"Well I did manage to get the transfers but I decided to save the money and let it accumulate because I have plans to grow my business of selling chicken. I came to this decision because before Covid-19 happened I had almost two hundred chicken that I normally sold for three hundred and fifty kenyan shillings in my barn but with the pandemic so many things were shut down and the so many families were affected including mine because people stopped buying from me. In turn a lot of the poultry passed on since at the time I also could not afford the chicken feed and I was left with fifty chicken instead. So that is how I came to the decision that I would save the money and buy twenty chicks which would cost me almost one thousand six hundred shillings and ensure my business can be sustainable again."

"The biggest challenge we are currently facing is financial stability and security within the village. In March this year, some gangsters attacked my poultry farm and my shop stealing the stock of household items worth KES 30000 and 25 hens. Poultry keeping has been the main source of income to us because we would sell clutch of eggs and earn an approximate amount of KES 5000 month. The enterprise was also a source of food for my family because we could consume eggs and chicken. But because of this theft and robbery, my family has been struggling a lot to meet the basic needs of the family such as food, clothing, and school fees. The fear of establishing a business and leaving my compound for other chores has gripped my life."

"I used the money to buy 2 chicken and 1 duck. I have a plan to rear these poultry and eventually i will have many of them sell and get more money from them. The i saved some amount and used a little some of money to attend to my dad."

"I used some of the cash to pay school fees for the children, i also bought Makutis to renovate my falling house and also bought a chicken to celebrate the good news of receiving cash from Give Directly. The rest of the money was used to buy food fro the family."

"When I received my first transfer, I spent KES 18000 to buy a dairy cow worth and KES 1000 to buy 3 chickens as a way of investing this money. I am glad that my family will have enough milk for consumption and sale once it calves and I will also be able to save the money I would otherwise use in buying milk. In addition, I spent KES 13000 to buy some iron sheets that I am planning to use in building a house for my family once I receive my second transfer since the house I am currently living in is small. From the remaining amount, I spent KES 2300 to purchase a three-seater seat and KES 3500 to buy a bed since we did not have them. Also, I spent KES 4000 on clothes for my family, KES 7000 on food, and KES KES 5000 on medication for my spouse who was involved in an accident and sustained minor injuries."

"My husband passed on when my children were still young and I was left with the responsibility of bringing them up alone. As a subsistence farmer, financial constraints have been a major challenge to me. It had always been my wish to build a spacious house that can accommodate us comfortably but had not been able to achieve this as I had decided to deal with paying school fees for my children first as they're always my priority. With the transfer, I was able to pay school fees for my children and build a more spacious house. I am happy that very soon, I will not be sleeping in the same room with my chicken as we have been doing since I am almost through with the construction work. This has made my life different as I am happier than before and I thank God for making this possible through GiveDirectly."

"I was at home overseeing some of my projects and showing my spouse where I would like to construct a chicken coop as a way of starting poultry farming when I get money. It was at this time that I heard my phone ring and my heart was filled with joy when I read the Mpesa message that I had just received. I informed her and she was equally happy and informed me that we would finally achieve our goals using this money. We celebrated the good news as a family by making a delicious meal for dinner."

"It was 6 am in the morning I was cleaning the compound and I had my phone vibrating. So I decided to finish up cleaning up the compound first. When I had finished I went straight to where my phone was and looked at it. I found out that I had received money from Give Directly. I can’t even explain the joy had within me. I was very happy. I immediately decided to slaughter a chicken to celebrate the occasion. Mind you it’s not a common thing for us to eat chicken unless it’s a special occasion or someone very special is visiting. I then informed my father’s brother who was at that time around and I could see how pleased he was."

"The happiest part in my life the past 6 months is when I sold chickens and got money that I used to buy clothes and backets that am using to store water. I was happy because I sold the chicken at high price I got about MK 10000 after selling 4 chickens."

"Receiving this money means achieving my lifelong dream of being a poultry farmer. Over the past 3 years, I had started preparing the fence but I stopped due to a lack of capital. Maintaining a poultry farm is expensive, it needs constant attention but is very fruitful. Starting one will be a big boost to my livelihood and income as they will be earning me a lot of income through selling eggs and chicken meat. I plan to use KES 10,000 to construct the poultry house. This will therefore translate to better livelihood as I will be using the income to meet my family's needs. The rest of the amount I plan to pay off my school fee balance from a driving school I attended a year ago. I trained as a truck driver but I have not been given licenses due to fee balance."