"This year, I set out to buy building materials to improve my house, which is made of mud. My goal is to reinforce it with bricks and cement to make it stronger and better able to withstand the extreme weather conditions in our area. I plan to continue using my transfers to purchase materials until I can complete the reinforcement. Once this is achieved, I will be very happy, as it has been my dream all along. Thereafter, I also plan to use my transfers to buy goats, hoping they will multiply and increase in number and value. This will allow me to trade them for cows, which I need for milk and for plowing my farm. I envision these cows multiplying as well, serving as a form of insurance for my grandchildren’s education. If necessary, I could sell some of them to fund their schooling."

"With my house aging and on the verge of collapsing, I set out on a mission to gradually buy building materials for a new one-room house. I’m pleased to say that I have acquired all the necessary roofing materials, and I’m impressed with the progress I’ve made so far. My current plan is to use my transfers to purchase building poles and kick off the construction process. Once I achieve this, I will be very happy. In the future, I also plan to use my transfers to buy more goats. My hope is that they will multiply, increasing in number and value, which I can then trade for cows and bulls. These cows will provide milk for my household and the bulls help with plowing my farm. I envision that the milk cows will continue to multiply, allowing me to sell some of them later on while also supplying nutritious milk for my family."

"My house was very old, and the aged roof, full of holes, was a constant source of distress due to leaks during the rainy season. The rest of the house was also on the verge of collapsing and slowly falling apart. Determined to build a new house for myself, I devised a strategy to save money. I saved my transfers in a local savings group to eventually take out a substantial loan for the building. I'm happy to share that I finally acquired the loan, and my house is making great progress. It will soon be complete. Once it's finished, I plan to continue saving my transfers in our group to repay the loan and then acquire another loan to buy goats. I'm hopeful that these goats will multiply and increase in number and value, providing me with a reliable source of income, especially when this project comes to an end."

"Financial constraints are the greatest challenge. I am a single mother and raising my children has been an uphill task since I depend on casual jobs. I have a differently abled child and a young one hence going a whole day for work is not possible because they require my attention. Sometimes I have to stay home to look after them forcing me to borrow from neighbors."

"Imagine having two children in high school, with one of them in a national school. Yet fully relying on my husband, who works as a secretary and earns about $120 a month. Affording fees has been a challenge, as we also have other needs. We once organized a fundraiser for fees, but we can't keep relying on others since they also have their problems. Our school fee arrears were over $1000. We spoke with the head teachers in both schools and promised to reduce in bits. With the transfer, we reduced the debt by $100. The remaining amount was significant, but this was great progress for us. Further, I spent $50 on food. Hustling to get food had been a challenge, and sometimes we skipped meals. which was difficult for the children to cope. I do charcoal production to support my husband in addressing needs like food. However, it takes a long time to prepare the charcoal, and the process is tedious. I cut logs manually, which gives me back pain and limits my output to one bag per week. so the income is limited, which can't really do us much. Additionally, I bought a plastic chair worth $14. We had only two chairs, not enough for a family of five, so we used old containers. I plan to add more over time. The last time we bought clothes was about a year ago, and it was just one pair each. Our clothes were so old that we didn't have anything decent to wear, so I decided to spend the remaining money on clothes. Thank you, GiveDirectly."

"I was on my way to the nearby center to sort some things when I heard a message. After checking, I confirmed that I had received $183 from GiveDirectly. I was expecting the transfer but didn’t know the exact date. This warmed my heart. I immediately called my father to confirm if he had received his, and he did. We were both equally happy and felt this was indeed a blessing from God. Returning home that evening, I informed my wife, who was so excited. This gave us assurance of fulfilling our intended plans. Thank you, GiveDirectly."

"At around 3:30 PM, I was at home, relaxing after a long day of work. Suddenly, I heard a notification from my phone and checked it to find a message from GiveDirectly, confirming that the unconditional cash transfers had come through. I was very happy and quickly stepped outside, still holding my phone, just to absorb the reality of it all. I called out to my wife and I showed her the message. Her face lit up with excitement, and we immediately started talking about how we could use the money to buy livestock. It was a moment of pure happiness and relief, knowing that our plans for a better future were now within reach."

"On that particular day, I had taken my two cows and two sheep to a distant forest for grazing. I returned home around 4:00 pm, feeling extremely exhausted and hungry. Upon arriving home, I went straight to the kitchen to light a fire and prepare tea to ease my hunger. While tending to the fire, I heard my phone beep with an SMS notification. I quickly checked to see whose message it was. To my immense joy, it was an Mpesa SMS informing me that I had received $200 from GiveDirectly. The happiness that filled my heart was immeasurable. This meant I could send my son, who had been home for a week due to unpaid school fees, back to school. Thank you, GiveDirectly, for bringing hope and relief to our family."

"In the coming year and beyond, I have a dream I hope to achieve: expanding the rental house I own. This project will not only increase my income but also strengthen our financial stability. To fund this expansion, I’m relying on the monthly savings I contribute to our merry-go-round savings group through cash transfers, along with my husband's savings. Once the expansion is complete, I’m confident that the additional rental income will make it much easier to pay for my four children’s fees and meet their needs without struggle. I’m optimistic that I’ll be able to start this project within the next few months."

"While washing clothes by the river, I overheard my neighbors mentioning that the money had arrived. I was shocked because we were told the transfers would start in July, but they came earlier than expected. I was surprised but very happy, knowing that one of my biggest problems, having to borrow a generator from neighbors, would soon be resolved, as I could now purchase one. This thought kept running through my mind as I continued washing."