"What has made my life harder is the sickness that I have,I am suffering from leprosy disease since 2000 in that my fingers and toes keep getting off my hands and legs.This has mad my life hard because I can not work anymore to take care of my 2 children especially the 11 year old child of mine. I was told by the doctors not to work because of the sickness and this has contributed to poverty in my home which has made life hard and complicated, the treatment is very expensive I can't afford it and it's now 1 year since I stopped getting the treatment."

"GiveDirectly has given us a chance to hold our heads high as a family. Thanks to them, we have a home we can point to with pride, our kids are in school, and we have continued to do our part as responsible parents. I will be forever indebted to them, and I pray they do the same for countless others."

"Getting fresh water was a struggle and expensive. I used to travel a long distance to fetch some water. Since I have some livestock, I was using a lot of water which cost me so much to buy apart from the transport cost. Therefore, I saw the need to apply for a water connection at my home. Based on that I bought all the plumbing materials and did the fitting as well as paying for the meter for $280 though the water has not been fixed yet. I am sure they will not take much time and soon I will have some water at home. This will reduce the burden of traveling and the cost to source the same. I am happy that GiveDirectly empowered me to fix a water tap at my home. Thereafter, I used $165 to buy a dairy cow. This cow will provide some milk for sale. It will serve as a source of income to provide for the family. I also paid $80 in school fees for my son who was joining secondary school. Since I rely on livestock farming, I opted to use the remaining amount in buying food for the family."

"I was attending an evening home fellowship that day at around 3 o'clock when I got a message on my phone. Despite not being able to read or write, because I am an entrepreneur, I do have some experience deciphering M-pesa texts. I knew that I had received the initial $550. When I confirmed that I had also received the money, I was overwhelmed with delight. One could see the enthusiasm on my face. I wanted to squeal with joy, but I restrained myself and refrained from telling anyone."

"RE: "At the end of this program, i hope to start up my own little business that will help me and my grandchildren survive even after givedirectly leaves "."

"RE " I spend the most of my recent transfer on saving to startup a mini business of my own. My mother is about to built a house, so i give her some of my transfer since she's building the house for us all. I also used a little on food for the house "."

"RE: " Am spending the most of my recent transfer on the production of planks to start the construction of my house "."

"In my opinion, GiveDirectly does well by coming into our village and helping the neediest individual. The idea of sending the unconditional cash transfer was the best since everyone has a chance to select what they wish to purchase according to their household needs. I do not see anything that needs to be changed so far."

"I hope to purchase a motorbike which will operate in the nearby town centre. According to my research, motorbike services are on high demand and we have few individuals running this kind of business. Therefore I believe that this is the best choice is I am sure the chances of this business being successful are very high. I will be earning a good income that will enable me to cater for my family's basic needs."

"I am aspiring to buy more livestock moreso goats. I am convinced that these are the only domestic animals that can thrive so well in my region. Also, they reproduce so fast. Therefore within a short period, I believe to own a good number of them which shall empower me to be paying fees for my children on time. This will be a major support to them considering that it has been the biggest hiccup."