"When I received $200 from GiveDirectly, I was so happy and thankful. I knew I had several priorities to take care of, so I decided to plan carefully. At that time, my daughter, who is in secondary school, was on vacation, but schools were about to open. I spent $50 on her school fees to ensure she could return without any delay. Since then, she has never missed school, unlike before when she often stayed home due to a lack of fees. After taking care of that, I used another $50 to buy food. I made sure to buy enough, knowing that when my little one arrived, we would have enough to eat. With seven children, I also wanted them to feel the support. So, I used $50 to buy clothes for everyone in the household. This made my family happy, and they all appreciated the help. Lastly, I set aside $50 for any emergencies related to my delivery. This money was a big help when the time came. I was able to go to the hospital and pay the bills, and now I’ve delivered safely. I’m so grateful to GiveDirectly for their support—it made a real difference in our lives."

"My current house is small, cramped, and has leaking issues, which makes it difficult for my family to sleep comfortably. To enhance our living conditions, I intend to set aside a portion of my transfers in our savings group. Once the savings reach maturity in December, I will withdraw them and allocate the funds towards constructing a new two-room house for my family, ensuring that we can rest comfortably and stay warm. Furthermore, I aim to expand my livestock by using the transfers to purchase goats, in addition to the chickens I already own. The chickens are expected to multiply, allowing me to sell them in case of any unforeseen emergencies. The goats will increase in number and value, eventually enabling me to exchange them for cows in the future. These cows will then be utilized for plowing my farm. I am truly appreciative and optimistic about my plans as they hold significant importance for me."

"My main objective for the upcoming year is to ensure that my children receive a good education so that they can become self-sufficient. I personally missed out on the opportunity to go to school due to lack of educational support, and I am determined to provide my children with better opportunities. The financial assistance from GiveDirectly has been tremendously beneficial, as it has been covering the costs of my children's education. In addition to this support, I plan to contribute to their education using the income I earn from casual jobs. I am confident that with the help of this program, my children will be able to achieve their goals. I have one child in secondary school and four in primary school, and I am fully committed to ensuring that each of them receives the education they rightfully deserve."

"My plan after completing high school is to pursue a college education. Unfortunately, my mother can't cover my tuition fees alone, so I'm considering poultry farming as an investment. I started with a few chickens, but there was an outbreak that killed all five of them. Initially, I planned to invest in chickens and then exchange them for goats, but after this setback, I've decided to save part of my earnings and buy goats instead. At first, I chose chickens because of their fast multiplication rate, but now I've changed my mindset. I believe that by raising goats and selling them, I'll be able to fund my college education once I complete my secondary school education. This is my goal for the coming year and beyond."

"I was filled with anxiety while I worked on a neighbor's tomato farm, worried because some of the women I was with had received their first transfer from GiveDirectly, and I had left my phone at home charging. I couldn't stop thinking about whether I had received mine, and I couldn’t wait to finish work and rush home. As soon as I got home that evening, the first thing I did was check my phone, and I was so happy to see that I had received my transfer too. In that moment, I knew I could finally fulfill my intended plans."

"I was on my farm harvesting my maize when I heard my phone buzz with a text message. When I checked it, I was overjoyed to see that I had received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy but kept my joy to myself since I was not alone for security purposes. I had planned to use this money to buy sheep, and at that moment, I knew I would finally be able to make my plan a reality. Thank you, GiveDirectly, for making this possible!"

"When my bed completely broke, I had no choice but to borrow a small one from my mom temporarily, promising to return it once I could buy my own. The bed was small, but we had to squeeze in with my two children just to have some sleep. At that point, comfort did not really matter. When I received my first transfer from GiveDirectly, I was able to buy a new, big bed and a comfortable mattress. I returned my mom's bed and saved myself the embarrassment of being reminded every day, "When are you buying your own bed?" Now we can sleep in peace, and for that, I thank GiveDirectly."

"Our electricity bill went up, and I couldn’t afford to pay it, so the Kenya Power Company disconnected our power. We lived without electricity for three long months due to the accumulated debt, which was really tough. My sister struggled during the last holiday; she couldn’t read in the evenings or mornings like she used to, which affected her studies. To charge our phones, we had to take them to the center and pay for them, which was a hassle. But when I received my transfer from GiveDirectly, I cleared the bill, and now we can charge our phones at home. No longer being in the dark at night is a huge relief, and when my sister breaks for holiday, she can comfortably study at home again. Thank you, GiveDirectly."

"Earlier this year, I lost my twelve chickens to a disease outbreak, and since then, I’ve had to buy eggs from shops, which were expensive and limited how often we could eat them. Eating chicken also became rare in my home. Rearing chickens is not difficult for me because I have done it before, so when I received my cash transfer, I thought, Why not start again? I spent $60 to build a chicken coop and $30 to buy six indigenous chickens at $5 each. My son, who is in university, needed help with his fees, so I gave him $50 to reduce his arrears. Without this support, I would have sold my goats, which have decreased in number. With the remaining $41, I bought food, including maize, beans, and condiments, as we didn’t have enough to eat at the time and my work as a casual laborer was not reliable. Thank you, GiveDirectly."

"After losing our crops and livestock to the floods, paying school fees became a major challenge, especially for our daughter, who had just joined high school. Her fees for this term were a huge worry, and I didn’t know where I would even find the money for her arrears from the previous term. Fortunately, GiveDirectly’s support came at the perfect time, and I was able to reduce the arrears from $126 to $26. I also rely on my vegetable business, and the cash helped me restock as it was running low due to overdependence. Now, my business is thriving, with daily earnings increasing from $7 to $20, and I no longer worry about school fees. The knowledge of the next transfer gives me even more hope. Thank you, GiveDirectly."