"I have had a long-standing aspiration to build a house for rental purposes on my piece of land in Mombasa town. However, due to my current financial instability, I was forced to sell parts of the land to support my children's education. Bearing my primary goal in mind, I aim to regain stability and work towards realizing my vision of constructing the rental house, although it’s going to be a smaller one, given the reduced space. I believe that owning the property will establish a stable source of income that will be essential in securing a better future for my family."

"As the household's breadwinner, my husband works as a carpenter to provide for our six children and me. Even though his earnings have been able to put food on the table for most days, it has been challenging to cover other needs beyond the food. To date, owning a more spacious and stable house is still a dream that my husband and I wish to accomplish in the coming years. Our current dwelling is in poor condition, with a worn-out tin roof. I aspire to help build a more solid structure to provide better shelter for my family."

"The struggle of operating my garage business on an open space has faced a lot of challenges especially during rainy season. This means I have to pause on some days because I can not serve my customers. Since I do not have other reliable source of income, this has directly affected my family of 4 in terms of getting our daily meals. In bad days, we go hungry and this has robbed away my joy as a father. Imagine watching my 2 young children crying because of hunger! In addition, my wife also suffers seasonal epilepsy and she is required to take some medicines every day to manage the condition. This also has been a challenge to her since, sometimes she misses the medicine whenever I lack the transport to bring them from Kilifi town. At home, we also lack nice beddings which forces us to spend our nights on the floor. As the head of the family, this has lowered my self-esteem because I feel like failing them. Hence, the financial instability stands out to be my biggest challenge."

"The stress of living as a housewife has hit me so hard to the extent of regretting being in a marriage. This is because, I do not have the opportunity to work and earn money for myself, rather than depending on my husband who is also a casual laborer. The sole reason to remain jobless is due to the financial crisis that we are undergoing and this has exposed us to this extreme poverty. My husband usually sends me $8 per week and this goes to buying food. The stress of planning for $8 always eats up my mind since in most cases, I am forced to forgo other very basic needs. Considering that I have 2 young children at home, missing other essentials becomes a problem. What a life! I, therefore, consider the lack of a reliable source of income as my biggest challenge."

"With my passion for education, I do desire that all my children attend good schools. I have 11 children, and raising them has not been easy, so I had to buy goats with my first transfer, which I believe will multiply in numbers, thus shielding me from too many struggles in raising school fees come next year, when my three children will be entering high school. I will just sell them at a very good price in the market and use the money on them."

"I sat down after receiving the second transfer to determine how to allocate money according to priority metrics. After giving it some thought, I decided to allocate a larger portion of the funds toward my daughter's college expenses, who had gotten a calling letter following the completion of her form four exams. So I spent $300 to make sure she joins and fits in properly. I spent another $100 on two goats as a potential investment after that. Since I rely on charcoal burning, which is insufficient to meet the family's demands, I utilized the remaining money to purchase some food for my household."

"Considering the work GiveDirectly does, everyone in the village is fantastic. Such openness and transparency have never before been present. Most of the time, we would be promised help just for a small number of people to be taken into account. Sending money without any spending limitations immediately to our Mpesa accounts as promised was the icing on the cake. Due to people's ability to choose how they spend their money, a lot has changed in our hamlet. I appreciate the organization and have no issues with it."

"I am passionate about education. To see my son through school is my key goal for this year and the future. Because I believe that education is the key to success, I feel that making educational investments in my children will make it simpler for them to succeed in the future. I do not want them to experience what I did because of my illiteracy."

"I have a few intentions in mind. Firstly, I plan to acquire new bedding as my current mattress is worn out and no longer provides adequate comfort. Also, I want to revamp my house by constructing a concrete pillar around it. As my house is made of mud walls, the continuous rainfall poses a threat of collapse. By reinforcing the walls, I aim to strengthen the structure and ensure the safety of my family. Besides that, I want to continue building my wealth by growing my herd of four goats. This will ensure that even after the cash aid ceases, I will have accumulated enough resources to support my seven grandchildren, as their mothers have left to seek employment. "

"As the sole provider in my household, I rely on casual jobs to support my wife. Additionally, I have the responsibility of providing for my 12 grandchildren, whose parents lack reliable sources of income. It is crucial for me to find sustainable solutions to alleviate the hardship we face. Therefore, my goal is to continue purchasing goats using the upcoming cash transfers. By doing so, I can ensure that when the transfer ceases, I will have the means to generate funds for my family's needs. Rearing livestock, particularly goats seems to be the most viable option in my area, providing a stable source of income and helping to improve the situation in my household."