"You know we have no stable source of income . I always look for firewood and sell to people around . My husband , who we depend on for basic need is a mason but employed on casual terms . A bigger part of the second transfer went on constructing my new house . The one I had before was not enough for my family of 4 children . So we decided to add 1 room and a verandah . I can't remember the exact prices and quantities but my husband went to buy cement and red oxide . I then spent $100 on sand and $105 on labour . My husband had never completed paying my dowry , so he too $100 and went to pay my dowry , this made me to feel so happy . I also spent $84 for school fees for my 3 children who are in primary school. They had accrued arrears of $28 each . We had no food in the house and the prices had really hiked , so I spent $80 on 1 bag of maize. Without this transfer I wouldn't have done all these with ease , I'm so grateful to Give Directly ."

"Currently , I have a semi permanent house whose wall is wooden . I hope to build a 3 or 4 roomed permanent house in 3 years to come . I'll need approximately $6000 to achieve this and my plan is to raise this money from my sacco savings . I can also borrow a loan from the same sacco then pay later in instalments ."

"Give Directly does everything well . You have created a direct link with residents . You always come directly to the ground to explain to us about your projects and good intentions , which clears any fears and doubts that we could be having about you . You have given us non refundable money which has helped us to do several developments in this village . Personally I have bought a mattress , a bed and a cow , these are things that I never knew I would buy . There is nothing to improve on , just continue helping people ."

"When my house crumbled last year, I was forced to move into my brother’s house, where I have been staying to date. Luckily, he works and lives in Mombasa with his family. It only becomes inconvenient when they visit the village and I have to look for another place to lay my head. To ensure this never happens, I plan on building a two-room house for myself. Gladly, I was able to obtain the main materials like iron sheets and building poles through previous cash transfers. I only need $150 for labor, which I will obtain by saving through my self-help group."

"My top priorities for this year are to buy livestock and upgrade the condition of my home. I put up with my house's rusty iron sheets being in bad shape the entire previous year. Every time it rained, my mother-in-law and I would spend the entire night shifting furniture around the house to keep it from being ruined by the rain water seeping in through the roof. This year, I intend to purchase two new iron sheets each month until I have enough to fix the roof completely. I'll feel better once the roof is fixed, and I can then concentrate on getting more livestock to add to the few I already have."

"I decided to start saving a portion of the money that I received over the last few months of last year. This was influenced by the fact that the house I live in at the moment is quite a disaster, especially the roof. During the rainy season, we normally have to put pots in the house so that it is not left flooded with water, and we end up staying up the whole night sometimes just because the roof is leaking from everywhere. This year, I plan to finally use the funds that I have been saving to build a proper house and install a new roof. This will be costly because I have a lot of material to buy, including timber and sand, and I also have to pay the laborers, but I am hopeful it will all turn out well."

"I make charcoal to supplement the monthly transfer from GiveDirectly.  I currently have two children in college, another one will soon begin secondary school, and the youngest is in primary school grade 8. Paying their school fees has been challenging, but I am grateful that the charcoal business has always provided me with extra income to help meet some of their obligations. Even though I am currently unproductive due to an eye ailment, I hope to recover in the coming year and double my efforts in charcoal burning to keep my children in school."

"As the head of my family, am responsible for providing a safe shelter for my wife and five children. Sadly, my current house is very old, and unstable, and could easily collapse from adverse weather like strong winds or heavy rains. So, I aim to build a three-room house made of mud walls and a tin roof, an exercise that will cost at least $1500. Though I bear huge financial burdens like my children’s school fees, I wish to start saving at least half of each cash transfer towards the construction project. I hope my charcoal-burning hustle will yield enough for my family’s basic needs so that I can direct the cash transfers to the house."

"I am a tailor and I make $10 a day. The money is spent on food for my family. My husband helps with school fees. Receiving this money has helped me stock my business, buy a goat and build a new house."

"They give us money directly into our account. They also give us information as to where the money is coming from which gives us peace."