"My accomplishment in the coming year and beyond is to broaden my income sources. To achieve this, I plan to purchase small hens at a cheaper price, rear them to maturity, and sell them in the market for a profit. As time goes by, I plan to shift my attention to purchasing goats, which are more profitable and valuable. Investing in livestock will also act as a fallback plan in the event of an emergency. I can cash in and use the money to attend to any pressing needs. I am very appreciative of the financial support, which is greatly helping me take care of my family with ease, unlike before."

"Givedirectly has made me dream beyond what my earnings from my nanny job would allow me to. I have joined two savings group, one to allow me access to small loans where I save $5 and another one for big projects which does annual distribution of our savings to us members where I save $10. I want to use the proceeds of the savings group to which we save $10 to buy goats and cows which for me will create a great source of alternate income for my family and I."

"Last time we spoke I wanted to buy my own fishing nets as that is my main source of income. I also burn and sell charcoal when the oceans are not as kind. The place where we fish has experienced low water levels which has really affected the amount of fish we get. My hope is to add agriculture to the things I do in order to get cash. I would like to purchase some piece of land and practice farming on it. My goal is to scamper all over and save towards this purchase as I already have talked to the farm owner."

"I received an MPesa message around 3 pm while I was in the forest fetching firewood to use for cooking supper. I got the message but since I couldn't read it, I waited for my daughter to help me. When I came back, I gave the phone to my daughter, who checked for me and realized it was my first transfer. I felt happy because I could now build a decent house for myself after spending the better part of my life in a small, one-room grass-thatched house."

"The lack of a proper house for my family is the biggest challenge I am facing because I cannot afford to rebuild or buy materials due to financial constraints. I rely on charcoal burning to provide for food and my two school-going children, but it only earns me KES 300, which is inadequate for our basic needs."

"The biggest challenge I am facing is financial constraints. I have been relying on charcoal burning and casual labor to meet my family's basic needs because I have been unable to find a more stable source of income. In my area, casual labor is scarce during the rainy season as flooding makes it difficult to work. Sometimes, we go an entire week without any work, which means my family often goes without food."

"I'm grateful for the opportunity GiveDirectly has provided me to improve my family's living conditions. Currently, my house has a roof made of polythene papers, but it has always been my dream to provide my family with a well-roofed house using good materials like iron sheets. My plan is to therefore improve the standards of my house, and to achieve this goal, I've been saving a portion of my transfers in our local merry-go-round group. Once I receive the pooled funds, I plan to use them to build a better roof for our home. Given the hunger challenge we're facing due to the lack of rain, which made our crops die and our farms not produce anything, I intend to allocate another portion of my transfers to address food insecurity. My plan is to use this money to buy food for my family until we are blessed with good harvests and have enough food to sustain ourselves. After completing the house renovation, I plan to redirect a portion of my transfers to buy goats. My hope is that they will multiply and increase in number and value over time. In the future, as I get older, I can sell these goats to provide for my family and have a reliable source of income, especially once the GiveDirectly program comes to an end. I am happy to see that my dream is becoming a reality, and I am thankful for this opportunity."

"I went to fetch water from the river and left my phone at home. My children were home and, when they heard the message notification, they thought it was a call. They came running to the river, shouting, "Mummy, someone called!" and gave me the phone. I realized it was a message confirming I had received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. I jumped with excitement, and my children were curious. Later that evening, after my husband returned from looking after our sheep, I shared the news, and he was happy. Thank you, GiveDirectly."

"Due to the persistent rains and recent floods that have ravaged the village, my grass-thatched house has become unsafe, as it is heavily affected by both the floods and rainwater. I cannot afford to build a more secure home for my family. With no steady source of income, I also struggle to provide enough food for the family because of financial constraints."

"Financial constraints is the greatest challenge. I depend on charcoal burning to make a living but due to rains and flooding it is not viable. As a result of loss of income, I strain to provide for my children and this saddens me."