"While selling water at a water project owned by a group of women who started a joint business, I received a message on my phone at around 5 pm. Upon checking, I jumped involuntarily after seeing the kind of information the message contained. It was the first transfer of KES 55000.00 from GiveDirectly. I was filled with happiness for receiving such a huge amount of money at once. I tried my best to contain the happiness so that the customers could not realize but I am not sure if they did not."

"My husband passes away fifteen years ago and I fully depend on my son to cater to my needs. He works as a casual laborer on construction sites, selling charcoal and fetching water for other people. These jobs pay very little and often ran out of money to buy food and other essential items. To cope with this, I have incurred debts by buying food on credit, which has made me lose friends. Therefore, when I received my first transfer, I paid off debts accumulating to KES 500. Paying the debts handed me an opportunity to mend the lost friendship with my friends after failing to repay their money on time. I bought food worth KES 700 for the family and help ease the burden my son was going through of feeding the family through thick and thin."

"I am a student in college undertaking a course in electrical engineering. I spent all my transfer of KES 1200 on paying school fees arrears I owed the school. My parents are ancient and can no longer work. Often, I am forced to drop out of school and do manual jobs on construction sites, sell firewood and fetch water for people and pay my school fees. Receiving my first transfer was a tremendous boost because I needed to clear my fee balance before sitting for my end-of-semester exam."

"I am a farmer and the only breadwinner of my family. Catering for my family's needs is difficult since I no longer work on the farm because of the drought. Getting another job is very difficult because I did not complete my secondary school education, and I have no academic certificates. I currently depend on manual jobs such as building houses, fetching water, and carrying heavy luggage to the market. The pay from these jobs is very little and is not enough to buy a three-course meal for my family. Often we are forced to survive on one meal per day or worse, sleep on empty stomachs. Therefore, when I received my first transfer, I was over the moon because I spent the entire amount of KES 3000 on buying food for the family."

"I dropped out of primary school while I was in class five. I developed serious complications with my eyes that hindered my learning. This forced me to drop out of school, as my parents could not afford to pay both my school fees and medical bills. My parents' poor financial status was a stumbling for me to go back to school after I got better. I fully depend on my father, who is a water vendor in Mombasa town. The little he earns is enough to buy food for the family. Therefore, when I received my first transfer, I bought a chicken at KES 300. I have a long-term goal of venturing into poultry farming and ensuring I am self-employed and self-dependent. I spent the remaining amount on buying food for the family and easing my father with the heavy burden of taking care of the family’s needs."

"I was on my way home from fetching tap water from a nearby water point when my phone rang. I stop to check the phone and I was surprised. For a moment, I stood transfixed on the ground, moving no inch of my muscles. My heart melted with joy upon realizing that I had received my first transfer. I hurriedly walked back home and called my husband and broke the good news to him. He was happy too."

"I saved KES 2,000 from the transfer through a self-help group. The plan is to withdraw KES 10,000 next month in order to construct a new one-room house for my husband and me. We reside in a shoddy shed that was formerly used as a kiosk structure, and it could collapse at any time due to strong winds. Furthermore, it is too small for our family of eight. As a result, my children have had to seek shelter from relatives and neighbors at night. The new house would at least fit the three youngest children. In addition, I paid KES 500 in school fees for my three primary school children, who were sent home every day to collect the money. Also, we had ran out of food for the previous two weeks and had to rely on neighbors for assistance. I would occasionally persuade the shopkeeper to give us food on credit, but it was always in vain. In fact, we had been surviving solely on water for three days prior to the transfer. As a result, I had to spend the remaining funds on maize flour."

"I am glad I was able to clear my son's school fees arrears and this led him to be accepted back into school after spending one week at home for lack of school fees. Since he will be attending all the lessons, I am hopeful that his performance will improve. This is the biggest difference in my daily life because if it was not for the transfers then it would have taken me weeks to raise such an amount. The KES 150 that I make at times from fetching water for people can barely afford a whole day's meal considering that a kg of corn flour retails at KES 130."

"I am the sole breadwinner of my family (Husband, and five children). My husband, who suffers from tuberculosis, is weak and unable to work. Previously, I ran a small business selling different vegetables, i.e. kales, spinach, and cabbages. The business later on failed because I was forced to use the capital to pay school fees for my children. Currently, I work as a casual laborer washing clothes, working on people's farms, and fetching water to earn love. I earn very little from these jobs, which is not enough to cater to all the family expenses (paying school fees, buying food, and medication). Therefore, when I received my first transfer, I cleared part of the debt for my three children who are in primary school (PP1, Grade 4, and class 7). I bought maize planting seeds to plant on my one-acre farm. I bought food with the remaining amount of money to add to the depleting stock."

"I arrived home from fetching water from a faraway distance of about 40km. I was feeling tired and rested inside the house, away from the scorching sun. While resting, my phone rang loudly, and upon checking it, I realized I had received my first transfer. Wow! I was thrilled and jumped up and down in ecstasy. I quickly went outside the house and informed my husband about the good news. We all smiled as tears of joy rolled down our cheeks."