"Even though I don't have ready money at the moment, I have a new goal to venture into poultry farming. I had been planning with my nephew, who wanted to help with the starting capital, but my role in constructing a chicken coop before receiving his funding is still holding me back. I am looking for the poles and the chain link that will facilitate the construction of circumference walls. This project will help a great deal in egg production. I will sell alongside the offspring to pay school fees and settle household bills."

"I was in the chicken cooking, when my phone rank I thought it was a call but when gsve the phone to Son he said wooooo mama is your GD money, I started singing and dancing. I have been happy since got the my money text because I have been wishing to have a land and build a zinc roof house in Fish Town. I am over a excited because my children will soon have their own shelter abd will no longer live with family members/ relatives."

"I bought an heifer for KSh. 30,000 using part of the second transfer. Apart from the cow being a long term reminder of what GiveDirectly did for us as a family, this will in the future also be a source of milk and income from the sale of excess milk produced. I had also planned to start a poultry project and had even bought eight chicken for rearing and some few materials for construction of a chicken house, but at that time, I was expecting a baby. Just before I could proceed with the project, I went into delivery where I had to undergo an caesarian section. Some of the transfers I had planned to use went into payment of the hospital bills and drugs. I used the rest of the transfer on food and other necessities needed while recuperating at home. I am glad the that the transfer came at the time that was really needed. Thank you GiveDirectly!"

"In the month of July, I was able to attend a wedding of my neighbor. I was happy because i ate a lot of food since there were different types of foods such as beef, chicken, rice and local beer (Thobwa)."

"I spent part of my second transfer on buying iron sheets, doors, building poles, and the labour charges at a total of KES 25000. I had intended to finish building my house which was still under construction. The initial house was in a poor state and it would collapse at any time. Also, it was very small to accommodate my two children. They have therefore been sleeping at their grandmother's house which was a bit of a challenge as well since her house was very far from the village we lived in. I am now a proud single father because I will be sheltering will all my family members under one roof. Additionally, I cleared the arrears of KES 5000 for my two children in grades three and four respectively. They are now studying comfortably without any disturbances. Also, I bought livestock ( two goats, three ducks and a chicken) which cost around KES 10000. They will now serve as reliable assets that I can readily lean on in case of any financial constraints. With the remaining amount, I bought food for my family and other household needs that I was lacking."

"In addition to my three family members, I support my father to take care of my five siblings who are all in school. I repair motorcycles to earn a living but the KES 200 I make from it daily can not sustain all of our needs. There are times when I do not get a single customer which means that I take nothing home. My father is aged, and he can not do much and thus he makes little money from his construction work. To improve my income, I bought both a goat and two chickens for rearing worth KES 3200 with the hopes of benefiting from them in the future after they reproduce. KES 5800 I spent on foodstuffs that can sustain us for some period, especially with the current famine that has led to hike in the prices of most of the food commodities. I am not yet in a position to comfortably meet all of our needs but I appreciate the support and I believe that things will work out with time."

"I'm a widow and the only provider for my family of eight children. I make a living by selling charcoal in the village. The last three months have seen a decline in the business earnings. My meager income (KES 350 per bag) from my work does not cover all of my expenses. I haven't been able to enroll five of my children in school because of my dire financial situation. I frequently rely on my eldest son, who works as a casual worker constructing houses for others, to assist me in paying the household costs. When I got my first transfer, I bought a lot of food for the family with KES 700. We survived on one meal a day for a full month since I struggle so much to provide for my family. Some of my kids show significant indications of malnutrition, which is mostly brought on by a lack of food. Along with purchasing food, I also invested KES 500 on a hen. This is a wise long-term investment as I can sell some of the hems once they start to grow in quantity. I'm happy because at the beginning of the next year, I'll have a large number of chickens that I can sell and utilize the proceeds to pay for my kids' school enrollment."

"I am a mother of seven working as a subsistence farmer for a living while my husband is a carpenter. I have five children who are in primary school. My husband and I support each other in paying our kids’ school fees using the income from our menial jobs and the GiveDirectly transfers we receive. Paying school fees, accessing water, and affording decent meals have been our biggest challenges due to our unsustainable income. The water point is far away from our home making us walk long distances to fetch. Daily trekking in search of water causes us to use a lot of energy leading to exhaustion and lack of peace of mind. Using my GiveDirectly transfers, I bought food and household items worth KES 1960 to cushion us against hunger. I also paid KES 1600 for our kids’ school fees to help reduce their arrears. Next, I bought a chicken for KES 350 for investment because I did not have any and had for a long time yearned to rear some. I thank GiveDirectly for supporting me financially."

"After 7 years of buying milk for my family of four, I am relieved after buying a lactating dairy cow at KES 40000 from the second transfer. This was the second cow after buying one with the first transfer that produced some liters just enough for my household use. To increase the production, I brought in a better breed that has created an extra source of income every time I sell the surplus liters of milk. In addition to dairy farming, I also constructed a chicken coop and reestablished poultry farming that I had lost hope in after losing all my birds to a mysterious disease a year ago. Starting small with the few chickens that have been sheltering in my kitchen has given me hope of growing it bigger and more profitable in the future when they start laying eggs."

"My goal at the moment is to improve my tailoring skills. I intend to join a tailoring school to sharpen my skills which I will then apply to improve my tailoring business. I also want to get into rearing free range chicken ,which I will sell and supply to local eateries. I believe this will improve my income greatly."