"Since I lost my husband in the month of July, life has not been that easy for me. I was left with the responsibility of raising my family alone. With the little income which I make from the business which I run I would not get enough income to sustain my family needs. Sometimes I would borrow some money to make ends meet. The money which I would receive from GiveDirectly I would spend to repay debt with less worry as I am guaranteed some cash every month."

"I spent part of my first transfer to buying an ox and a dairy cow. I have always been praying to own them but I could not afford it since my income was very low. I then bought a bed and a matress, previously I used to sleep on the traditional bed which was so uncomfortable and it was very small. I then bought my own ox plough to avoid hiring or borrowing from friends. I then gave my son KES 5000 to boost his business because it had collapsed. The remaining amount of money, I cleared school fees for my children, because they were approaching exams and I was so sure they would be missing the exams since they had a huge fees balance. But God is great because the money came in good time."

"Having a dairy cow and the goats are the most valuable assets I can proudly mention. I believe that I will achieve most of my goals from the sale of milk from the dairy cow. Not only will I have a healthy family but also increase my income with this dairy project. With the goats, I plan to sell the offspring since they reproduce faster. The money will help me pay school fees for my children. One of my kids who had dropped out of school to a huge school fee balance will now be able to resume her studies. As time goes by, I will have accumulated enough money to start another business. This will ensure I am financially secure. From that point, I believe my life will now be the same again."

"My dream has to have a reliable source of income for my family. Being a housewife, I have wished to start a grocery business in the village in order to supplement my husband's earnings from his job as a cook in a cafeteria. This job earns him 1.8 dollars per day which is not enough to meet all the needs of the family like food and clothing. Receiving this money means realization of my dream in life since l am planning to invest 300 dollars on building a semi-permanent structure and to purchase stock for the business."

"Adding more chicken to my poultry as well as buying goats and sheep that will multiply in future which will enable me to sell some and start up a saloon business is what receiving this money means to me. I am a house wife and i derive my source of income from selling eggs from my chicken hence adding more of them means a boost financially"

"Coming back home every evening after having gotten at least some profit for the day from my business is what keeps me happy"

"I have been running a small hptel business at a nearby center.Through this business,I have been able to provide the needs of my family,with some little struggle.Expanding the business a bit will enable me generate more income from it hence my family's needs will be met with much ease.I intend to spend 150 USD in buying seats,painting as well as buying some kitchen items.I will also use 300 USD to buy a dairy cow so that milk sales can substitute the income from business.When I receive the second transfer,I have plans of leasing a piece of land to cultivate and plant maize.This will ensure that my family does not have to incur expenses to buy food but rather make savings so I can build a proper home for them."

"I have managed to buy additional stock of a variety of products for my shop which will enable me to serve my clients effectively for better profits. It could have taken longer to buy that much stock if I only relied on my profits. My passion is to invest more in this business and expand it so that I can have a reliable and additional source of income besides the casual construction jobs that I normally do. The wages from the construction sites are not enough to meet my family needs this is why I invested in this shop. To me, being able to expand this business is the biggest difference in my daily life."

"In six months’ time, I expect to have already saved enough money and would have bought a tailoring machine for my daughter who just completed technical training in tailoring. This way, I will be happy as a father seeing my daughter earn an income of her now that employment opportunities this country has always proved hard to get." (Occupation: Small business)

"In six months’ time, I expect to have started an investment plan that will help me in saving for my children’s education. The challenge that I have been having in educating the one who just completed high school gave me learnings which I want to effectively put them into practice so that I may be caught offside when that time comes." (Occupation: Small business)