"It was a very fine Sunday afternoon, and I was just resting at home with my children when my phone vibrated with a message. When I checked, I saw it was an M-Pesa message, but I didn’t think much of it because I wasn’t expecting the GiveDirectly money yet, having just been enrolled a week before. Later, I went to fetch water at the nearby borehole and overheard some women discussing the arrival of the money. I joined in the conversation, feeling both excited and happy, knowing that I could finally repair my toilet, which had sunk after being swept away by floods."

"On Sunday afternoon, as I was lying outside my house, feeling very sick and ill, I received a message on my phone. I didn’t bother to check it at first, but when I woke up around 5 PM, I went to my neighbor's house to ask her to read the message for me, as I am illiterate and cannot read. When I got there, she confirmed that it was from GiveDirectly. I became very happy and returned home to prepare my good clothes, so I could go to the hospital for treatment the following morning."

"I was at my farm around 3 PM on Sunday, looking after my maize crop. I was sitting under a tree, scrolling through my phone, when a message popped up. At first, I thought someone had sent me money by mistake, as it didn’t show up as received from GiveDirectly; instead, it mentioned something about "technologies." As I continued to ponder this, my son called and asked if I had received money from GiveDirectly. I told him I had received money but not from GiveDirectly. He insisted that it was indeed from GiveDirectly, and when I realized he was right, I became very happy. Since I had initially planned to purchase sheep, that dream finally came true as I went to buy them the following day."

"Before I received the money from GiveDirectly, I was severely affected by floods. The floods destroyed my entire maize farm, which I had been eagerly waiting to harvest, and took away all 14 of my chickens. I felt so embarrassed because I had been relying on that maize to sell and pay for my children's school fees. But I am deeply grateful to GiveDirectly because the money I received became a source of hope in my life. My children had accumulated huge arrears at school and had been in and out of school every term. Now, I thank God because they are peacefully studying, and for the younger ones, there is enough food at home when they return from school in the afternoon."

"I was at home in the evening, around 6 PM, doing my usual chores when my son came to me, holding his phone, and said I had succeeded. I didn't quite understand what he meant at first, so I took the phone from him to see for myself. When I looked, I saw that it was the GiveDirectly transfers that had come through. I was so excited, I immediately went to tell my neighbor that the money had arrived! My heart was filled with joy because I knew that now I could finally replace the furniture that had been destroyed during the floods."

"When the floods came, they took everything we had on the farm—our maize and melons were just a week away from harvest, and it all got swept away. I was devastated and knew I had to find a way to make money to sustain my family. Then, GiveDirectly's unconditional cash came, and it changed everything. I was able to replant, and now I have melons that will be ready for harvesting in 20 days. For the first time in a long while, I have something to look forward to. Before, I felt like I had nothing, and the weight of it was almost pulling me into depression. Now, I'm always busy on the farm, and it gives me a sense of purpose that I desperately needed."

"My dream has always been to have a livestock rearing project, specifically focusing on goats, which are well suited to our local climate and survive well in our conditions, unlike cows, which need more grassy fields. To achieve this goal, my plan for this year is to set aside a portion of the transfers that I will be receiving from GiveDirectly and use it to buy goats every month. I am hopeful that these goats will multiply and increase in number and value so that in the future I may be able to sell them and use the proceeds to help my family as well as my younger siblings and children who are still in school. My goal is to have a sustainable stream of income that I will be able to rely on, especially when this program comes to an end. I am hopeful that I will be able to achieve my dreams despite the drought challenge that we are currently facing in our region."

"Currently we do not have any food in our stores, and my family is at risk of starvation. My plan for this year is to continue using a portion of the transfers that I receive from GiveDirectly to buy food for my family until we get good rains and have good harvests that can sustain us. Once we have enough harvests to sustain us, I intend to invest a certain portion of the transfers to buy more chickens, hoping that they will multiply and increase in number and value so that in the future I may be able to sell them and use the proceeds together with some portion of the transfers to help pay school fees for my children as well as take care of my family."

"The shop where I sell vegetables is made of mud and has a grass-thatched roof. Every morning and evening, I have to transport the produce to and from my house, which is very tedious. My goal before the end of this year is to save enough money to buy building stones, sand, and cement. I plan to construct a permanent structure and fix a door. To achieve this, I intend to keep on saving my transfers in a merry go round group so that once I receive the pooled funds, together with the help of my husband's financial inputs, I may use them to buy building materials and construct this permanent structure. This will allow me to store the products in the shop, eliminating the need to ferry them back and forth every day. Additionally, I am in poultry farming, which is quite profitable, and I still intend to gradually use a portion of my transfers to buy medicine for my chickens and make them healthy and more valuable."

"With my goal of starting a vegetable selling business in place, my next plan for this year is hopefully to build a house for my family. Living with seven children under one small roof has become increasingly necessary to create more space, especially as the children are growing and entering their teenage years. I therefore intend to gradually purchase building materials using a portion of the transfers I will be receiving from GiveDirectly to construct a new house. This will provide my children and the adults, i.e. my wife and me in the household, with the privacy we all need. I am hopeful that I can achieve this goal, as it will bring me great happiness."