"My house is in a dilapidated condition. The iron sheets covering the roof are rusty and riddled with holes. Whenever it rains, the roof leaks profusely. The mud walls of the house are also weak and caving in, almost collapsing. I fear for my safety sleeping in the house. My goal for the coming year is to use the money I will get from my merry-go-round group to purchase more iron sheets and new building poles. I currently have four pieces of iron sheets purchased with the cash transfers. With the additional funds, I plan to secure enough materials to repair the roof and reinforce the walls, ensuring a safe and stable shelter for my family. I am very happy with the financial boost I am getting from the cash transfers, which is helping me achieve my goal. This support is making a significant difference in my life, providing me with the means to improve my living conditions and ensure the safety and well-being of my family."

"My accomplishment in the coming year and beyond is to commence the construction of my two-bedroom house. Having completed the purchase of 25 pieces of iron sheets, I am now focusing on purchasing building poles. With my subsequent transfers, I will purchase the remaining number of poles and immediately begin construction. I am very happy with the financial support I have received so far. I am just a step away from achieving my goal of having a permanent and secure shelter for my family. Additionally, after completing the house, I want to invest in the purchase of livestock. This investment will provide a stable source of income and act as a safety net in times of need."

"My accomplishment in the coming year and beyond is to broaden my income sources. To achieve this, I plan to purchase small hens at a cheaper price, rear them to maturity, and sell them in the market for a profit. As time goes by, I plan to shift my attention to purchasing goats, which are more profitable and valuable. Investing in livestock will also act as a fallback plan in the event of an emergency. I can cash in and use the money to attend to any pressing needs. I am very appreciative of the financial support, which is greatly helping me take care of my family with ease, unlike before."

"Givedirectly has made me dream beyond what my earnings from my nanny job would allow me to. I have joined two savings group, one to allow me access to small loans where I save $5 and another one for big projects which does annual distribution of our savings to us members where I save $10. I want to use the proceeds of the savings group to which we save $10 to buy goats and cows which for me will create a great source of alternate income for my family and I."

"Last time we spoke I wanted to buy my own fishing nets as that is my main source of income. I also burn and sell charcoal when the oceans are not as kind. The place where we fish has experienced low water levels which has really affected the amount of fish we get. My hope is to add agriculture to the things I do in order to get cash. I would like to purchase some piece of land and practice farming on it. My goal is to scamper all over and save towards this purchase as I already have talked to the farm owner."

"I spent most of my life living in a grass-thatched house and longed to build a spacious iron-roofed one. While my neighbors enjoyed comfort during the rainy season, I struggled with the constant maintenance of my grass roof, having to replace it almost every month. Fortunately, with my first transfer, I was able to spend $350 on building materials to construct a new house, which included 25 iron sheets and building poles. I also covered the labor costs. Soon, I will move into my new house and enjoy the comfort of an iron-roofed shelter like my neighbors. I also used part of the money to pay my daughter's $100 school fees, ensuring she can attend without any interruptions. I spent the remaining amount on buying food that will last us for weeks and purchasing some household items that we needed."

"The lack of a proper house for my family is the biggest challenge I am facing because I cannot afford to rebuild or buy materials due to financial constraints. I rely on charcoal burning to provide for food and my two school-going children, but it only earns me KES 300, which is inadequate for our basic needs."

"The biggest challenge I am facing is financial constraints. I have been relying on charcoal burning and casual labor to meet my family's basic needs because I have been unable to find a more stable source of income. In my area, casual labor is scarce during the rainy season as flooding makes it difficult to work. Sometimes, we go an entire week without any work, which means my family often goes without food."

"I'm grateful for the opportunity GiveDirectly has provided me to improve my family's living conditions. Currently, my house has a roof made of polythene papers, but it has always been my dream to provide my family with a well-roofed house using good materials like iron sheets. My plan is to therefore improve the standards of my house, and to achieve this goal, I've been saving a portion of my transfers in our local merry-go-round group. Once I receive the pooled funds, I plan to use them to build a better roof for our home. Given the hunger challenge we're facing due to the lack of rain, which made our crops die and our farms not produce anything, I intend to allocate another portion of my transfers to address food insecurity. My plan is to use this money to buy food for my family until we are blessed with good harvests and have enough food to sustain ourselves. After completing the house renovation, I plan to redirect a portion of my transfers to buy goats. My hope is that they will multiply and increase in number and value over time. In the future, as I get older, I can sell these goats to provide for my family and have a reliable source of income, especially once the GiveDirectly program comes to an end. I am happy to see that my dream is becoming a reality, and I am thankful for this opportunity."

"I have three children, and one of them has already started elementary school. To provide for their needs, my husband and I depend on charcoal and crop production. We use the income from charcoal production to finance crop production. However, crop production is not reliable due to frequent climate shocks. For example, during the recent rains, we lost all our maize crops to floods. To have an alternative source of income and to ensure our kids don't lack school fees when they get to high school, we decided to spend all our first transfer on the purchase of three sheep, each costing $60, adding to the four we already had. We preferred sheep because they multiply easily and are easier to manage than goats. With this investment, we hope to sell the sheep in the coming years to address needs like school fees."