"When my only cow died 3 years ago, I was devastated because this diminished my income that I used to educate my children. Receiving this money means a restored joy and hope that I can comfortably take my children through school again. I am planning to buy a dairy cow worth $270 and 2 heads of sheep worth $80."

"I have not had a successful maize harvest for some time now and as a result, I have to buy maize from a nearby market at KES 100 per 2 kilograms of maize. The food reserves I currently have are not enough for us and so receiving this money will enable me to buy food for my family"

"I own a motorbike that I normally use for the taxi business. The motorbike is old and requires frequent servicing and repair for it to function well. I usually get 500 shillings on a working day as income from the business. By subtracting the expenses costs, I am left with 300 shillings. This amount is only able to sustain my family's basic needs with no amount to save. Financing my house construction is the biggest hardship that I have ever experienced since I cannot have the required amount of over 30000 shillings to realize this. I am forced to live with my four family members in a small grass-thatched house with little privacy."

"I am a single mother of three struggling to make ends meet. I do casual jobs in people's farms to earn a living which enables me to support my children's education, healthcare as well as ensuring they are well fed. My daily earnings amounts to $3 and this amount is limited compared to the needs. I have been yearning to buy a bigger piece of land for cultivation that would reduce the burden of buying food daily, since I currently live in a 0.5 acre piece of land which is too small for farming. My dream of cultivating my own land has been futile due to lack of resources, which is the biggest hardship I face."

"I was shocked first. I was the first to break the news to the other members of my compound that GiveDirectly had sent some transfers. It was one of the greatest moments in my life."

"Lack of money as you can see we are old people so to have fixed source of income for us is very difficult so this money will be of great help."

"My spouse and I took a bank loan of Ksh 500,000 last year to buy a piece of land and a part of it start up a business.We then opened a mobile money shop in a nearby center.The Ksh 15000 monthly salary he earns from his job at the Mara conservancy is only enough to meet our family expenses i.e school fees for our children at a private school nearby as well as food and other recurring basic needs.This means that the entire loan facility repayment is dependent on this small business.It will take us two years to clear the loan considering that in a month we only make a profit of Ksh 7000 on average.I have always wished that we could earn more and increase the monthly repayment amount so that we can be free from that debt sooner and allow us to focus on other investments.This is an opportunity for us to add more funds into the business so that we can earn more-and I will not let this God-sent opportunity slip.I intend to use the entire transfer on the same if we are lucky to be beneficiaries."

"Last year,we were fortunate to be hosted by the Country's Vice President after our 10-year-old daughter recited a poem that caught his interest. He then assisted us to start up a poultry project here in our farm. My spouse and I have recently completed building the poultry unit and we expect to receive 550 layers next month.This is a venture that we have always wished to attempt but it had never come to be because of financial reasons.I sell vegetables at a stall nearby while my spouse runs a motorbike taxi business.From the two jobs,we get Sh 1000 on average daily.The daily household expenses for a family of eight takes up about Sh 800 and this leaves us with very little to meet education needs for our children as well as save for the project. I am elated with the imagination that I may be a beneficiary.This money will enable us to buy an incubator for Sh 70,000.Having done this,we anticipate that the business will give us an income of Sh 120000 per month.With this,my family's standard of living will greatly improve in all aspects."

"As old as I am, I am vulnerable to misfortunes like illnesses. When I receive this money, I am planning to spend $300 to buy a cow and 2 goats. I am investing on these assets so that I can resell them later should I be faced with an emergency. This cow will also enable me pay my monthly health insurance of $5 from the sale of its milk."

"I live on my daily wage and to have food, I have to sougth some work at a nearby farm. At the moment when I got my transfers, I was already at work and I was so happy that I had received such a huge amount at once. I couldn't wait for the day to end so that I can withdrew the money. I had to take a off day the following day so that I would withdrew the money and plan for it."