"I inherited a single grass-thatched house from my brother in 2018 after he relocated to another village. This house is however small and old now that I feel I have to improve it since it is not of my calibre at the moment. I have been yearning to construct a 2 roomed iron-roofed house that will serve as the living and bedroom but unfortunately, finances could not allow me. When I receive these transfers I intend to use KES 30000 to accomplish this task thus I will be happy that my dream of a comfortable house will come to pass. I will use the rest of the transfers towards purchasing a dairy cow and setting up a chicken business."

"I started poultry farming business while in high school to help my parents with paying school fees. Through the profits that I was earning, I was able to clear my high school fees. During COVID-19 pandemic, my father who was then working as a teacher got laid off since he was not employed by government but parents board. When schools reopened, I had to sell all the chicken that I had to clear school fees for me to be allowed to sit for my final exams. Although this was a good business, I had lost hope in it because, having just graduated from high school, I had no source of income to be able to start over again. When I received my first transfer, I bought some some few chicken and some feeds and started rearing them. With the recent transfers, I bought 10 small sized chicken worth KES 1000 and spend KES 2000 to buy feeds and other maintenance inputs. I'm looking forward to continuing adding more chicken and I'm hopeful that the business will grow and I'll be able to pay my college fees and assist my parents in paying school fees for my six siblings."

"Now that schools are on break, the children are at home and the budget for food has increased. This has been hard for my husband to manage alone. It was my plan to look for a job and share the bills. On this day, I was busy in the kitchen cooking for them when I got the message confirming the receipt of the transfer. I was very excited. Since I love livestock keeping, my first thought was to buy a goat but since this was not possible, I decided to revive my poultry business. I, therefore, started by buying three chickens. Once I gather enough funds from the profit, I will buy some goats, as I intended to thereby grow my business."

"Before I got the transfers, I was stuck financially. The only option I was left with was to sell the 10 chickens I had. This is so I could get funds to buy some nourishments for my children. On a daily basis, I would seek a buyer with the best offer. But I stopped when I got the money from give directly which I used it to buy some food. I made sure I saved KES 400 with the aim of purchasing more poultry to boost my farming business."

"Buying the chicken is the biggest difference in my life since I received the transfer. Having been jobless for over three years, it gives me joy that, through poultry farming, I will be self-employed and dependent once again. This will reduce the burden on my son, who has taken care of me for the last three years.  "

"For the last fifteen years, I have gone through difficulties in raising my children, after my husband walked away from our marriage. The casual jobs of selling charcoal and fetching water for other people earn me little (1800 per month) which is not enough of taking care of all my family's needs (paying school fees, buying food, and buying clothes). When I received my transfer, I spent much of it (KES 2000) on paying tuition for two children who are in primary school. Because of my poor financial status, I did not pay their school fees on time, and as a result, they were often sent home. The interruptions affected their studies, and they performed poorly in their final examination. Paying tuition for my children is important so that they can perform better and catch up with the rest of the students in their classes. Besides paying tuition for my children, I spent KES 700 to buy 2 chickens. I have always dreamt of having livestock of my own and buying the hens gave me the chance to realize one of my dreams."

"When my husband passed away two years ago, I knew it won't be easy to raise our nine children alone but I never thought it would be this tough. Then, I was a housewife but I had to engage myself into charcoal burning and selling business for me to be able to provide for my family. Within my locality, trees have been depleted and for me to get some wood to burn charcoal, I have to dig deep the tree roots which were left out after the tree were cut. It hasn't been easy digging up the tree roots in such a dry land with temperatures as high as 39 degrees centigrade but what keeps me going is my children. In a good week I can sell charcoal worth KES 1000 but this is very little to cater for all the family responsibilities. I have been thriving in debts and my wish was to have alternative source of income such as having livestock which I can sell. Since I was unable to buy livestock on my own, being enrolled in the program was such a good opportunity for me to start investing in livestock. I spend KES 1000 to buy two chicken which are capable of laying eggs, KES 1400 to buy maize floor and 600 to buy other food stuffs. I'm looking forward to buy some more livestock which I'll be able to sell and pay bills in future."

"Poultry has a good market, especially in our nearby town where people have ventured into selling chicken meat in their food booths. The supply of the chickens has recently been low and I saw an opportunity where I can invest and earn a favorable profit. Since I lack the finances to facilitate this project, it has remained a desire for me for a long time. With this cash grant, I intend to spend 30000 KES to start poultry farming and this will provide me with the chance to supply chicken to the food vendors in our area. I will, therefore, save my first 10 months' transfers to raise this amount. This will act as my reliable source of income because I am currently jobless. Thus, this is generally what receiving this money means to me."

"I have a small bed that cannot accommodate my family of four people. It is always mended as the ropes tend to sag within two weeks. I also use a tattered woven mat which makes my sleep not enjoyable. Receiving this money means using 10,000 KES to buy a mattress and a bed. I will use the remaining amount as capital for my chicken rearing project am longing to start."

"I desire to start poultry farming to boost my income, I work as a butchery attendant and I earn KES 4000 per month. This is not enough to cater to all my needs, especially with the high cost of living I have not been able to actualize my wish. When I receive money from Give Directly I am planning to build a poultry house for KES 10,000 because I have a few materials I had bought earlier, also I will spend KES 30,000 to buy 40 chickens and poultry feeds. I will be delighted to see my dream come true. This will boost my income when I will start selling eggs and chickens to hotels around where I live."