"When I got my first transfer, we agreed with my wife to build ourselves a decent house since the one we had was a little bit small and quite old. So we embarked on the journey, but unfortunately, we did not manage to have it completed due to a shortage of funds as we still had other bills to take care of at that time. The second transfer came in handy to facilitate the house completion, where we spend $300 on buying the remaining materials. We needed some light to help us see well at night and thus we bought a solar panel worth $70. I also bought a bed for $70 since the one we had was broken. With the remaining cash, I bought school uniforms for my three children each one pair. I spent the remaining $70 on foodstuff that included a sack of maize, rice, sugar, and other household items."

"I run a small business selling vegetables and my husband is a mason, though his job does not come very often. Sometimes he can go for days or weeks without getting any contract. In such times, we are forced to sleep hungry if we don’t have any food left in the house to consume. We are staying at my husband’s ancestral land and did not have land of our own. When we received the second transfer, we sat down with my husband and agreed to buy a small piece of land where we can build a house since we have two grown boys. We identified the land and made a deposit of $330 and agreed with the land owner to complete the balance bit by bit. The house we currently live in was also in a bad state and would have fallen anytime, thus we bought cement for $100 to have the house repaired. The remaining cash we used to purchase foodstuff."

"GiveDirectly did a great job in our village and even in other villages that it has been before ours. I am glad that they were open to everyone in explanation of the program details and knowledge conveyance right from the Baraza, in-house visits, registration calls, and even follow-up calls after the transfers. I was also impressed by the encouragement on wise spending as this was taken seriously as evidenced by the outcome. We were enrolled without bias giving residents a chance to drastically improve their living standards."

"My house is becoming small for my growing family of four children and two parents. Since there are only two rooms, the two boys occupy one chamber, while the girls stay in my room. I would like to extend an extra space for my daughters since they will need more privacy as they get older. For the last ten months, I have been saving part of each cash transfer through a self-help club to accumulate enough funds for the project. Once I withdraw the savings in March, I plan to begin the building exercise."

"First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude for the donations I have been receiving, as it was thanks to them that I was finally able to purchase a sewing machine for myself in October. I intend to start a tailoring business to using the money I will receive this time to acquire the materials I will need and all the things I will require for the business. Additionally, I hoped to accumulate enough cash over time to buy a piece of land where we could try farming."

"Being the primary provider, the meagre income I used to receive from my motorbike taxi was hardly sufficient to cover my family's daily expenses, particularly food. With the money I received from GiveDirectly, I was able to start a poultry project that presently has about thirty chickens and another thirty chicks. Every time I receive a transfer, I intend to purchase a few chickens in order to further this project. Once I have a sufficient number of mature goats, I intend to sell them and start a goat farm. All of these endeavours are meant to help my family earn more money and lessen our reliance on a single source of income."

"Since I was born , I have never seen an organisation like Give Directly . You have really helped the people of this village . Were it not for Give Directly , I would be sleeping under a tree. Where would I have taken my six children ! Thanks to you that we now a separate room from my kids. Another good thing is that Give Directly is non discriminatory when giving transfers , so we all had equal chances of receiving , and that was fair enough . Continue with the same spirit , there is nothing you should improve on , everything is perfect ."

"The best thing that Give Directly has done is to uplift people's lives . You have transformed this village ; people never slept on presentable beddings now own new mattresses . Personally , I never knew that I would own a salon shop some day , but look at me now ! Children who had dropped out of school due to school fees balances have now been taken back to school using Give Directly's money . You are already doing the best , there is no area of improvement for you ."

"Having received the funds from GiveDirectly, I prioritised building a 1 bedroom house for my kids. I then proceeded to get three goats, all of whom are female to mate with my already existing male one. I got 5 storage tanks, basins and clothes for the family as well. The remainder of the GiveDirectly funds went to paying school fees for 3 of my 6 kids. I had been burdened with debts and a need to fix my bike, so part of the balance went to bike brakes and tyres, while I also quickly sought to clear my debts and get me back in the block with those I owed. My eldest being in form 3 at Mitangani Secondary School, my second born having cleared class 8, my 3rd born in Grade 2 at Goshi Primary and my 4th through to 6th being too young for school, it was a struggle raising the $10, for example, to pay for the eldest fee when I only make $24 when I sell a sack of charcoal, that I make from burning wood. My clients are far and in between and getting that money isn't guaranteed. GiveDirectly have been a source of great comfort for me and my household, knowing we have someone to walk with us. We are truly grateful."

"GiveDirectly has allowed me to build a house for my family, as well as cater for some of my kids educational expenses as well. All I would ask is they continue to bless countless others as they have my family and if possible increase the amounts and the number of transfers they send."