"Currently, my life is different from how it was in that I am a reformed convict. Just before GiveDirectly came into our neighborhood, I had served a two-year term in jail. GiveDirectly came at a time a needed help most since I used the money to start life again. Besides using my first and second transfer well, I decided to buy two cows with the recent one. I have also started working on my future goals by saving some amount of money hoping to start a business for my wife as I go on with the casual jobs. I believe that with time I will be able to establish my self and to catch up with life. I do not want to indulge in crime again and this is why I am determined to shape my future."

"It was around 6 am when I saw the message notification. When I checked its content, it was from Give Directly indicating that they had debited my first transfer into my account as they had promised. I was filled with joy since I knew that I would be able to achieve a lot using the transfers. The transfers were enough to start a business that would forever change my life."

"I received an Mpesa confirmation message at around 6 am. I wish you could see the smile I made when I was reading it. I was so excited. Immediately I started planning what I was going to spend the money on. It is one of the best moments of my life." (Occupation: Small business)

"Receiving this money means a stable livestock business that will act as my reliable source of income. At the moment, I do this business but its capital is a loan of $200 that I borrowed from my potential neighbor. The entire profit that I usually get is shared equally with the lender leaving me with very little that cannot sustain my family's basic needs. I rarely save even a penny for future expenses and therefore, I always feel a big challenge in meeting other urgent family issues. My best plan is to spend the first transfer as a capital for this business and it will mean a steady income to the family. On the other hand, I plan to spend $200 and $300 of my second disbursement on house construction for my children and buying of oxen respectively. This will brightten up my life and hence, a better future."

"The most significant change is that I feel much relieved and self independent. I have two children who need my support. However, my work place does not provide a conducive environment. My employer has been too strict and inconsiderate to me. I am very happy that I am soon setting up my own salon business where I can be fully independent. I look forward to accomplishing many dreams when I start earning daily income."

"Before I started receiving these transfers,I could not manage to provide for my family due to the unreliable salary I earn from the Government where I am employed as a casual worker. Being that I am a single mother with no financial support from my children's father, I had to live with my brother so that we could share the cost of the bills. It was very uncomfortable for both of us living in a tiny house where there was very limited privacy. After I got the first transfer, I decided to move out and rent my own house so that my brother could feel free in his house. I have also managed to set up a business on clothing which provides a decent income to take care of my needs and I don't have to solely rely on my salary from the Government which usually delays."

"Currently, my life is different from how it was in that, I am able to take care of my needs with ease. When I got my third transfer, I managed to boost my business. This was really a good idea because since then, I have never taken loans. I am proud to say that, I paid rent and school fees for my children on time unlike before. I thank GiveDirectly for uplifting my living standard."

"In the next four months, I am thinking of saving my profit together with my next transfers so that I would use to start up Mobile banking agency within the same business premise. I saw an opportunity in this as nowadays people use this service more frequently. Again recipients from my locality require this mobile banking service to withdraw their transfers which will enable me to get a good commission."

"I have not always had an easy life as I mostly do casual domestic jobs that are mostly unavailable, limiting my earnings. This made it tough for me to acquire most of my needs or even support my family untill I started receiving a monthly income from Give Directly. Having an assured amount monthly has always put me in a better position to provide for my family, taking care of my personal needs without asking for my husband's support and making decent savings monthly. I even have a business plan which I hope to achieve before the end of the project because I know the transfers will provide the required capital. With the little income that I had before, this is something I would never even dream of."

"The biggest difference in my daily life is that I am now self-employed. Before receiving GiveDirectly's transfers I used to do casual jobs around the village . From this, I used to earn KES 250 on a day which could barely meet my family's needs. Starting a small retail business using the transfers is a great opportunity I have attained through GiveDirectly's donations in my life since it has enabled me to meet my family's daily needs with ease . Secondly , securing a solar lamp for lighting at night has been very advantageous since I no longer have to incur the daily expenses of buying paraffin which was so costly."