After receiving the transfer, I ventured into livestock farming and opened a retail shop that earned my daily income. I am still doing free-range grazing and my new goal is to construct a new cow shed with storage space to keep the livestock feeds. I will also buy a chaff cutter in the future to ease the preparation of the feeds for my dairy cows. I have been saved from the business proceeds and the sale of milk, which I am hopeful will be enough to start the project in six months.

Before GiveDirectly entered our village, many people suffered severe hunger, and that would force their children to work in casual labor. Casual labor was the only source of hope and at the time it was so hard to find since almost every household depended on it. I am happy that GiveDirectly gave them a second chance through the free cash transfer that change their lives. The decisions we made on spending improved our living standards and we are forever thankful for this support.

Upon receiving the first transfer, I bought a lactating dairy cow at KES 40000 that has drastically increased the milk production from the five liters I used to get from the preexisting jersey cow to 12 liters per day. Selling part of the milk has consistently earned me a daily income to buy foodstuff and save part of it towards improving their production. I also bought two sacks of maize at KES 12000 that we had been using as a foodstuff with my family of two. I also spent the remaining amount on boosting the retail business. I am happy to see it doing well to date as it plays a significant role in feeding my family.

I was very happy when I confirmed the receipt of the first transfer from GiveDirectly. I was at my workstation at around 5:00 pm when I received a message and had to withdraw before moving back home. I informed my family after getting home since we had all plans already set and were ready to execute them.

The biggest difference in my daily life is the improved production of milk and hence an additional source of income after buying a lactating dairy cow. I am happy that this has changed a lot in my family since the proceeds from milk meets all the household bills, and we no longer have to reduce the stock in our retail business.

For the past three years, my family depended on only one dairy cow that could produce milk in its peak seasons. During the dry seasons, I would spend a lot to buy enough milk for my family of two. On receiving the first transfer, I spent KES 40000 on buying a lactating dairy cow that has been producing enough milk for my family and surplus for sale. I am happy that we have a reliable income from the sales that can pay household bills and even farm inputs. In addition, I spent KES 10000 of the remaining amount on improving my retail business. I have been operating a shop whose stock kept going down since we could consume some when we don't have enough money to buy. At the moment, it is doing well and the profit margin has improved after replenishing the stock that customers were missing initially. I later spent the remaining amount on buying foodstuff for my family.