"Thanks to the support from GiveDirectly transfers, I have successfully completed my carpentry course. I’m now focused on job hunting, but I’m really proud of this accomplishment. Looking ahead, my main goal for the coming year and beyond is to renovate my house, as the roof has developed holes and leaks badly when it rains. With my studies completed, I plan to use my transfer to purchase the building materials needed for the renovation. The roof, made of iron sheets, has holes that allow rainwater to seep into the house, making it uncomfortable to live in. So, repairing the roof is a top priority. Additionally, I’d like to invest part of my transfer into buying chickens to expand my poultry project. These chickens will serve as a financial safety net, allowing me to sell some if I face financial difficulties once the transfers end."

"My primary goal is to provide a quality education for my daughter, who is currently in Form One. She is the only child in our family to have the chance to attend secondary school, and I am determined to help her achieve her dreams. Her success means everything to me, not just as her parent but for our entire family. To accomplish this, I plan to combine the earnings from my charcoal business with the monthly transfers I save in my chama. This strategy will enable me to support her education. I firmly believe that a good education will give my daughter a brighter future, which is essential for breaking the cycle of poverty that has affected our family for years. As a parent, it would bring me immense pride to see my daughter advance to higher levels of education, something I have always dreamed of but never had the opportunity to pursue myself."

"My primary goal right now is to ensure that my children receive a quality education, something I never had the opportunity to experience. The challenges I face in life due to illiteracy are struggles I never want my children to endure. To achieve this, I have joined a savings group where we contribute monthly. Each month, I save 1,500 from the contributions, so by the time my children enter secondary school, I will have accumulated a substantial amount. Providing my children with a good education is the only way to break the cycle of poverty. I believe that with a strong education, they will grow up to be responsible and self-reliant individuals in the future."

"I was sitting at home around 4:00 PM when I received the transfer alert. My daughter-in-law and my children, who had just returned from school, were with me. After seeing the message, I immediately asked my daughter-in-law to check it, and she confirmed that it was my cash transfer. I was overjoyed and even ululated out of happiness. My first thought was to use the money to clear half of my children’s school fees debt."

"My current house was too small, so I wanted to build another one-room mud house. After receiving the cash transfer, I was eager to work on that plan because one room was not enough for my growing family. I used $268 to buy building materials, including cement, iron sheets, and nails. I also spent $100 on a wooden bed and a mattress because I had been sleeping on a traditional bed and mat. Additionally, I used $72 to buy two bales of maize flour and other food items since my family and I had been struggling with hunger due to poor farm harvests this year. I spent $50 to pay part of my children's school fees debt and $40 to buy them new uniforms. Lastly, I used the remaining $20 to buy clothes for my children."

"Lack of food as a result of prolonged droughts is the challenge we are struggling with currently. Despite the fact that we received rain this year our productivity in the farms was quite low. I have a small amount of foodstuffs that will last us a few months in the coming year. This leaves me stressed because I feel I will be forced to purchase food and since I don't have any formal job this will be difficult."

"I was resting at home around 3:00 PM when I received a transfer alert. I immediately called my husband so we could check together to confirm if it was the money we were expecting. After checking, I confirmed it, and I was overjoyed. I wanted to jump with happiness, but I couldn't. We had decided not to show our excitement or let anyone know we had received the money, as we were afraid of being robbed. My first thought was to use the money to renovate our house, which had been damaged during the previous rainy season."

"I was resting at home around 3:00 PM when I received a transfer alert. I immediately called my husband so we could check together to confirm if it was the money we were expecting. After checking, I confirmed it, and I was overjoyed. I wanted to jump with happiness, but I couldn't. We had decided not to show our excitement or let anyone know we had received the money, as we were afraid of being robbed. My first thought was to use the money to renovate our house, which had been damaged during the previous rainy season."

"In the coming year and beyond, I plan to build a better house. My current home is made of mud walls, and the iron sheets on the roof have developed holes. During the rainy season, it becomes stressful as rainwater leaks into the house, forcing me to endure these conditions. This is why I am determined to build a more decent and reliable house. Once I complete this, I plan to shift my transfers towards investing in goats. Currently, I have one goat, and I am confident that I will gradually acquire more. Goats are a practical investment because they multiply quickly and can be sold when necessary. Additionally, I could exchange them for dairy cows, which would be beneficial for my farming. This investment will provide employment opportunities through the sale of goats and milk production, boosting my income. I also have the dream of finding a wife once I am financially stable."

"Food insecurity is the biggest challenge we are facing currently. Prolonged period of drought in addition to lack of employment has led to food insecurity in our region. My husband is a teacher by profession but he is a casual laborer in a school far from home earning a salary of KES 10,000. He spends almost half of his earning on transport making it hard for him to save enough to cater to our family of 4. We normally lease 1 acre of land at approximately KES 5000 basically for growing maize and millet to supplement what my husband earn. Harvesting is another thing because we rarely get enough rainfall and the little we get, is used as food with no surplus. We have been yearning for sufficient rainfall in order to harvest sufficient food but our hopes fades away when we don't get the required amount of rainfall."