"I have a tiny house that barely accommodates my husband and me. The only thing the house can include is a mattress and a Jerry can of water. Sleeping in the same house with my children is not an option and as a mother, I desire to have them close to me at all times. I wish I could build a big and spacious house to feel the gap."

"I spent KES 5000 of my second transfer on clearing fees for my children and bought new school uniforms. Their exams were approaching and I was certain that they would miss them. I am happy that the money came in good time. In addition to that, I bought three goats at KES 9000. These will now serve as the living assets that I can rely on at any time. Also, I bought a new bicycle at KES 12000 which has now been of help especially in transporting water from the dams since they are 12KM away from the village we lived In. In addition, I bought fifteen pieces of iron sheets at KES 15000 which was for the completion of my house. With the remaining amount of money, I am using it to buy foodstuffs for the family."

"We spent the second transfer on building another house. We used to live in only one grass-thatched house. We had always wished to build another that is roofed with iron sheets but we did not have the money. My husband usually does casual jobs of fencing other people's farms while for me I usually practice small-scale farming. The little money that we get usually goes to the purchase of food for our family of four. Maize does not usually do well in our area because it usually gets affected by some disease and the area is usually dry most of the time. We are grateful to GiveDirectly because we now have another house that is roofed with iron sheets just like that of our neighbors. We also can collect clean rainwater for our household use."

"I spent part of the second transfer money on building another house for my family. I spent KES 17000 on doing so. I had bought iron sheets with the first transfer. I decided to construct another house because we use to live in only one house that was small and grass-thatched. There was not enough space for us three and there was nowhere to welcome the guests who come to visit. I also decided to do so because I wanted a house that is roofed with iron sheets so that I could clean rainwater for our household use. We usually go to fetch water from the river which is not that clean. Apart from the house, I also bought a piece of land at KES 40000. I bought a point of an acre. I decided to buy more land because the one that we live in is small and there is nowhere for us to cultivate. I plan to plant maize on the land for our consumption. This will hence result in reduced costs on the purchase of food and I can save money that I make from my business of selling sour milk. I also bought a few chickens with the remaining amount of money and they have been of great help to me since I am to sell the eggs and get money for buying some household necessities such as sugar, salt, soap, etc. I was able to achieve all these because I still had some money that I had saved from the first transfer. I am happy and so much grateful to GiveDirectly because my life changed for the better. I didn't have anything before but now I feel that I am somewhere."

"We spent the second transfer on buying a water tank and gutters for collecting the rainwater. We bought the tank at KES 20000 and the gutters cost us approximately KES 15000. We also used KES 4000 to pay for two monthly check-ups for our child who usually goes for them and her transport cost. With the remaining amount, we used in buying food. We decided to buy the tank and the gutters so that we can collect clean rainwater for our household use. We usually go to the river to fetch water but the water from the river is not clean, one can get sick by consuming it. We were not able to buy the water tank before because we didn't have the money. We usually depend on the sale of eggs and milk from our cow and chickens to get money for buying food and other household items. I am also casually employed to baby sit a child and the money that I get paid I usually save some of it in the self-help groups through the merry-go-round contributions. The lump sum amount that I receive from the merry-go-round contributions is what we usually use in paying school fees for our child who is in his final year of secondary school. We are hence grateful to GiveDirectly because we were able to collect rainwater and hence we now have clean water for our use."

"This has been a very major and positive step towards enriching people's lives as they have been able to build much better houses, buy water tanks for storage ensuring they lack no water and in general improve livelihoods."

"I had just arrived in my house from fetching water from a nearby water pan. My phone rang out loudly. I checked it out and found out that I had received my first transfer. It thrilled me that finally I had received the money. I was getting worried that I would miss my next meals because I lacked money to buy food. I quickly headed straight to the Mpesa shop, withdrew the money and bought some food for myself"

"I was on my way to go fetch water for my use at home. My phone rang loudly. I checked it and found out that I had received my transfer. I started ululating and shouting loudly. This attracted the attention of people walking alongside me. They all became eager to know why I was this happy and I explained to them I had received my transfer from GiveDirectly. They congratulated me as I headed to the water point. When I later arrived at home, I shared the good news with my husband and we sat down on how best to use the money."

"I was resting inside my house as I had walked for about 50 kilometers to fetch water for my use in the house. My daughter came into the house rejoicing that she had received her transfer. I immediately became anxious and checked my phone to confirm if I too had received my transfer. To my utter surprise, I found out that I had received the money too, and we both rejoiced and danced. Together with her, we headed to the Mpesa shop, where we withdrew the money. Later, we came home and planned on how to spend the money."

"When I separated from my husband, the sole responsibility of taking of my four children rested upon me. Manual jobs are what I do to look after my children. I fetch water for other people and get paid. I also work in quick contact jobs such as helping in hotels. The little I earn is just enough to feed my children and I have nothing left to save or engage in other activities, such as starting a business. I have severally been unable to pay school fees for my children and they were sent home. Them being sent home has distracted them and has even started performing poorly. When I received my transfer spent half of the transfer to clear off part of the school debt so that they won't be sent home and stay in school and continue with their education. Because of the little money I earn used the other half of KSH 600 to buy 5 packets of maize flour. I bought the food in bulk so that we do not have to sleep hungry."