"My goal is to accumulate wealth through rearing livestock by the time the transfers end. Right now, I have two ducks and three goats, all bought with the transfers. I have six grandchildren in school, and their father relies on casual jobs to support them. Sometimes it can be challenging to cover their school fees because his jobs are so unreliable. Rearing livestock would ensure that I can also contribute to their education in the future, especially when my son is stuck. I hope to be able to do this using the livestock I will have bought with the cash transfers."

"Being a single mother and the sole provider for my family has been incredibly challenging, especially with the added burden of health issues. However, I am grateful for the progress I have made in my recovery journey, thanks to the medical treatment I have received. With my health gradually improving and the ability to undertake heavy tasks, I am determined to explore new opportunities to secure a better future for my family. Looking ahead to the coming year and beyond, I plan to utilize a portion of my transfer to start a vegetable business. This venture will not only provide me with an additional source of income but also complement the monthly support I receive from Give Directly. By combining the profits from this business with the financial assistance from Give Directly, I will be better equipped to meet the needs of my family, including purchasing food and paying for my children's education. This initiative represents a significant step towards financial independence and stability for us, and I am optimistic about the positive impact it will have on our lives."

"Living in a cramped one-room house with five children has been quite challenging, prompting me to take action to improve our living conditions. My immediate goal is to construct a two-roomed house, with plans to expand it further in the future. With the necessary iron sheets already obtained, my focus now shifts to acquiring additional materials like building poles, timber, nails, ropes, and other essentials for construction. Once I have everything I need, I'll be ready to start building our new home, which will provide much-needed space and comfort for my family. The prospect of having a new house brings me immense relief, especially after enduring cramped living conditions for over a decade. I'm proud of the progress I've made so far, utilizing the monthly stipends from Give Directly to invest in improving our quality of life. This endeavor signifies a significant step towards a better future for my family, and I'm grateful for the support that has enabled me to embark on this journey towards better living conditions."

"My husband and I do not have stable jobs but instead depend on charcoal burning and doing casual labor in people's farms, which earns us very little to support my family. I have a family of 6 school going children and we lived in a house that was leaking and on the verge of collapsing. Rain was literally raining on us, and we would even sit and watch as it rained. Whenever it got windy, we would run outside, scared that the house would collapse on us. What hurt me the most is that I could not do much about it, as the little money that we got would all go to school to settle school fees and food for the family. I therefore spent $480 of the transfer to build a better house for my family so that we would sleep safely without the worry of a house collapsing on us. This house is the best thing that has happened in our lives as we are now happy that it can rain and we would not be rained on. I then spent $50 to pay school fees for my children. They did not have a huge debt because my husband and I have been struggling to make sure that their education is paid for. Finally, I spent the remaining of the transfer to buy some food just to add to the little that we had so that it could push us further until the next harvest."

"In the coming year and beyond, my primary goal is to initiate an investment in livestock farming. Given the high prices of goats, I've decided to begin with chicken rearing as a more feasible option. Once I've established a sufficient number of chickens, I plan to sell them and reinvest the profits in acquiring a female goat. Therefore, I intend to allocate a portion of my transfer towards launching this project, recognizing it as a reliable investment for covering my children's school fees and addressing any unforeseen emergencies. Investing in livestock farming will provide a reliable source of income for me, enabling me to cover my children's school fees and handle any unexpected emergencies that may arise. By diversifying my sources of income through this venture, I aim to create a stable financial foundation for my family's future."

"At precisely 3 in the evening, as I made my way to my neighbor's home to check on their ailing daughter, a notification lit up my phone. As illiterate as I am, I patiently waited until I returned home to ask my son to decipher its contents. With a sense of anticipation, he revealed that it was an MPESA message from GiveDirectly. A rush of joy flooded my heart as I grasped the significance of the moment. I knew that this unexpected windfall meant more than just financial relief; it signified the end of an era spent enduring the discomforts of a grass-roofed house, which leaned precariously with each rainfall. Imagining the security of sleeping under an iron roof, I felt a profound sense of gratitude and hope, knowing that this gesture would bring not only shelter but also newfound stability to our lives."

"Despite having a large family of six, we have been living in a small, simple structure made of iron sheets for far too long. My three sons have struggled with discomfort, especially at night and during daily activities due to the lack of privacy. Constructing a new house has always been a dream, but financial constraints, including school fees and providing food, made it seem out of reach. Thanks to GiveDirectly, that dream became a reality as they facilitated the purchase of construction materials, enabling us to build a spacious and decent house for $350. Now, with an extra room, my sons have the space they need to study and relax comfortably. Additionally, I allocated $40 to purchase a sack of dry maize grains for our food supply and used the remaining $60 to cover transportation costs for my children as they traveled home from school. I am grateful for GiveDirectly's support, which has freed me from low-paying, exhausting casual jobs. With this, we are focusing on our farms, aiming to produce enough food for our family and generate surplus for sale."

"I love GiveDirectly's approach to supporting the community. Unlike other organizations that provide specific items, GD offers unconditional cash transfers directly to our phones. This gives us the freedom to choose how to use the money in a way that best improves our lives, aligning perfectly with their goal of eradicating poverty. I am grateful that the transfer has allowed me to enhance my farming, which is our main source of livelihood for supporting our three children. Thanks to the transfer, I was able to fence my land using a chain link, preventing livestock from invading my crops—a challenge I had been facing for a while. This barrier has given me the confidence to make significant investments, such as planting tomatoes for commercial purposes, without the fear of losses. This will further improve our family's financial stability. Thank you, GiveDirectly."

"I am a parent to two children who are currently in high school. My top priority is always to ensure that I pay their fees on time. I am currently struggling to make ends meet as I only work menial jobs that do not pay enough. Despite my efforts, I have not been able to raise the fees required using my own resources. Thanks to the monthly transfers, I am hopeful that my children's studies will not be interrupted like before when they would be sent home and stay for weeks. My ultimate goal is to allow my children to achieve their educational goals despite my financial struggles. I am also planning to save some money for a new bed to replace the old traditional one I have been using. It is no longer comfortable to sleep on."

"I am currently in the process of building a rental house on my piece of land, and the monthly transfers have played a significant role in its construction. Previously, I couldn't afford to buy the necessary building materials, but with the help of the transfers, I'm grateful that I started the construction. I've been buying the materials gradually, as soon as I have saved enough, and my goal is to see this house come to completion. I'm assured of earning some rental income once it's complete, which will supplement my income. So far, I've been surviving on fetching and selling firewood, which doesn't pay much. I believe that earning some rental income will not only transform my household's living standards but also help me pay school fees for my children."