"When I saw a message from GiveDirectly around 5:30 p.m., I was ecstatic. When I checked the balance in my Mpesa account, I discovered that there was an additional $180. I informed my husband, who works as a chef at a nearby high school. He came home excited, and because all of our plans were in aligned, we picked up the entire transfer the next day."

"Sleeping hungry at the moment is a thing of the past in my household because we purchased enough maize, beans, and other foodstuffs that we are still using with my family of three. I am grateful for the immediate transformation, which has made the biggest difference in my daily life since receiving the second transfer. We are also focused and confident that we will be able to build a new house in the coming weeks because we expect more support, which will propel the purchase of construction materials and the payment of labor costs."

"So far, the investment of a portion of the first transfer on livestock has made the biggest difference in my daily life. Our region's dry weather does not allow for active subsistence farming throughout the year, so livestock farming is the best fit. The purchase of goats that feed on both grass and shrubs is a simple investment that I had hoped to begin, but a lack of funds has always held me back. I live on my grandparents' property, while another part of my family lives on my father's property. I am hoping to do a lot with the remaining subsequent transfers from GiveDirectly."

"After enrolling in the program, I was eager to begin spending the money on the goals that my spouse and I had set for ourselves. When I got the first transfer, I went to the list we had and made sure I spent it in the order we had set. With the first $100, I bought a chain link fence and used it to keep out stray livestock that had been invading and feeding on the growing grass. I intend to bring in at least a dairy cow and a goat to provide milk for my family of three, but first I need to ensure that I have enough grassy grazing grounds. I also spent $11 on a horse pipe, which I plan to use to connect piped water to irrigate my land. Irrigation is completely dependent on farming in our region, and I hope to venture into irrigation-aided farming to ensure food security and reduce food purchases. I also spent $35 on food, which included dry maize, beans, and rice, all of which we still use. In addition, I purchased other household consumables and saved the remainder to inspect and replenish any depleted household items."

"The improved livestock farming is the biggest difference in my day-to-day activities. My goats have been dewormed, and I anticipate that they will grow well over the upcoming few months. Considering that the fence I am building will prevent them from destroying my farms' crops, I also have plans to curb the grazing frenzy."

"I spent $300 of the recent transfer to start livestock rearing by purchasing one cow and two goats. Being old, sick, and unable to engage in any casual labor. This will be a reliable source of income that would support my life. Previously, I was relying on charcoal burning a job that requires a lot of energy and strength to do. Furthermore, used $100 to repair my kitchen which had collapsed, and was forced to resort to cooking outside. Most of the time our food would be contaminated with sand and used more firewood to cook due to the blowing winds. I saved the remaining amount to support acquiring food because of the health problem which makes it impossible for me to work."

"While sitting in my house sheltering myself from the unbearable sunshine from the shamba, I heard a message tone from my phone. Since I know how to check for M-pesa messages, I checked and confirmed that I had received the transfer of $550 from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy that I jumped up and down knowing that better doors had opened up and the hardship was going to be minimal."

"No sooner had I reached home from the shamba at around 3 pm than a message popped into my phone. Since I was not engaged with other chores I did not hasitate to check what the message was all about. Upon checking, it was the first transfer of $550 sent to my account by GiveDirectly. My heart was filled with joy for receiving a non-refundable huge sum of money for the first time in my life. This happiness was triggered by the poor state my howuse was. Sincerely a solution had been got towards the same."

"The house and hunger fulfillment are the two key changes brought on by the GiveDirectly transfer. At first, our family would go up to three days a week without eating. Charcoal burning, which was unstable, was the main source of our revenue. We currently have access to food thanks to GiveDirectly. In addition, we previously slept in a home with poor security. We had no choice but to cross our fingers and sleep uncomfortably in the house while it collapsed. I was able to build a decent home that is safe to sleep in thanks to the transfer. If not for GiveDirectly, none of these would have been able to occur anytime soon."

"The only difference that I can speak of is that, before GiveDirectly came I was very skinny. The stress of missing food for at least two days a week and living in an unsacure house that was collapsing was eating me up. I am grateful because the food I bought after getting the first transfer has been sustaining me thus I gained weight a bit not like how I was before. Currently, I do not go without food since the time Ireceived the transfer."