We are a family of eight, consisting of my spouse, my six children, and myself. Our primary source of income is the sale of charcoal, but because almost everyone in the village participates, the trees have been depleted, so people must dig logs to obtain wood for the charcoal. This is exhausting, but since my husband has been sick for quite a while now thus he is not able to do any work, I am the only one left to earn a living. Whatever I have been earning goes towards food because of the high price associated with the prolonged drought that has caused scarcity. The house we live in is not in a good shape, it could fall anytime. When I received the second transfer, I spared a part of the money to build us a better house. The cost of putting it up was $300. I also paid school fees arrears for my children that had accumulated to $100 so that they would continue with their studies. I added two goats that I bought at $100 to my livestock herd. With the remaining $30, I replenished food in the house.

There is nothing wrong with the whole operation as many attest to the fact that GiveDirectly did its best to change our living standards. No one has ever complained, but we are always thankful for the generous support that we got.

As the breadwinner of the family, I have to do a lot to make sure that all the basic needs are catered for, doing odd jobs to make ends meet. I intend to save money from what I make so that I can start a small business selling either vegetables or second-hand clothes. With this, I will be able to continue tending to my family’s needs as I take care of my sick husband.

I spent part of my first transfer on buying building materials such as iron sheets, nails, timber, and all the necessary elements at KES 35000. had intended to build a new house because the current one was in a critical condition, besides, it was very small. We have always been forced to sleep at our friend's houses, especially during the winter seasons. This has been an embarrassing moment for us because we were like a burden to them. All I can say is that it is a relief for me and my family and we are grateful for that. Additionally, I cleared fees of KES 4000 for my children and bought new uniforms. They gave now been attending all the classes without any hiccups like before. With the remaining cash, I bought foodstuffs for my family.

The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have a decent spacious iron-roofed house. The initial one was not in good condition. Moreover, it was so small to accommodate all my family members which comprised seven members. For over ten years I have been in marriage life has never been good at all. The fact that my children had to sleep at their friend's houses stressed me the most. Also whenever it could rain, we all had to go to our relative's houses and seek shelter. As a result, our properties could get damaged. I had been yearning to construct a better one for a long but this was not achievable. This is because my spouse and I have been depending on temporary jobs to make ends meet. For some days, we were not able to provide the daily meals for our kids which is evident that it would take ages for us to construct a good house. We are now glad that we finally have a long-lasting solution for the challenge that we have been through. We will no longer have to worry about the rains and all sorts of insecurities anymore.

It was around 10 in the morning when I was with my colleagues heading to our daily hustle when I heard a vibration from my mobile phone. I had to stop and check where the message was coming from and to my surprise, it was the message that I had anxiously been waiting for. I was so happy and I remember requesting my friends to proceed with the program of the day and I had to go back since I could not even concentrate.