"At the moment, I have a new goal to venture into poultry farming. Even though I am not prepared for a large-scale venture, I believe starting small will be manageable and can keep improving with time. At the moment, I am making small savings from the small businesses I had been doing. I believe that the next step will be to construct a new house and later buy some chicken which will, in turn, improve the savings through the proceeds I will be getting from the selling of the eggs."

"There was a chieftaincy ceremony that happened last week and that was a big ceremony for us. We were merry and had nice food. I personally found rice finished which was sad and only had nsima and chicken but that was still okay. We don't get to eat chicken or any meat very often."

"There was a day I was coming from business, I bought a live chicken and my wife prepared a very nice meal. My children were very happy to eat nicely like that."

"I had previously saved the first transfer,so I topped it up with the second transfer to start my chicken rearing business. I'm glad to report that it is doing very well despite the various challenges. I was also able to install tap water into my compound allowing easy access to clean water for me and my neighbours."

"The transfer has significantly improved my life by enabling me to pursue my long-held desire to start a chicken farm. It has been incredibly challenging to properly support my family's necessities ever since I quit working on my farm. I'm appreciative that the unconditional transfers have given me the opportunity to establish a chicken farm."

"I am still a secondary student currently in form four. I am the second lastborn in a family of eight. My eldest brother, a small-scale business owner, pays my school fees. My parents are casual laborers hence their income is too little to pay my school fees and also provide for the basic needs of the family. My brother’s income is also not enough to sustain me in school. Due to this, I accumulated huge arrears making me lack peace of mind and thus could not concentrate on my studies. I owed the school arrears of KES 22000. When I received the transfer, I used KES 1000 to pay part of the school fees to reduce my debts and used the remaining KES 200 to buy a chicken for investment."

"My husband and I both burn and sell charcoal to raise money to support the needs of our three children, such as food and school fees. The process of producing charcoal takes at least two weeks, after which the most I can make is KES 300. With today's high food prices, this amount hardly provides sufficient food for more than two days. Thereafter, things usually darken, and hunger sets in for the rest of the week. Particularly, my family had gone two days without food before the cash transfer arrived. So, I prioritized KES 800 on food that restored my children's glow. I decided to use the remaining funds to purchase a hen from a neighbor. I had always longed to own chicken, but a lack of funds hindered me from doing so. I am grateful to Give Directly for making this desire possible."

"Because of my family's abject poverty, I was unable to further my education. With no academic credentials to pursue a formal job, I became a motorcycle taxi driver as my primary source of income. This year, however, has been difficult for us. The rise in fuel prices has negatively impacted my operation, resulting in a low income for my family. We didn't have food when I received my first transfer. As a result, I spent KES 600 on maize flour for my four-person family. I did not feel as much pressure or financial stress that week as I had the previous week. I also spent KES 600 on two chickens in order to increase the number of my domestic fowl. I am always delighted to see them when I am at home."

"With my advanced age, it is difficult to do strenuous activities to earn a living and provide for my wife and occasionally support my seven grandchildren. So, to fend for my family, I own and run a small kiosk business that generates just enough profits for at least one meal per day. When I received the transfer, my idea was to expand the business by adding new stock. This is why I spent KES 900 on new items for the shop. I acquired a chicken with the remaining funds to increase my flock to four hens. The goal is to let these birds breed, grow the flock, and sell them later to generate money for household expenses. "

"Earlier, I had some poultry which I was forced to sell out when my children were sent home due to school fees arrears and I did not have any cash at hand then. Therefore when I received my recent transfer, I opted to buy some chicken at the cost of KES 600 as my fall back plan. Additionally, I did clear up school fees for my son whose school fees was over due. Besides, I sent my son KES 500 for his secondary school upkeep.I am happy that GiveDirectly did come through for us financially hence helping me sort out these expenses. Being the sole bread winner whose main economic activity is charcoal burning, meeting all those expenses would have been difficult. Thank you GiveDirectly."