"My main goal for this year is to buy sheep. Currently, I own three goats, and I am determined to expand my livestock by purchasing sheep. I plan to save a portion of my transfers once school closes so that I can afford to buy them. Sheep are a wise investment because they reproduce quickly, allowing me to sell them and provide for my family's needs. Additionally, I have aspirations to start my own kiosk where I will sell essential items like flour, sugar, and other goods to my neighbors. This venture not only aims to generate income but also to create employment opportunities for myself."

"As a mother of eight children, my main source of income comes from burning and selling charcoal. My greatest ambition is to provide all my children with a quality education so they can achieve their dreams. I strongly believe that education is crucial for securing good jobs and building a successful future. By ensuring my children receive a good education, I hope to break the cycle of missed opportunities that I experienced by not attending school myself. This focus drives me every day, knowing that education will empower them to support our family in the years ahead."

"The biggest difference in my life since I started receiving money from GiveDirectly is how they helped me recover from the shock of the floods. During that time, I was just coming back from the Eldume camp where I had sought refuge. At home, all my household items had been swept away. I had no place to sleep, no mattress or bed, no food, and one of my kids in secondary school couldn't attend because of unpaid fees. Receiving the transfer from GiveDirectly allowed me to address these urgent needs. I bought a bed and mattress, which gave us a place to sleep. I paid the school fees and sent my child back to school. I also bought food to alleviate the hunger crisis we were facing. This support made a huge difference, helping me recover and get back to the life I had before the floods happened. I am immensely grateful to GiveDirectly for their assistance. Their help has been a lifeline for me and my family, allowing us to rebuild and move forward."

"Upon receiving $200 from GiveDirectly, I was filled with joy and gratitude to God and GiveDirectly. At that time, a flood had caused significant losses in my life. I had a farm of two acres where I planted tomatoes, and I was almost ready to harvest when the floods swept everything away, leaving me with nothing. I had been expecting the farm produce to pay school fees for my kids. By the time the money came, one of my children, who was in secondary school, was at home due to unpaid fees. I spent $100 to pay the school fees and sent my child back to school. This made me happy and less stressed because the situation became manageable. I used $50 to buy farm inputs and ventured back into tomato farming, this time on 1.5 acres of land in a safer place, away from the threat of floods. Now, I am just two weeks away from the first harvest, which gives me hope that anyone can bounce back when they have the platform and capital to do so. Tomatoes do well here, and their current market price is very competitive. I plan to use the money gained from selling the farm produce to keep my child in school. The remaining $50 was used to buy food, ensuring that my family of five kids had enough to eat since the floods had left us with nothing. This support from GiveDirectly has truly transformed our lives and given us a chance to rebuild and thrive again."

"My primary aim is to grow my tailoring business, which I've been passionately working on for the past few years. By expanding my clientele and enhancing my skills, I hope to save enough money to buy a piece of land. Owning this land is crucial to my dream of building a house of my own. Currently, I live with my parents, and while I'm grateful for their support, it is my wish to have a place of my own where I can be fully independent. The sense of freedom and responsibility that comes with having my own home is something I deeply desire. To achieve this, I plan to diligently save the profits from my tailoring business. I am confident that with hard work and perseverance, I will be able to save enough money to buy the piece of land by the end of the year."

"Receiving a lumpsum amount of money from GiveDirectly has been a life-changing experience for me and my family. Unlike smaller amounts, this significant sum allowed us to plan and invest in things that truly make a difference. One of the most impactful purchases I've made is a bed. For the first time in my life, I can now sleep on a bed, which is a profound improvement in my daily comfort and overall well-being. What I appreciate most about GiveDirectly's approach is the autonomy they grant recipients. Everything about the program was well-explained, ensuring that we understood how to manage the funds effectively. The program works wonderfully as it is, and I wouldn't change a thing about it. The trust and respect GiveDirectly shows us by allowing us to manage our own financial decisions are both empowering and impactful."

"It was around 4 pm when I was preparing vegetables for dinner, and as I went to pick up my phone, I saw the message that I had received money from GiveDirectly. I was overjoyed and didn't tell anyone about the transfer immediately. Later, I called my husband, who works in Kilifi, and he was equally thrilled. Instantly, my mind raced with plans, and I decided that I was going to open a salon business, something I had always dreamed of doing."

"I own an oxen-driven disc plough, but I don't have any cows to attach it to when I want to plow my land. As a result, I usually have to hire cows to do the plowing for me. Buying cows is expensive, and it's not something I can currently afford. My plan is to use my transfers to buy more chicken in the hopes that they will multiply and increase in number and value so that I may sell them in the future and buy goats. I'm hoping that the goats will multiply and increase in number over time. Once I have a good herd of goats, I can sell them and use the proceeds to buy cows. Having my own cows will allow me to plow my land without having to hire them out. I may even be able to hire out my cows to plow other people's lands, which could provide me with some additional income. I also intend to get a female cow, which will give me milk for my family. The milk will provide us with essential nutrition. If there is excess milk, I can sell it to earn some extra money to support my family's income. In addition to investing in livestock, I plan to save part of my transfers, sell some of the goats, and add the proceeds to my savings to start a small kiosk. This kiosk will provide my family with a daily income stream to help sustain us. I'm optimistic that these plans will help me achieve greater financial stability and independence."

"My current top priority is addressing my health condition. I plan to use some of my transfers to continue the monthly treatment I require. Once my health is fully restored, I will shift my focus to saving more of my transfers in our local savings group. When the savings mature, I intend to use the funds to purchase goats. I'm hopeful that the goats will multiply and increase in number over time. Eventually, I can sell the goats and use the proceeds to support my son's transition to higher education. Having this financial security is crucial, especially as this project comes to an end. I'm optimistic that these plans will come to fruition, as they will provide me with the means to care for my family and invest in my son's future."

"I am in the charcoal selling business, and I have been using a bicycle to transport the charcoal to another town, which is quite exhausting. My plan for this year is to keep saving my earnings in our merry-go-round group so that I can use the pooled funds to buy a motorcycle which will significantly ease the transportation process. Once I have the motorcycle and my business picks up, I want to use the profits to buy more goats. I hope the goats will multiply and increase in value, and then I can trade them for cows. The cows will also multiply, and I can sell them and use the proceeds to buy land in another place that is more fertile. I plan to plant trees on this new land, as our current land is very dry and has not yielded good harvests. Owning a motorcycle will improve the efficiency of my charcoal business and allow me to transport more product with less effort. This, combined with diversifying into livestock and acquiring fertile land for agriculture, will help strengthen my family's financial security and resilience."