need to work on, all went well.

I spent a huge portion of my recent transfer on purchasing all the necessary stationeries and clearing fees for my son who was joining high school.   He had stayed home for almost a year, hopelessly, after trying all I could to get him to go to school but in vain. All I can say is it's by the grace of God that this has finally been achieved.   To me, my son's going to school will make him a better and more responsible person in the future. To add to that, I installed a fresh water tap in my homestead, which has also been my dream. I feel more at home now because I will no longer have to trek to my neighbours to fetch water. Also, I will keep selling the water to my friends and generate an income as well. Also bought new school uniforms and bags for my other three children who are in primschoolools.   They are now studying comfortably without being humiliated by their peers like before, which would sometimes demoralize them and cause them to fail to attend class.  With the remaining cash, I have been buying food for the seven children. Raising them singlehandedly without any help from my in-laws has never been easy.   For the last five years since the passing on of my spouse, it has been hell and I can't thank the organisation enough for coming through the time I needed their help the most.

I recall being at home with my family when I received my transfer. While I was going through my phone. I noticed that I had a text message on my screen. Because I was intrigued, I asked my sons to read the message to me so that I could understand what it meant. I started jumping up and down in excitement the moment they told me I had received money from GiveDirectly. This was a blessing in my life, and I was overjoyed and grateful for the wonderful gift that came my way. My children were overjoyed and grateful as well.

Seeing my children dressed properly melts my heart; this was not the case previously because I did not have money for extras. Second, I was able to stock enough food in the house. I am happy and grateful that the organization made it possible for us to achieve our goals in such a short period.

After my husband died, I was left as the sole breadwinner for my family. Taking care of seven children on my own has been the most difficult task I've had to face. I work at the mine to make a living. When I got my transfer, I prioritized renovating my house, which cost at least $20. Second, I paid $50 for a mattress. Finally, I purchased food and clothing for my children. All of this was not possible because the little money I had was spent on school fees and food. We are grateful for the support provided by GiveDirectly.