"The best thing GiveDirectly gave us was the ability to choose how we would use our transfers. My community has been transformed and strengthened. In that the children are comfortably studying in their respective schools, people have built new houses, and many other good things have been done, I have not seen anything done poorly during my interactions with the GiveDirectly staff."

"I felt so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. The amount of joy that I felt has lasted to date. To me this was a blessing from God especially at a time that I had lost some of my cattle to some strange disease. I have plans of using the next transfer to build a new house. The one that I am currently living in is too old and at the verge of collapsing."

"The biggest difference in my daily life is the reviving of dairy keeping. We had dairy cows that were supporting us a lot. I had two good dairy cows which supported me a lot in meeting the daily needs of my family including buying food for the family. Things had become a little tough after I lost both of my dairy cows. Getting GiveDirectly transfers and using them to buy at least one dairy cow has made me very happy."

"I used almost the entire transfer amounting to $400 to buy timber that will help me put up a better structure. For a long time I have been living in a iron roofed house that was built in the early seventies. I have been thinking about building a better house but paying school fees has preoccupied the better part of my life. I became so happy that immediately after they completed their studies then I also received a transfer from GiveDirectly that will enable me build a better house. My plan is to build a timber walled house that will better my living standards and my family. I stay with three of my daughters and other two sons who still look up to me. I then used the amount that remained to help my daughter Mary who required some money to support her children who recently joined secondary school."

"The biggest difference in my daily life is since I started receiving payments from GiveDirectly is the peace of mind that came with it and the happiness spread across my family members. Never before have I been able to clear a whole years school fees for anyone of my children. I felt happy and proud to have paid for two in full and the assurance that my children shall not be sent home for school fees gives me so much joy. It also gave also gave a helping hand to my husband whom we have been depending on for a long time."

"I am the mother of six children in various stages of development. My three eldest children are all married and have two or more children. My fourth and fifth children both work in Mombasa, while my youngest has just graduated from high school and is looking for work. I say this to demonstrate to you how much I value education. As a result, a portion of the GiveDirectly funds were used to pay school fees for four of my grandchildren at Migumomiri Primary School. I also decided to try my hand at cattle farming for the first time and purchased a female cow. The most significant project as a result of the GiveDirectly funds was the construction of my one-bedroom house. I also made a point of including a a verandah in the plans to ensure that I have somewhere to sit on warm evenings and sunny afternoons. The most recent major purchase was food. Growing cassava, maize, and other cereals on a 3-acre farm has been impossible due to the ongoing drought. As a result, I must ensure that we have enough to last as a family."

"I felt so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. Earlier in the day, I had heard people claim that they had received money from GiveDirectly but it was not until evening that I learnt that I too had received money from GiveDirectly. It was my children who saw and read out the message to me confirming that I had received some money from GiveDirectly. I broke into a celebration mood after receiving a transfer from GiveDirectly."

"I felt so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. Never before had we received such support from anyone in the past. I felt happy that the things we had always had as plans were finally going to be realized."

"I felt so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. That day I was in the farm working on my maize farm when I heard my phone ring. Upon checking the contents of the message, I confirmed that indeed GiveDirectly had made good their promise of sending us cash as earlier they promised. To me it had never dawned on me that I will surely receive the money. We later planned with my wife on how we were going to spend the money to reap maximum benefits from it."

"I built a house using the initial transfer, but I was unable to finish the roofing because I was out of money to pay the labor costs. I decided to finish the roofing after receiving the second transfer because I had all the necessary materials. As a result, my labor costs for the roofing were only $50. I then decided to make a livestock investment. I spent $480 to purchase 12 goats based on this. This was a large outlay because I am aware that purchasing livestock provides stability for my children's future schooling. If I ever need to sell something to cover my children's school expenses, I will be in a better position to do so because goats have accessible markets."