"Receiving this money means building a business house. This has been my dream for 4 years but due to financial instability, it has never come to pass. I intend to spend 70,000 shillings to construct a semi-permanent house of 4 rooms at our center and rent it to students and teachers who leave closely. This is going to generate income for my family of 4 members. I will be collecting 4000 shillings every month which is enough to sustain all our basic needs such as food. Also, I plan to invest the remaining amount in livestock."

"I have desired to invest in livestock because this is the only way I can save my money to earn a profit when I sell them after they multiply. Therefore I intend to spend $600 of my transfer to buy 20 goats. I further use $200 to construct a separate house for my children, this will restore my respect which I have lost for a long. The remaining amount will help me to buy a new bed and mattress to give me a nice sleep hence it will guarantee me a better livelihood."

"Lack of a reliable source of income is the biggest hardship that I have ever faced in my life. I am an unskilled person getting a good job has been a problem for me. The kind of job I am doing is tiresome and earns a little amount of $60 per month that cannot fully sustain my family of four. I have been struggling to put food on my table and seeking help from relatives has been part of my life something that ashames me a lot."

"My son who doubles as my helper was with me the time I received an mpesa confirmation message indicating that I had received transfers from GiveDirectly. I became so happy as I knew that I would finally be able to fulfill my goal of cementing the floor of my house. This is because I am usually forced to sleep in my son's house whenever it rains as water usually seeps in through the floor hence flooding it."

"Ever since I received my transfers, my life has not been the same again as I have been able to save the money I get from my daily hustles. So far, I have saved $ 38. This has been possible since I was able to purchase three sacks of maize and other household necessities for my family using my transfers thus saving me the struggles of purchasing them on a daily basis. I am planning to add this savings to my second transfer and use it to purchase a dairy cow. By doing so, I will be able to save the money I would otherwise use in buying milk. In addition, I will earn some income through the sell of surplus."

"I became very happy and grateful to God and GiveDirectly the moment I received my transfers as I felt that my prayers had finally been answered. I knew that I would be able to achieve the goals that I had not been able to due to lack of money."

"Before receiving the transfer, I used to live in a small grass-thatched house. My privacy had been limited since the room acted as a kitchen, sitting and a bedroom at the same time. Due to this, my children used to sleep in my one of my in-laws kitchen. When I received my transfer, I spent around $400 to build a more spacious house. With this, we will at least enjoy some privacy and my children will also sleep at home. My son sat for his final primary school examinations last year and was joining high school. He had been called to join a performing boarding school since he had passed well but since I knew that I would not afford paying for his school fees after receiving my two transfers from GiveDirectly, I decided to take him to the nearest day school. My transfers came in handy as I was able to spend $100 to pay for his fees. Using the remaining $47, I bought some food for my family."

"The biggest hardship I have been facing in my life is lack of a spacious and unfurnished house for my family of seven. We have been living in a small house that forces my children to seek some sleeping space from my neighbors something I really don't like. This has lowered my reputation in the village."

"I spent part of the money I received from GiveDirectly on building a better house for my family. We live in a small mud house which is leaking from inside. The house is so old and can fall down anytime. I also paid school fees for my children in various schools. The rest of the money I bought food for the family. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has changed my living standard."

"Unemployment is the biggest hardship that I have ever faced in my life. Over the two years that I returned home, life has been very difficult for me and my children since my husband has completely abandoned his responsibility. This forced me to look for casual jobs in the village at least to make ends meet, but this has never come through. I have been depending on charcoal business that earns me less than $15 a day. This makes it difficult to meet most basic needs of my family."