"Financial constraints have been my biggest challenge. I have single handedly brought up my children without any meaningful employment after returning to my ancestral home because their father could not afford to pay my dowry. Consequently, my eldest son had to drop out of school at class four due to lack of fees. He now does odd jobs to help me feed the family. His sister also dropped out in class seven and got married. Only one of my children is now in school and am desperately hoping I can be able to pay for her education upto college. "

"Receiving this money means I will be able to adequately provide food, education and other needs of my family with much ease. I intend to buy oxen and ox plough so I can be able to dig a bigger parcel of land thus increasing my yield thereby ensuring enough food in my house. I will also be able to save money that can be chanelled towards activities that can generate income. This is because currently, it costs me 11,000 shillings to use my neighbor's oxen to plough my five and a half acre farm. I will use the money saved to rear livestock which is a booming economic activity in my location. "

"My life has changed in ways I never thought would be possible. I always desired to have some livestock in my homestead but due to lack of money, it was not possible to purchase them. Today I have two cows and two goats. This is wealth and I plan on selling them in future to help raise tuition fee for my son when he goes to college or university. The fact that he is about to complete his secondary education after the much hustle he has had to go through is a joy. I remember the days I would go borrowing money from friends so that I could take him back to school, at times I would be lucky to find support, other times I was not so lucky. Ever since GiveDirectly gave me this money I have not borrowed from anyone and I am happy about it. This year as my son went back to school, I bought him a new uniform and a pair of shoes. As a parent, this makes me really proud and I know it will boost his morale as he studies and he will excel in his coming exams."

"I spent part of my transfer to pay school fees for my two children who are in primary school. I did not go to school therefore, I have been unable to read or write or seek formal employment. I feel ashamed of myself and vowed to educate my children. I would want them to complete their education, this will help them to secure a good job, live a good life and be able to take care of me in future because of old age. Secondly, I want to repair my house which is not in good condition. It is made up of mud and old iron sheets that are leaky. I fear it might collapse on us when we receive heavy rains. Thirdly, we are experiencing drought in our area, part of the transfer I will use to buy food. I planted maize in the month of October but because of drought, we expect to harvest less. Lastly, I gave part of the transfer to my inlaws to help buy stones for building a permanent shop that had stalled in our local market. When complete it will be rented and use the proceeds to sustain our life or even open a business in future to support our upkeep."

"I spent part of my second transfer in buying livestock, two bulls and three goats. I will use the bulls for ploughing my farm. Initially, I was using a hoe to till my farm which was expansive, this was taking a lot of time and energy. This meant I had to get up early and leave the garden late so that I till at least a big portion which was not enough still. With the bulls, I will be able to till my farm on time, something that was not happening before. My harvest will also improve too which will increase my farm productivity and earn me more profits. With the goats, I would want them to reproduce and sell them in future to support my children education. The other part of the transfer I am spending on food for my family consumption. During this period, I have been able to feed my family with ease."

"Life Before GiveDirectly came to my village was frustrating since I relied mostly on casual jobs for my household's income.Most of the times I couldn't get work which ment that my family and I had to live a life of hand to mouth hence I was unable to save for my child's education .When I started receiving this transfers I have been able to save and now the biggest difference in my daily life for the last four months is that I have enrolled my child to a nursery school hence I am hopefull that I will be able to educate my child ."

"I spent my second transfer to pay off my school fees debt. I then bought a cow as a form of investment. This will help me finish up my education."

"I spent my second transfer to complete my newly constructed business premise. I have a plot that is strategically located near a town center and i have always had a desire to start a business that will assist me raise more money and take good care of my family. I have not been able to save enough money to establish this business. I have just been able to struggle to make ends meet for my family and at least give my children some basic education. GiveDirectly came in handy to help me realize this dream of running my own business. As we speak, I have been able to pay school fees for the entire year for my son who is completing his secondary school this year. In the next few months, I will be able to stock my completed business premise and thus raise my living standards going forward. I also used part of the transfer to buy foodstuffs for the family. This has provided me with enough time and space to concentrate on my business project."

"It's always the joy and pride of a parent when their children prosper in life. Since I believe that education is power, I'm so happy and proud because I managed to take my children back to college after clearing their college fee arrears. This is the biggest difference in my daily life."

"I have withdrawn the transfer and spent it on paying school fees for my two sons who are in secondary school and University respectively. Education is a true investment that one can count on. The world has really changed that without proper education,it becomes very difficult to be considered for the few employment opportunities. I am hopeful that my sons will soon become professionals that will live a better life than me. This will earn me respect amongst my community members, who have ever thought that we can never make it in life."