"I was working on my farm when I received my transfers and I was filled with lot of joy. I couldn't continue working and I took a day off so that I would celebrate."

"After receiving my first transfers, I was greatful to God for having chosen to bless us through GiveDirectly. I gave thanks through tithe of KES 5500 which is 10% of the total amount received. I then bought two sacks of maize for food at a cost of KES 6000. The remaining amount, I invested in livestock. I bought two sheep at a total cost of KES 6000 and a dairy cow which cost me KES 35000. I added one cow to my stock so that I would have four cows in number. This would mean that I will have more milk for sale thus increased income."

"I believe that were it not for GiveDirectly, I couldn't acquire livestock which I have now because I couldn't afford them. I usually depend on sale of milk and menial income from casual jobs. This would be used on food and other necessities and left with none for investing. As a farmer, I am so glad to see the livestock which means alot to me."

"The biggest hardship I face in life is the inability to progress well development-wise like my peers around. I am a motorcycle taxi rider earning $2 to $3 daily and this amount is only enough to provide food for my family. My wife has been complaining daily of a leaking kitchen roof that destructs her in the kitchen while cooking since it rains in, thus putting off fire now and then yet I am helpless and unable to build a new one. I have many projects to do in mind, for instance starting a business for my spouse so as to empower her but lack of resources has made this hard to achieve."

"The death of my father is the biggest hardship i have faced in my life because after he passed away i thought i will have nobody to guide me to be a better man"

"Financially unstable has been the biggest hardship have faced in my life i have alot of ambitions but all needs money and living in the village has made it almost impossible to achieve."

"With the great plans, we had in place; receiving the first transfer came with great happiness to us. It was a good feeling that we will soon be seeing all the implementation of the few projects we had agreed on as a family."

"Receiving the transfer was a great fortune in our household. We had a lot to do that even the budget we had was way too high compared to the first transfer. We needed a new house and after purchasing iron sheets, we have managed to put up a bigger structure that is almost complete. We had to allocate quite a bigger amount since we had to buy everything, including wood and labor costs. We used the remaining on furniture, paid part of the school fees, and foodstuff for the household. We are very grateful that all went well and we have great expectations of seeing a new home after all the changes we are making currently."

"The biggest hardship I have faced has been financial stability. I get about $10-$12 from the produce in 2-3 moths of sales. That is not enough for me to pay for my children's school fess let alone provide basic needs such as clothing's."

"It has been 5 years since we sold all our livestock to cater to my son's medication after he was diagnosed with epilepsy. Since then, we have always aspired to buy other livestock as a store of wealth that would enable us to support our 4 children's education to the university level, but we haven't been able to do so due to lack of resources. We therefore plan to use $240 of our transfer to buy one cow, $140 to buy 2 goats and 2 sheep and also use $100 to replace our children's worn-out uniforms and beddings."