"I have five children, all of whom are enrolled in different levels of education. My primary focus is to ensure that they remain in school without any risk of being discontinued due to unpaid fees. Failing to pay their fees might hinder their academic journey, so I want them to have a seamless education. Currently, I do not have a source of income to pay for their education, so my hope is on transfers. I plan to use the transfers to educate my children and ensure that they achieve their educational goals. Witnessing their success in their studies is my biggest aspiration as a parent, despite the financial hurdles we face. I believe that this program will be of great help in achieving this goal."

"Now, I'm all about farming. With the two hectares of maize I planted using the first transfer, I expect to earn about $180. With that money, I'll buy my own land instead of renting. Plus, I'll set up a shop for my wife in the village. The profits will help us pay for school fees and take care of our family's needs."

"I rely mainly on subsistence farming, which only ensures that food is adequately available in my household. I do not have a reliable source of income that I can depend on to cover expenses such as my children's school fees. To create a sustainable source of income, I plan to continue saving and invest in breeding goats. Owning a herd of goats is a good investment for me because I can sell them to generate cash when needed as they multiply. I currently own four goats, and I plan to purchase more in the coming year as a long-term investment for my children's education."

"I am currently a farmer growing crops on a two acre leased land in close proximity to Lake Baringo. Our area being classified under arid and semi-arid lands means drought is a regular phenomenon. Because of this, I do not do carryout rain-fed agriculture but rather irrigation farming. With inadequate capital to buy a water pump, I mostly borrow from fellow farmers own one. But because of competition, I sometimes fail to get one and during those times, I am forced to manually water the crops. This is a tiresome exercise and I am hoping that one day, I can own one."

"Living in a hut with a single room has been the biggest challenge for me and my family. I have a family of 3 and the space is so small that cannot hold household items let alone the sleeping area. I am forced to leave some items outside and set cooking arrangement in an open place outside the house. When visitors come, they have nowhere to sleep and as a result, I am compelled to hustle for them a place to rest in the neighborhood. This does not bond well with us as we feel we are unable to protect our privacy."

"Since the year 2004, I have been doing farming for both subsistence and commercial purposes. In the year 2013, we experienced flooding as a result of swelling of Lake Baringo. As a result, my entire 10 acres of land has since been submerged inside the lake. In order for me to continue with farming, I had to start borrowing idle land from my fellow villagers because I do not have the capital to lease. The land I currently farm is about an acre and the produce I get is insufficient to cater for all the basic needs of my family. If my capital situation persists, I am foreseeing a situation whereby I have to quit my passion of being a commercial farmer."

"After getting $450 from GiveDirectly, I made a choice to invest it wisely. I decided to put some of it into buying a cow. This decision was important because it means I'll have a sustainable source of milk, which I usually buy every day. Milk can be expensive, and sometimes I struggle to afford it, especially since I only do casual jobs. With some of the money, I also started a poultry venture. I used $40 to get started and bought 40 chicks. This was a big step for me. I know that taking care of these chicks can lead to a good income in the future. But to make sure they are safe and easy to manage, I used $70 to build a proper space for them. I'm focusing on this poultry venture because it offers stability. By selling eggs and eventually chicken, I won't have to worry about where my next dollar will come from. It's not just about the money; it's about being prepared for emergencies in the future. Now, I feel like I'm on the right track. These investments give me hope for a better tomorrow. With hard work and dedication, I believe I can build a brighter future for myself and my family."

"As a wife and mother of two toddlers, I feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders to ensure my family has enough food. Cooking requires both firewood and water, which means I have to travel up to 5 kilometres to fetch them. It is a time-consuming and exhausting task, especially since I cannot afford the daily $1.5 for a motorbike. My husband Elvis, a carpenter, supports our family, but his income barely covers our food expenses, leaving nothing as surplus. Despite the challenges, I do my best to manage and provide for my family's needs."

"Growing up, my parents did not place much importance on education, and unfortunately, I followed suit. I did not have the wisdom to see the value in completing my schooling, so I dropped out in eighth grade, and my parents did not seem concerned about it. Now, looking back, I deeply regret that decision. It is clear to me that my struggles to make ends meet resulted from not having finished my education and thus missing out on better job opportunities. I do not want my kids to go through the same thing. It really hurts me to think about it. That is why I am determined to send my oldest child to a better school next year. She is in grade six, and I can see that the school she is in now is not good enough. This could affect her grades, especially in her upcoming national exams. To make sure she gets the education she deserves, I am willing to use money from our farm to pay for her schooling. If I need to, I will even sell some of our goats to make sure she has everything she needs to succeed. It is so important to me that she has opportunities I never had."

"I want to continue with the momentum of raising livestock until I can acquire cows. I know that I cannot raise funds to buy a cow, which costs at least $300. It will be challenging to save this amount because of financial constraints like school fees. So I plan to start rearing goats and sheep because, after they reproduce, I can sell some of them and raise funds to get cattle. Having cows will fulfill many needs. One of them is helping me with farming activities like plowing. Also, they will produce milk for domestic consumption and for selling to gain profits. This will help my child particularly, who has been underweight for a long time and require milk. I am excited that I will not have to buy as I do now."