"Food insecurity has been a major issue that I have been facing.I buy almost everything I eat. I have always wanted to start an agribusiness in my small piece of land, I want to engage in planting of potatoes, vegetables,tomatoes and onions with a view of selling in the nearby Bomet market. I have since prepared the land ready for planting.The ready market of the Bomet town will be an advantage to me that I want to leverage on to be able to get sustainable disposable income for use. I planned to use $150 to do the project that includes buying seedlings, fertilizers, pesticides and for weeding.I will use the remaining amount to purchase a dairy cow for milk production too.I so certain that once the project is up and running I will have a better and improved quality of life unlike what I am facing now."

"I would like to spend this money on buying a 0.02-acre piece of land and also buy a dairy cow and building a big poultry house that can keep at least 100 egg-laying chickens. This will supplement my income which is currently at $30 monthly and ensure that all the needs of the family are met. We are hopeful that for the first time we shall have some savings as a family and later on purchase a bigger piece of land and expand our farming activities."

"We will continue struggling to pay school fees for our three children in time. My husband works in tea estate while I do subsistence farming as well as livestock keeping here at home. The little amounts that we make has always provided us with enough to feed our family and pay school fees for our children. We had a house that we were building but had to be halted when two of my children joined secondary school. We could not afford to raise enough money to pay school fees and progress with the building as well. We are so happy that with GiveDirectly transfers we have been able to bring the house to completion and that we can now focus on paying school fees for our children alongside other important investments that we may want to implement. A long term goal that we are thinking about is to buy an additional dairy cow. We have one that is only helping us get just enough milk for consumption within the household. Getting an additional one will increase our income as a family and make our lives better as a family. We hope to achieve this once our children are done with school."

"I had desired to start livestock rearing as a reliable source of livelihood for my family. The transfers from GiveDirectly revived this dream, I spend $400 to purchase one crossed dairy cow and 5 goats. I am very happy that I own livestock like others that will assist in providing milk once it reproduces. Similarly, I will be selling some litres of milk to earn additional income that would support me in other basic needs. Also, when goats increase I will sell them in case of any financial emergency. In addition, I spent part of the remaining amount to renovate my one roomed, mud-walled house which was about to fall down by putting up a new door and cement floor. I bought food with the remaining part of the transfers since we did not have sufficient food for my family of eight."

"My new goal is to own livestock more so dairy cows and goats. This is one of the most valuable assets one can own as well and get numerous benefits. With the dairy cows, I am assured of getting plenty of milk and I will start a business selling to dairy shops and restaurants whereby I will be generating an income. On the other hand with the goats, I will be selling some in case of any financial emergency might occur. For now, I only depend on my children for all my needs and I feel it would be wise if I have my income."

"Before withdrawing the money, I sat to plan how best I was going to utilize it to benefit me not only today but also in the future. Upon withdrawal, I opted to buy some livestock which would serve as an investment. I bought two cows for $160 and two goats for $60. I did this because goats have a fast birth rate and have ready markets since they are not expensive. So they are for short-term solutions. On the other side, cows have a higher value and by the time they multiply, I will be able to sell at a good profit. I also used $15 to repair my broken sewing machine which is now serving my family as a source of income. After that, my three children were sent back home from school for school fees. Therefore, I used $65 to settle their school fees and they are now happily settled in school. For the remaining amount, I bought some food for the family. Currently, I feel grateful for the achievements of having a livestock investment as well as repairing the broken sewing machine I have made through GiveDirectly."

"Upon getting the second transfer, I decided to renovate the roof of my house since the iron sheets were old, rusty and leaking during the rain season. Therefore, I bought 16 pieces of iron sheets for $152. As I speak I am in the house and very happy about getting a new roof. This has seen my life changing for better. I also bought three goats for $110. I chose goats over cows because they are cheap to rare and can withstand the harsh climatic condition of our area. Thereafter, I opted to use the remaining amount for the family's upkeep because we had no food since we did not harvest any crops due to the scarcity of rainfall."

"Despite the difficult life I had as a single mother with three children, I had always worked hard at every opportunity to ensure that they had enough food. Currently, I am selling roasted maize at a nearby market, as well as leasing out plastic seats to business stalls for $10 per five seats. My current goal is to increase my savings in order to purchase a dairy cow. For a long time, I had been spending a lot of money on milk, which is now $1 per liter. Savings from my small businesses will aid not only in the future availability of milk for my children, but also in the creation of a source of income through the sale of surplus milk."

"Previously, my husband worked as a hired motorbike rider, picking up a motorcycle to use as a taxi and being paid on a commission basis at the end of the day. This was exhausting, especially during the rainy season, because he would struggle to meet his daily goal. We decided to get a motorcycle on hire purchase after receiving the second transfer and making a $250 deposit. We've been paying a daily installment of $3 since then, which is manageable despite the fact that we occasionally forget to save a coin from the business. This has relieved my husband because he can now decide when to extend his working hours and, if it rains, he can always close his business until the next day. I spent the remaining $270 on a Jersey heifer from a neighbor, and I am looking forward to receiving additional liters of milk when it calves. I had another cow that, despite not being very productive, saved my family of seven a daily cost of milk, which is currently $1."

"Working as a tout at the bus stop can be very challenging. This is because the job is unreliable and they are days when I go back home empty-handed. When the organization promised us an unconditional transfer, I knew that this was a golden opportunity for me to change my life into a better one. I, therefore, prioritise building a decent house for my family where I used $400 to realise this dream. The house that I had before was not in a good condition, it was grass-thatched and small. It was extremely difficult for me to construct one before because of my unreliable source of income, and what I earned was hardly enough to cater to the daily needs of my family, which comprises two children and their mother. Secondly, I bought a dairy cow worth $180 so that my children would have enough milk. I am grateful for the support that changed my living status in society."