"My biggest struggle now is paying school fees for my three children in secondary school and one in college pursuing a Diploma in Automotive engineering. With this money, I will use KES 50000 to clear school fees for the next academic year to help me focus on providing food and basic needs for the family. My husband does a gas welding enterprise which is earning us some income. I will therefore give him KES 40000 to buy welding gas cylinders and upgrade his business. This will translate to more income for the family. With the remaining amount, I will use it to buy food and clothing for my children." (Occupation: Small business)

"I rely on casual jobs such as weeding for pay to earn a living, this money is peanut and is not enough for me to buy food and save to build a better house. My current grass-thatched house is leaking when it rains. When I receive this money I will plan to build a two-roomed iron sheet house with KES 40000. I will also consider buying a cow with KES 35000 to enable me to earn income through the sale of milk and live a better life. This gives me hope of bringing back my family after a long separation. I am also thinking of starting a business of buying and selling goats hence I will use the remaining money as a starter capital to this business."

"The current challenge right now is money business. I have plenty grand children and I'm the one sponsoring them, but things are not easy with me now, I don't have money to settle their problems; so it has become a burden on me. At least when GiveDirectly give me this money it will be able to settle their problems."

"Transportation is hard here in the mountain because its too far to reach town where I can do business"

"Receiving this money means a permanent house for my family. I am currently living in a small house which is leaking during rainy season. I am planning to spend KES 30,000 to construct a better one that is decent. The remaining amount will use it to purchase a second hand motorbike that will help me to transport charcoal to my customers as well as start livestock farming. As they multiply I will sell at a profit and use the proceeds to buy food and other basic needs." (Occupation: Small business)

"I am a business woman running a retail shop here at our small town and it was very much affected during the covid 19 because of low sales during that time. I depend entirely on this business both for my domestic and commercial needs. Receiving this money means I will add more stock to my shop so that I get more profit.I am currently getting a profit of 2000 KES per month because I am running it with a capital of KES 25,000 KES. I will use my transfers to add more stock to my shop and I believe I will be making a profit of 5,000 KES per month."

"Hunger is the biggest challenge in my house. I depend on charcoal burning business which is straneous and the income I get from this business is inadequate to sustain the needs of my house. My children are sent home from school very frequently because I cannot pay the school fees for all of them ontime. My children are weak and I suspect they may be suffering from a malnutrition disease because I feed them one kind of a meal each and every day (ugali with dried fish)." (Occupation: Small business)

"I have a small house which cannot accommodate all of us . I am a widow with 7 children who are still very young and in their primary school level. Paying my children's school fees is a burden to me because I depend on a small business of selling firewood to the nearest tea kiosk. Receiving this money means I will build another 1 bedroom house for my 5 male children so that they sleep alone in their house, and I remain sleeping with the 2 female ones in my house. I will set aside 20,000 KES to buy food for my family, pay my children school fees of 17,000 KES and live happly because my children will enjoy their studies without any interruption of being sent home frequently from school for sometime." (Occupation: Small business)

"The money from Give directly has made a big difference in my life, especially with my chicken project. I can now confidently tell you that my chicken is increasing in numbers, and the project will become profitable thanks to the help and boost from Give Directly." (Occupation: Small business)

"I separated from my wife six months ago because I could not provide for my family and also because the house that we lived in was not that good. Receiving this money will mean that I will be able to build a better house and reconcile with my wife. As a way of sustaining my family, I will pump some money from the transfer into the timber business that I own with my brother. This is a lucrative business and I am assured that I will earn something that will be able to feed my family comfortably."