"My daily life is much better after receiving the transfer. This is because I have been able to build a more spacious house for my family. Before receiving the transfer, I used to live in a small one room house and my children had to sleep at my neighbors kitchen who is also my relative. Doing everything like cooking, sleeping and sitting in the same room where other activities are taking place is so demoralizing especially when having visitors. Building a bigger house has enhanced my self esteem and I am also glad that my children will now be sleeping at home."

"Receiving this money from GiveDirectly means a descent and a spacious house for my family of seven. I am planning to use 250 dollars from the transfer to construct a two bedroom house for my family. The house will cost me this little cash because my husband will help in sourcing for the building materials from the forest. Completing this house will make me happy and ready to receive any visitor with courage. I will further use 400 dollars to buy one pair of ox-plough for farming. This will further assure my family of food security. Doing all this will make me happy because I will have fulfilled all my desires."

"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."

"Receiving this money means getting my own house. This is because, I returned home from where I was married because my husband did not pay the bride price. This made my parents to come for me. Currently I do not own a house, I just live in a small house that my brother left for me. I also have a family of two children and with the cold season, my children frequently fall sick due to pneumonia. I intend to use the first cash transfer from give directly to build a one bedroom house that will cost me $500. I will then use the second cash transfer to buy a bed, and a mattress and start a small business that will bring an income to help meet the basic needs of my family."

"Since my late husband died, I have been really struggling to fend for my children. I used to depend on him for everything. I am not formally employed, and even the little business I engage on has also gone down. I am a charcoal seller, and with the drought that has ravaged our region, even trees have become scarce. Putting food on the table and meeting other basic needs is becoming a pipe dream. I am also obliged to pay school fees for my last born son, which has put me in continuous and vicious cycle of debts. So, the biggest problem that I have ever faced is the dependency ratio in me and the unemployment problem."

"I had gone to the farm at around 9 in the morning when my cell phone started ringing continuously. Since I am illiterate I did not bother to check who it could be. I went ahead with the task that I was working on till 1 PM when I decided to go back home. As soon as I reached home, I asked one of my children to confirm the content of the notification. Upon checking, he realized that it was the Mpesa message from Segovia Technology. On hearing this great news I was overwhelmed with joy becsue I finally knew my children well even have something to eat on that particular day."

"I spent a huge fraction of my first transfer on buying a motorcycle at $300. This had been my dream to purchase it for so many years but because of the poverty life that had stricken my household, I couldn't afford it a. Also I bought five goats worthy of $175. I later bought few pieces of iron sheets, timber, nails, cement and sand purposely for the renovation of my house since it was not in a good state. During the rainy seasons, it could leak excessively and we had to seek shelter from friends. On top of that, I gave the mason $56.5 as his labor charge."

"The biggest hardship I have faced in my life is lack of a reliable source of income to sustain my family. After the collapse of my cattle selling business, life became miserable. I nolonger have any reliable source of income to meet my family's basic necessities such as food, better shelter and education."

"We are subsistence farmers, why do I say so? Because the amount of produce that we get cannot even sustain my family and pay my children school fees. With this transfer, I will be able to pay Ksh 40,000 for my daughter who is joining college and ksh 15,000 for one in secondary school. We intend to buy a cow to add to our herd tlin order to boost milk production."

"I can say it is poverty. I am old and do not have the strength to go look for grass to come fill my leaking roof. This has made my life so uncomfortable. I cannot also till my land because I am too old and feeding myself has been a challenge. I rely so much on my sons."