"The only dream I have right now is to complete school with a good grade and open my fashion shop. I will be sewing clothes that I will be selling to my clients at affordable prices and I also ensure I buy a sewing machine that will make my work easier. Life is really becoming tough and it needs tougher people with divided ideas of making it in life. I would also want to start my poultry farm where I will buy a lot of chicken and as I wait for them to hatch I will be selling the other ones. With increased profit, I will be able to build my house and live the kind of life that I have always dreamt of having."

"I work as a peasant farmer to support my family. The last three years as a farmer have been the hardest for me. I've been unable to grow anything on the farm or harvest anything because of the severe drought climate conditions that have persisted. I am now at a point where I have no choice but to sell charcoal in order to support myself. The weather has recently changed, and it appears likely that we will soon experience some significant rain. When I received my February transfers, I spent $10 on a plowing jembe. By doing this, I am better positioned to have the required working tools in case it starts to rain. For a total of $10, I bought five packets of maize flour. I have to buy the majority of my food from stores at exorbitant prices because there is nothing to harvest on the farms. The $14 is still in my possession, and I'm thinking of the best way to spend it."

"My transfers have been going into buying the same things in December and January. I spent $27.5 December to buy a goat and in January the goats had become more pricey and were now going for $28. I also bought chicken in December at $3 but in January as with goat prices this also had gone up by $0.5 and were now $3.5.I am buying this animals so I can have something to show for the GD transfers I am receiving. In February I changed my spending to redirect the money in getting some construction material since this year I want to build my house. I bought 3 iron sheets and nails which were $30 and $4 respectively."

"When GD staff first visited our area and were registering us I was curious about how I could get the transfers and redirect it to buying my own motorcycle. I am a motorcycle rider and work with a hired motorcycle that I have to pay $4 daily for. This was not much of a struggle before but due to the high fuel prices it was becoming difficult to manage between paying this daily charges and daily profits. we could previously make $9 dollars where I would be left with $5 and would pay the $4 but now I am making between $5 and $6 which means I pay the $4 daily payment and am left with $1 or $2 which cannot sustain my family. I joined a savings group and now I have been saving $30 of my $34 transfer monthly and from December I redirected my $4 into buying chicks which I get at $2 each. This has been my expenditure even to the month of February."

"I sell charcoal and my earnings in a week are $5. My husband works as a watchman on Kilifi town but we do not see much of his money. I would like to increase my income as I do not make much. I would like to start a business this year that will be able to allow me increase my earnings and even educate my child. I would also like to use this business to buy a few more animals as I have been buying a number over time. I hope to save a reasonable amounts from my savings to invest in the business. I do not know how much I will need as commodities have been on a seesaw with prices but I will be really excited if I meet this goal."

"I usually budget my cash transfers to cover school fees, secure food, and save through my merry-go-round club. $10 goes towards paying tuition for my five children, $10 towards my savings, and the remaining $14 towards food. I am grateful because the money has alleviated hardships that would have otherwise been tougher. This is because my practice of making charcoal only earns me at most $7, which hardly puts meals on the table for a week considering the rising commodity prices. I am grateful that most of my family’s basic needs are met through the cash aid program. Additionally, the money has allowed me to save towards the construction of a more decent house that the one my family is inhabiting. However, I wish the money could be enough to take us through the entire month and always keep my children in school. Despite paying for their tuition, the school released them from class today to collect more funds, given the huge outstanding debt. "

"We have been experiencing a great drought in our area which makes access to food very difficult. I would like to start a business that can sustain us now that my husband is out of work and food prices have been very high. I want to start a grocery business where I will sell groceries and dried fish to make some money to allow us access food now that my husband is out of work. The price of starting the business will be dependent on how much I will get the products for. I also want to buy more goats which I am planning to breed and when they get young ones I will sell them to sort out needs when they come up at home."

"When I first received the transfer, I intended to buy a dairy cow, but the increased prices were due to the high demand created by the fact that most of the households went out in search of one. Because I couldn't go over my budget, I decided to spend some of it on a bullock with the intention of fattening it and then using the proceeds to buy a dairy cow. When we received the second transfer, cow prices remained high, so we had to bring in another bull worth $150. When one of the two matures, I will sell it to buy a cow and keep the other to pay school fees for my children later. In addition, I purchased 24 iron sheets for $9 each, as well as other materials such as nails and wood, in preparation for the construction of a new house. I have been living in a small house with my children since my parents passed away two years ago. I am glad the construction is still going on and hope it will be finished soon. In addition, I paid $30 for labor and received a $30 piece of furniture for the new house."

"The cost of purchasing food on a daily basis had been difficult due to scarcity and rising market prices. In the coming year, I hope to expand into farming in addition to my vegetable business, which I hope to restart soon. My son has been supportive throughout the time I have been out of business, and we have been discussing the return to business plan in the last few days. He is willing to give me the necessary start-up capital, and I believe that with it, I will be able to expand the business and make a profit, which will aid in the purchase of farm inputs."

"Since my wife became bedridden, life has been unbearable. This is because her medication is very expensive and I depend on the animal trade which is not so reliable because it depends on the prices in the market and the demands. In addition, I have three children who are still in school. When I received my second transfer, I prioritized paying school fees for my children, and I spent $300 on school fee arrears that had accumulated. I then spent the rest of the money on my wife's medical bills. I'm relieved that I was able to reduce the school fees arrears that had been calculated for quite some time. I am overjoyed that GiveDirectly's assistance relieved me of a heavy burden."