"I am grateful that I have finally achieved my long-term goal of building a house with an iron roof. For many years, I lived in a grass-thatched hut. At my age, I can no longer work and support myself. Instead, I rely on transfers and some support from my son, who has his own family to take care of. In order to reduce my financial burden, I have decided to invest in livestock, specifically goats. Goats are easy to take care of and breed quickly. I currently own eight goats and plan to buy more in the future. This will allow me to sell them and generate cash whenever I need it."

"I am pleased that I have finally achieved my long-term goal of building an iron-roofed house. For years, I had been living in a grass-thatched hut. At my age, I am no longer able to engage in jobs that can help me take care of my needs. Therefore, I mainly rely solely on the transfers for my upkeep and some support from my son, who does casual jobs in town and has his own family to support. To reduce the financial burden, I have decided to invest in livestock, particularly goats. Goats are easy to take care of and breed and their multiplication rate is high. I currently own eight goats, and I plan to purchase more in the coming years. This will enable me to sell them and generate some cash whenever I need it."

"My goal has been to improve my living standard by building a new iron-roofed house and buying new bedding to ensure that I have a comfortable and healthy shelter in my old age. I have already built the house and recently bought a new wooden bed to replace the old traditional one. My plan is to save a portion of my transfers to purchase a new mattress and replace the old mats that I am currently sleeping on. Once I acquire the new mattress, I plan to also buy livestock, especially goats, which are valuable assets that I can sell to settle my financial needs. I currently own one goat, and my goal is to buy more in the coming years and build a herd."

"Last month, as the heavy rains began, an unfortunate event unfolded when strong winds tore off the roof of our house. Given my mother's deteriorating health, she was unable to address the situation. Consequently, I found myself sleeping outdoors under the shelter of a tree, enduring the cold and chilly weather during the night.  Thankfully, my mother intends to utilize our upcoming transfers to repair the roof of our house, providing us with a more comfortable living space. The financial assistance we receive has significantly improved both our lives, and we are grateful for its positive impact."

"The beginning of this year brought profound sorrow into my life as I tragically lost both my daughter and son to short illnesses. Being advanced in age, I found myself unable to offer the support they needed during their illnesses. Using $34 from my January transfers, I contributed towards giving them a dignified farewell. Although their passing has left an immense void in my heart, I take solace in the fact that I was able to provide them with a proper send-off with the assistance of the transfers. Just two weeks after laying my children to rest, my household faced another devastating challenge. Heavy rains, accompanied by fierce winds, tore off the roof of my house and caused the collapse of its weak mud walls. Fortunately, I was not inside the house at the time of the incident, sparing me potential harm. To restore my home, I expended $68 on repairing the roof and walls, purchasing new building materials such as poles and timber, and compensating the mason for their labor. I am relieved that my dwelling is now in a sturdy and habitable condition. I am deeply grateful for the financial support provided by Give Directly. This assistance has alleviated the heavy burden on my son, who works as a casual laborer, as I am no longer reliant on him to meet my needs. Despite my inability to work due to old age, I can now sustain myself independently, thanks to the transfers."

"I have a family of 11 members and all live in a two room house without bedding. We sleep on the floor and some of the children seek shelter from neighbors. This is very risky for a girl child to walk at night alone looking for the shelter. I'm really bad about it but lack the capacity to build a spacious house for the family. My husband and I do casual jobs earning little income that caters for food and school fees for the children. I will use $600 to build a two room house with iron sheet roof to accommodate all the family members. This will restore my dignity in the community. I will also use $300 to clear all fees balances and make prepayments for the children."

"Living at home alone is something that has affected me psychologically because I always get stressed especially during night hours. Considering my age, I feel so vulnerable and anything bad can happen to me. My house is also small and it's roof is half open, a situation that make me rained on during this rainy season. What a life to worry about! I have wished to have enough money to construct a decent house but this has never been possible. All these combined has complicated my life and It's what makes my life harder."

"I have a family of three members and we live in a one room house. The house has an iron sheet roof though it leaks during the rainy season. I do subsistence farming and the husband does casual jobs at the coastal towns making little income that caters for food. I lack the capacity to build a spacious house. I will take $550 to build a three room house for the family using iron sheets . I will also use $ 350 to start a grocery business at Kilifi town. I intend to make a profit of approximately $10 per day. The business will bring a sustainable source of income to my family."

"My main objective is to renovate the roof of my house, which was built using iron sheets that have weakened over time. The roof currently leaks whenever it rains due to its dilapidated state. To address this issue, I have been purchasing new iron sheets in bits. So far, I have bought 14 pieces, and my target is to buy a total of 22 pieces. This will be enough to put up a new roof and restore my house to its former decency. This progress is made possible thanks to the monthly transfer I receive. It brings me great joy to know that soon I will no longer have to worry about the rains damaging my home. In addition to renovating my house, I plan to invest in buying more goats. I currently have seven, and my aim is to use them as a saving for my children's education in the future."

"Before the cash transfers come to an end, I wish to have repaired the roof of my house. It is made of polythene paper, which is not only inconvenient for habitation but also allows water to leak through its holes. I hope to obtain at least 10 iron sheets to replace the roof, and I am glad to have already obtained 2 pieces from the transfers. Alongside, I hope to rear livestock, particularly goats, as they are like a form of banking to me, securing my future financial needs. So far, I have bought three goats from the transfers, two of which have delivered two kids."