"I embody the positive transformation that has been witnessed with the organization's return to our town and the associated funding. Before the year was over, I managed to start a business selling groceries to assist me provide for my family. I had been saving money during the months. This year, I want to make sure that I use the funding I will continue to get to make my company more successful and sustainable. After that, I was also expecting to utilize the money to purchase a few farm animals, especially goats and chickens as they are less expensive than cows."

"I am a cattle farmer, rearing goats for livelihood. I, unfortunately, went to a loss recently following the scourging drought that struck our area. My twenty goats died, and I had to sell the remaining ones at throw-away prices to prevent further losses. This year, I plan to invest in a poultry farming business for income generation purposes. I intend to start the business with at least twenty chickens, with at least $40. I will borrow a loan from my merry-go-round group that I will top up with my GiveDirectly transfer to enable me to actualize this goal."

"Since I have seen livestock farming doing well in our area specifically for goats, I opted to borrow ideas from a neighbor who was balancing her priorities well. Instead of receiving money and concentrating on food, I opted to start an investment which by the end of this year I would like to account for it. Therefore, I plan to start goat raring. I chose goats because they are affordable in terms of the cash I receive from GiveDirectly and also they do not require much attention. Their ability to survive in a drought-prone area also encouraged me to invest in them knowing that I will not have a tough time looking after them."

"Throughout the end of the year, I plan on using these funds to help me sustain my business, where I sell clothes. The profit I make from the business will further help me care for my household and the needs that will arise. I also intend to use the money to buy more farm animals because I have so far managed to purchase two goats and three hens with the transfers. These animals could help me make money in the future whenever I am stuck financially. My two children also still happen to be in school, so I will try and use a part of the transfers to pay for their school fees as well. In addition to that, my husband is the breadwinner of the family, but ever since I started getting the transactions, I have managed to chip in whenever money is needed, which has further strengthened our relationship, and I will keep on doing so when the need arises."

"The previous transfer I received from GiveDirectly helped me provide daily food for my current family of five, as well as pay school fees for my three grandchildren. My daughter came back home with her three children after breaking up with her husband. Despite the fact that she has been doing casual labor in Mombasa town, her daily wages are insufficient to meet all of her financial obligations. I hope to set aside $14 per month from the monthly transfers I receive and buy more goats to add to the two I currently have on my farm in the coming year. When I need to start a new project in the  future, selling their offspring will come in handy."

"We are a family of eight, consisting of my spouse, my six children, and myself. Our primary source of income is the sale of charcoal, but because almost everyone in the village participates, the trees have been depleted, so people must dig logs to obtain wood for the charcoal. This is exhausting, but since my husband has been sick for quite a while now thus he is not able to do any work, I am the only one left to earn a living. Whatever I have been earning goes towards food because of the high price associated with the prolonged drought that has caused scarcity. The house we live in is not in a good shape, it could fall anytime. When I received the second transfer, I spared a part of the money to build us a better house. The cost of putting it up was $300. I also paid school fees arrears for my children that had accumulated to $100 so that they would continue with their studies. I added two goats that I bought at $100 to my livestock herd. With the remaining $30, I replenished food in the house."

"I had been through some difficult times since my husband passed on. Because of my inability to provide for my family, I could go hungry on occasion. I occasionally make charcoal, even though it is difficult to work at a low wage. However, once I started receiving GiveDirectly transfers, I noticed a significant improvement in my way of life. I am grateful to GiveDirectly. I spent my recent transfer of $3,000 on purchasing a she-goat. Because livestock assets are valuable in our community, I thought it was a wise investment. The remaining $4 helped me to buy food that took me two days to prepare."

"As a widow of advanced age, I have been unable to engage in any income-generating activity in order to make a living. Because I am unable to do subsistence farming, I decided to venture into livestock keeping in the hopes that as my flock grew, I would be able to sell some and earn some money for upkeep. As a result, after receiving my recent transfer, I spent the entire $34 on purchasing an additional goat. I am always happy to see that goat, and it gives me hope that in the future, my struggles will be less severe than they were in previous years."

"The transfers have greatly helped to overcome the challenge of food shortage in my household. I have been surviving on casual jobs like burning and selling charcoal which does not pay much. I have two children currently in school and they all look to me for their school fees. My husband is also a casual labourer and at times he also fails to secure a job. I totally rely on the transfer to pay my children's fees to allow them comfortably continue with their studies. I have also been saving Ksh. 1000 every month in or local group. I am planning to save more money that will ensure I do some investments, like buying goats which do well in our drought-stricken region. They are assets to me and once they reproduce, I can sell the offspring to sort out my financial issues."

"Towards the end of the year, I plan to have expanded my herd of goats to ten. Thanks to the cash transfers, I already have three goats that I acquired in the previous months. Owning more goats will certainly increase my wealth, which I could trade in the future to raise money for my family’s basic needs like food. More so, rearing livestock would grant me a breather from the physical strains of making charcoal as a means of earning money."