"I've been blessed with a great harvest this year, and we have plenty of food stored up. Now, my main goal is to save money carefully in the microfinance institution. I want to get a loan from there so I can finally build a strong and cozy home for myself. The money I've received from the transfers has really helped me move closer to this dream, and I'm incredibly thankful for that."

"I am currently struggling financially to meet my basic needs. I do not have a stable source of income which is a big setback for me. This pushed me to start a kiosk and a food canteen in the village six months ago. The enterprise is picking up well and this motivates me a lot. It earns me a profit of about KES 1000 daily. It is unfortunate that I end up using the same profit to buy daily basic needs rather than developing my business. I was forced to lease out my piece of land four months ago to raise KES 5000 school fees arrears for brother who is in Yatya secondary school. This was so painful to me since I ended up with no land to cultivate."

"I'm deeply thankful that my life has taken a positive turn with the assistance of the transfers. Presently, I'm engaged in a fast food business, catering to school students. I've transitioned from the arduous task of selling charcoal, which yielded minimal income. With my upcoming transfers, I intend to invest in a new bed and mattress. Currently, I sleep on the cold, bare floor, and acquiring a bed and mattress will ensure I enjoy restful nights and improved comfort."

"I do poultry farming on a large scale . However, the challenge is the feeds and their structure. Most of the time they have been missing due to theft in the village. My desire is to have a good structure that can accommodate all the poultry for security purposes."

"My objective for the remainder of this year and beyond is to diligently save enough funds to construct a new house. Throughout this rainy season, I have faced challenges with a leaking roof that has unfortunately damaged some of my belongings. Additionally, the deteriorating condition of the house's support poles has heightened my concern, emphasizing the need for urgent action to prevent a potential collapse. To ensure I can achieve this goal, I consistently save each month in our local savings group. I am immensely grateful to GiveDirectly for their support, and I am optimistic that with their help, my dream of building a new house will soon become a reality."

"I've always longed to attend college; it's been a fervent prayer of mine. I come from a humble family, and financial constraints made even finishing high school a significant challenge. Additionally, being from a family of eight has meant that feeding everyone and providing for basic needs has always been difficult for my parents. Recognizing the need to independently forge ahead, I decided to save $98 towards my college education. With the remaining $4 from my transfer, I purchased a few personal essentials like soap, which we were in need of at the time."

"As a married father of six school aged children, two boys and four girls, my wife and I have faced great challenges due to unemployment. We have relied on charcoal burning, but the income has never been enough to cover our family's needs, including school fees for our children. The struggle to make ends meet has been emotionally draining, especially as I have always wanted to provide a comfortable life for my loved ones. Our situation was saddening, with debts from every corner. One day, while I was at home, I heard from neighbors that they had received transfers from GiveDirectly. My phone had issues and was not working, so I borrowed a device from a neighbor and inserted my SIM card to confirm if I too had received the transfers. To my surprise and relief, I discovered that I too had received financial assistance from GiveDirectly. It was a moment of sheer joy and gratitude, knowing that our circumstances were about to change for the better. My immediate thought was to invest in a motorcycle, a means to progress the charcoal business that we had, which would significantly improve our family's quality of life."

"In the next few months and years, my biggest goal is to build a home for myself and my family. We lost our house to a powerful storm, and now we live in a small, leaky place that feels unbearable when it rains. I dream of having a simple one-room house where we can feel safe and secure. I'm relying on some upcoming transfers to gather the materials needed to make this dream a reality."

"In the next few months and years, my big goal is to build a new house with two rooms. The one I live in now is really old and rusty. To make this happen, I'm counting on my SILC (Savings and Internal Lending Communities) group savings. This way, I can gather the materials needed for building. By the end of the year, I believe I'll have saved up enough. Once the house is finished, I'll be so happy to expand my flock of goats. They'll help me out financially in the future. I don't expect much financial support from my daughter because she's responsible for educating my youngest kids since am not employed."

"Working as a herb doctor, the income I make is mostly enough for providing basic needs like school fees and food for my wife and two children. There is nothing much I could do with the earnings beyond the essentials. It is due to this reason that I have not been able to install a water tank, an idea that was born from the water scarcity in my region. Having the water tank will mean that I can harvest and store rainwater for a long period. My goal is to install an underground tank with a capacity of at least 5000 liters."