""The evening I received my first transfer alert, I was sitting with one of my friends chatting when I heard others shouting about the money. And my phone was in the room, I immediately rushed to checked wether I too received the same message and upon seeing mine, I jumped up with the same shouting and excitement. The first thing that came to mind was my children's school fees. Because this is what I was struggling with.""

"Lack of employment opportunities in this village is really crippling. I used to work for a particular sisal plantation next to Mtwapa but lost the job when covid 19 started and the company was down sizing. I have since tried so many opportunities I could get around the village like working for a particular bamboo plantation here in the village, but most of them are just seasonal. Currently I have three children who are in high school each paying $450 per academic term. This is quite a lot of money, and I have only managed because of the support I get from my brothers-in -law who've been paying the biggest percentage. By just burning charcoal and selling firewood, I wouldn't have done it."

"Our main source of pain here in the village is getting a meaningful employment opportunity. I separated with my husband in the year 2020 and that marked the beginning of my struggles as a single mother with a special child. I two sons to take care of but the eldest one has a condition where he's not able to properly coordinate his body. This was the source of friction in my marriage and I knew we had to eventually part ways because my then husband wasn't ready to be part of this. The boy can't even lift a mug of porridge to his mouth, he should be getting some therapy sessions to improve but I'm not able to afford it. Since then I have tried my luck severally but nothing is coming forth, until I just decided to be burning charcoal and supplying to Kilifi town. I started this with $350 I got from table banking which I used to secure a motorcycle from a credit society at a deposit of $200. The rest of the money was spent on paying people to burn charcoal for me then my brother ferries using the motorcycle. But again I realized that the cost was extremely high that I couldn't get a good margin."

"I do not have any reliable sources of income at the moment. My husband is a motorcycle taxi rider at Kilifi town while I take care of our three children who're attending a local grade school right here in the village. I pay school fees totaling to $60 each academic term. Alongside that I also need around $50 monthly to be able to get family supplies like cooking oil, sugar, soaps among other things. My husband sends me around $10 weekly which isn't enough according to the needs of this family. I sometimes have to burn charcoal and sell to be able to supplement."

"I am happy that I achieved a number of things that would have been challenging to do without the help, even though I had many goals that I could not exhaust with the full transfer that I received. Given that the officer took their time guiding us through the program's course, GiveDirectly's initiative was clear and we did not have to strain to comprehend each stage. We were allowed to spend our money without any restrictions, which made it easier to prioritize and take care of the most urgent problems first. I appreciate the assistance and hope that more villages would follow suit."

"My youngest was just completing their final year of secondary and the funds from GiveDirectly were a welcome boost towards clearing all his fees arrears and keeping us in the black, ahead of his departure. 2 female goats were also added to our family as well as me starting a small grocery shop, right near our home. My farmer husband an I rarely have surplus income and with our other 5 children all grown up and living on their own,we focus mainly on fending for ourselves. Tilling the 3 acre land we own, we primarily grow maize and wheat, which we mill and store to keep us fed. GiveDirectly allowed us to start a new chapter in our lives, one who's pages we will enjoy writing."

"The transfers from GiveDirectly partially went to boosting my businesses. I have a budding salon in Mombasa, as well as selling thrift clothes on the side, at the same stall. I injected some of the money there as capital, which helped me stock up on a few more things, it also catered for my rent there of KES. 4,500. My husband who is a casual labourer in Mombasa, has built us a home where he was allocated some land by his father, and that has been the salvation of us both and our 3 year old child, since we need not pay rent. Finally, we bought two goats, a male and a female, whom we are believing are the start of a large flock of livestock in future. The funds sent to us by GiveDirectly were nothing short of a miracle and we will always hold GiveDirectly in a treasured place in our hearts."

"Fulfilling recipients dreams! That's what I would say is GiveDirectly real shinning strength. The only way they can do better is by growing and reaching even more needy individuals and help make their dreams come true."

"Givedirectly has done nothing wrong since the program started, I see Givedirectly as my saviour."

"Givedirectly did good for helping we poor people"