"For now I will not say much because I am not really sure if its true this money will come. Its like a dream not until the dream comes true .However if I get the cash transfer, I will make sure I buy something that will bring a daily income for the family, something like a cow will do us well because we shall be selling the milk. I will also buy some pigs because it is a sure deal after 6 months you sell and get money or they multiply. Since the prices keep changing everyday I can not guarantee how much the animals will cost for me to get them.Thank you."

"If I remember correctly, it was approximately 2 pm when I received a message on my phone while my cows were grazing in the field. I decided not to look till I got home and asked my assistance to tell me what kind of message it was because I cannot read. She checked and told me that I had indeed gotten the initial $550 transfer from GiveDirectly. Because I did not want anybody to find out that I had received some money, I refrained from jumping and ululating in joy."

"Receiving this money means improving my living conditions, with this money I plan on buying a cow at $405 this will provide milk for sell and home consumption which will provide proteins hence good health, I shall use its manure which is a rich fertiliser. In addition I shall buy coffee seeds, beans, maize seeds and fertilisers at $322, this I know will grow and have good harvest, in this I shall sell and earn money and use it to support our daily lives. I intend to start up a retail shop selling soap, sugar and other basic items in Shibanga trading centre at $940 I intend to use its profits for emergency purposes. I shall also purchase new clothes, beddings at $81 so as I can survive the cold nights. My children have been constantly been chased for school fees, I shall therefore use $81 to pay the school debts and save $54"

"Before the transfers, I never had cows before as I had no stable source of income. I used the transfers to buy female cows for kshs 35,000. This is for milk production for my family's consumption and sale. I do casual work to earn a living and most of the time the pay is too little to cater for my basic needs, I do top it up with the money from selling milk and this has enabled me to take care of other basic needs like food, clothing and kids school fees. I used the remaining part of the transfers of kshs 20,000 to buy a piece of three-seater furniture. I used to fear hosting friends and relatives as I never had enough seats for them, but my self-esteem has improved since I started receiving transfers from GiveDirectly."

"As at now, we practice mixed farming here at home. This is where we do some bit of crop farming and dairy keepingbas well. With the current climatic conditions, farming has been dealt a blow with most crops drying up and we end up with very little produce. We also have a problem with dairy keeping where we keep breeds of cattle that are less productive. In the next one year and beyond, my plan is to see to it that I get enough money to improve my dairy keeping business as well as improve my crop farming too. By so doing then the living standards of my family shall greatly improve. Right now I only have two cows that I keep here at home and my target is to have more than four cows by the end of the year. I can only achieve this through a savings plan that I have already started."

"I wish to focus on dairy production and ensure that I have enough feeds for my cow because this would increase milk production. I will sell the surplus milk and get some income to meet my basic household income."

"I wish to save some money to purchase another dairy cow, There is a high demand for milk and this means one can earn a good income from the sales of milk. I will devote much of my time to this dairy-keeping project because it is viable."

"In a few months to come, I am hoping to invest more in livestock( cows and goats). I believe they will not only be of help when settling any financial challenge in my household but also, they will empower me to take all my children to school. This has been the major challenge that I am facing and I believe once I will be able to have a good number of them, my children will no longer stay at home due to the arrears as before."

"Life became tough two years ago after I developed a tumor, which hindered my capacity to actively contribute to the needs of my son and me. Am sad that my son started bearing family responsibilities at a very young age. Ever since he has been taking on casual tasks daily to put food on the table. Sometimes,  when in less pain, I make and sell charcoal to relieve the pressure off of him. Give Directly’s cash transfers played a huge role in providing for our basic needs and covering my medical expenses. Instead of using the entire transfer on the essentials, I decided to spend $67 on two goats and $120 on a calf as an investment. I hope to be able to sell these animals in the future and obtain money for my needs. Besides that, the cow will support me in plowing and land preparation during the farming season. Next, I used $30 for medication, where I mostly obtained painkillers for the pain, but the tumor has never healed. After that, I used the remaining funds for food. At least my son and I had enough to eat for at least three months, after which hardships started crawling back in.  "

"Since I cannot actively involve myself in strenuous activities to generate an income and help provide for my needs, I wish to start raising livestock. Am glad that the cash transfer helped me to acquire poultry, which I have been rearing to date. My aim is to further the venture by owning goats and cows, as I could easily sell these animals in the future to raise more money. "