"In the past, I owned a large piece of land along the lake where I farmed and provided enough food for my family of eight. Unfortunately, a few years ago, heavy rainfall caused the lake to swell, submerging my entire land. The land was no longer safe, and we had to evacuate. Since then, we have been living on a temporary piece of land where I cannot farm or build permanent structures, and we have been relying on casual labor to make ends meet. Thanks to GiveDirectly, I was able to purchase construction materials such as iron sheets and nails to build a new house for my family. Additionally, I spent $6 on furniture, $9 on bedding, $74 on equipping my daughter who was joining a new school, $69 on foodstuff, and $78 on a solar lighting system from Sunking to replace candles and torches. The remaining amount was saved and used to buy household items to support my daughter and her newborn baby. Thanks to GiveDirectly, I am now able to rebuild my home, provide for my family, and create a better future for my daughter and her child."

"GiveDirectly is allowing recipients to make their own decisions on how to best allocate funds to address their specific needs. This approach has empowered individuals to take control of their lives and make investments in areas that matter most, such as education, healthcare, and small businesses. GiveDirectly's transparent enrollment process ensures that everyone has an equal chance to receive assistance, contributing to a fairer and more just distribution of resources."

"Currently, paying school fees for my three children is proving to be a challenge. In order to ensure that I can comfortably pay for their education, I plan to enhance my farming activities. This includes expanding my current plantation area from three acres to at least four and gaining better access to the competitive irrigation system that is vital for farming. With a successful harvest, I am confident that I can fully pay for their school fees and even have some proceeds left over to cover other household expenses."

"The biggest difference is I am now happier knowing that soon I will be having enough milk for my family and extra income from the milk sale to cater for my family's basic needs. I am also glad that my children can as well play and mingle freely with other kids in my neighbourhood without worries about being laughed at because of their previous poor dressing."

"It was in the evening, I was winding up my work when suddenly an SMS popped into my phone. On checking it, it was a GiveDirectly transfer. I was so happy that I called my wife to inform her about the good news. Immediately, I transferred all the money to her account as we had planned to use it to pay for my daughter's school fees."

"The support provided by GiveDirectly is remarkable and has brought stability to many households, especially those that were previously struggling with poverty. The fair selection process ensured that everyone had an opportunity to participate in the program and receive an equal amount of money. As a result, we have been able to purchase enough food, improve our farming operations, and even expand our businesses, which were on the brink of failure. All of this was made possible because the money was unrestricted and we were free to spend it as we deemed appropriate."

"I spent the most recent transfer in different ways to improve my family's livelihood. First, I bought a secondhand motorcycle worth $400, hired a rider, and used it as a taxi, earning a daily income of at least $3. I paid $30 for my son's school fees in Kabarnet and invested the rest in opening a restaurant. The restaurant has been successful, and I have been earning a daily income of at least $5, selling tea, cakes, lunch, and supper. From the savings I have made from the business, I hope to pay school fees for my son, who is currently in grade 9 at Kabarnet Boys. Additionally, I used some of the proceeds to purchase an NHIF medical cover for my family of five. Thanks to the GiveDirectly transfer, my family's standard of living has improved, and we can access basic needs such as education and healthcare."

"I was not expecting to receive the money that month having been informed by officers who enrolled us that we were going to receive the money in a month's time only for us to receive the money almost immediately after enrollment. I felt happy that I was finally going to accomplish the things I had planned without any stress."

"I spent $120 to pay school fees for my child who is now in standard 8. I then used $50 to buy building posts. We have been living in an old delapidated house for the longest time since we have been unable to raise enough money to build a better house. I feel so much happy that I am finally going to be able to put up a better house. I am a mother of 8 children and meeting all their needs can sometimes be overwhelming. It is for this reason that I feel so much indebted for what GiveDirectly has done for us."

"I felt so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. It was around 3:00 pm that day when I heard my phone ring and upon checking 8 confirmed that indeed I had received some money from GiveDirectly. We had been informed that we were going to receive the money around that time and so it did not come as a surprise to me. I felt happy that I was finally going to be able to accomplish things that I had set out to achieve."