"It was a typical day at the nearby shopping center where I run a small food kiosk when I overheard some customers discussing the message that had just arrived in their inboxes. Curious to know what was happening , they advised me to check my phone to see if I had been enrolled by GiveDirectly. When I picked up my phone from the counter, the message that greeted me was from a Mpesa message, which I quickly opened to read. I realized it was the name of the system used by GiveDirectly thanks to Segovia Technology. Looking into the specifics gave me more confidence because I could see the exact amount I expected the deduction to cover. It was deducted for the feature phone I was given. I called the hotline number and chose the option of giving thanks because I was grateful for the receipt."

"The addition of seven chickens to my previous three has made the biggest difference in my daily life. Even though some are still young, I am grateful that I can always collect at least 5 eggs per day to use for household purchases. The project is simple to manage, and because it is a free-range system, I don't have to spend much money on it."

"The greatest challenge that we are now currently facing is poverty as we do not have enough money to buy food and all the necessary facilities at home like medicines. Even now we wanted our son brahim to go and start nursery school but we do not have money as yet to cater for his school fees."

"My greatest challenge that i am facing right now is lacking g where I could comfortably call my own home. I lost my house on January 2nd 2023 after my husband MabaLe Steven committed suicide in it. The house was completely destroyed and everything that was in. It was a sad moment for me and my family when my husband killed himself I was totally shocked and been terrified ever since."

"I have a young family with one child who is about a year and a half old. Washing a lot of clothes with the scarce water has been extremely difficult for my spouse, who spends a significant amount of time walking to and from the river with only a single pot of water. Connecting piped water to our doorstep was a priority during enrollment because it would reduce the cost of purchasing or transporting water daily from the river. I am glad that when we received the first transfer, we spent $100 on pipes and fittings and later paid a labor cost of $10 during installation and a county government registration fee of $15. Despite the fact that there has not been a consistent supply due to the severe drought, I am glad I also purchased some storage facilities that hold at least 1000 liters when full. I will pay $2 per month when the supply is consistent and negotiable if there is a period without a water supply. I also dug a pit latrine worth $70, which I am yet to finish, and used the remainder to repair a motorcycle that I had been using as a source of income for my family. When my bike is not working, I rely on subsistence farming to provide for my family, which includes selling fruits from my farm as well as eggs collected from my current brood of 30 chickens."

"In mid-December, around 4:00 p.m., I received a message from GiveDirectly with the exciting and long-awaited news. I was at the nearby Koriema shopping center, where I sell honey. I was overjoyed to learn that I had received the $200 promised by GiveDirectly during enrollment. I called my son right away, and he confirmed receiving the same message with the same amount. I was delighted and thanked God because I had a lot planned to do as soon as I received the support."

"I was in the bush alone collecting firewood in preparation for dinner for the family. I still remember it was around 5 p.m. when I received a loud message alert on my mobile phone. Being illiterate, I could not understand its content. After about an hour, I reached home and decide to give the phone to the helper to interpret them. I felt extremely happy and thanked God when she finally revealed that I had received the transfer. We together celebrated the cash aid that meant a lot of transformation in our living standards."

"Using the first transfer, I had started building a new house since the one I had was small and congested. Since I did not manage to complete the house, I saw it prudent to finalize it using the second transfer. In that course, I spent $150 to complete the construction. Currently I am happy that I have a good mud-walled three room house. Thereafter, I opted to buy a sewing machine for $120. Since I have some tailoring knowledge, the sewing machine serves me as a source of income. I do my tailoring work at home. I spared one of the rooms for that in order to avoid the expenses of renting a room. I also bought a modern standard bed and a mattress for $100. I did this because I used to sleep on a small traditional bed with poor bedding. I used to wake up in the morning very tired something that I no longer experience nowadays. For the remaining amount of money, I decided to keep it for family use because getting some food was a challenge since we have not harvested any farm products for the past three years. I am happy that I get some food for my family courtesy of GiveDirectly."

"RE " Givedirectly is doing well from my end. With the help of this givedirectly cash program, i was able to have my children enrolled in school with no stress this academic year. And most importantly, i will soon have a house of my own "."

"RE " In the coming year, it is my wish to be in a house of my own. There's nothing more i wished for than having a house in my name"."