"I quickly contributed to a chama that I am a part of and whose payout time had come. I then progressed to repairing the roof that has been in tatters for the past year and a half. I then prioritised stocking up on food and the likes for me and my three kids. The GiveDirectly transfers came when needed most. It had been rough, with my wife living in Kilifi where she's a teacher, with our third born and only both coming to see us over the weekend. I work as a tout at Ganze Centre, operating during the day shift. My wife brings home $120 a month teaching at Mindset Academy, while I make $10 a day. With the usual recurring bills, $15 a month for my first born tuition and $ 5 for the second born , both of whom go to Ganze Primary, my wife's expenses in Kilifi, not to mention school fees for the 3rd born who studies where the mom teaches, we are barely left with enough to save. The funds from GiveDirectly allowed us to do things that would have taken us decades if not years to achieve on our own"

"I get excited at the possibility of my kids one day wearing nice clothes. I would like to help them get as far as possible in their education, so they can in future get good jobs, wear nice clothes and generally love a life better than we as parents had."

"Before GiveDirectly came into my life, my eldest had lived for 25 years without having slept in a bed, nor on a mattress. My house was in shambles and having three kids that had dropped out was both emotionally painful as well as financially strenuous since I had to do it all alone. GiveDirectly gave me a new life. I now have clothes, a bed, a mattress and a better place all round to raise my children. What GiveDirectly does well is renew the lives of those who thought their lives were at an end."

"I am a livestock farmer and I wanted to increase my herd. With the second transfer, I spent $100 to buy two goats and an additional $200 to buy one fat cow which is now lactating and producing enough milk to be consumed by my family and an extra to be sold. All my seven school-going children had fee balances thus I used $50 to clear it off. I also bought four hens at $20 for my wife to rear at home. Preparations for land cultivating had begun and so I hired some people to help me with the work since I would not have done it single-handedly. I paid them $50 to have the work done. With the remaining money, I bought a solar torch for $10, three pangas for $20, and a dog to protect us through the night for $10."

"With the second transfer, I spent $330 to purchase two cows that have been producing milk and thus saved me from buying milk daily. The excess milk I sell to my neighbors and use the money to buy food and other household stuff for daily use. Five out of my nine children who are in school had fees arrears of $60 and I had to clear it for them to remain in school. Due to the harsh drought experienced in the country, food was a major problem. Sometimes we had to sleep on empty stomachs. I used $40 of the remaining cash to buy new clothes for my children and $100 in buying food for my family which included 1 sack of maize, rice, corn flour, and salad oil."

"GiveDirectly is the first of the many organizations that have been working in the nearby villages to give their support in monetary form. I am satisfied with the approach from the start of the program to the end when we receive the second transfer. I have no complaints at all to report."

"I think GiveDirectly came to save our lives and help us come out of poverty. By giving unconditional transfers, one can choose what to do as per their most pressing needs. The whole village is glowing, and at peace having met their household needs."

"I have been staying with my wife for the last three years, but I hadn’t yet finished paying for her dowry. When I received the second transfer, I gave $200 to my in-laws. I added four goats worth $120 to my flock since I am a livestock farmer. The bed and mattress which we have been sleeping on with my wife and one kid were worn out, hence I replaced them with new ones worth $150. The remaining cash I used to purchase food and other household stuff which were missing."

"GiveDirectly was welcomed into the village with great happiness and I can attest that our expectations of their delivery did not disappoint. I believe everyone concurs with a great job done in every household with no bias or discrimination. I have no complaints since the monetary support I received met most of the family needs I had planned."

"fees 3k, building 30k, 2 mbuzi 7k, clothes 4k, food 3k have 5 kids, bed 6k, am farmer separated with hubby"