"I used KES 25000 to complete the construction of my house and used another KES 4000 to buy a goat. The remaining amount was used to pay school fees for my two children who are in secondary school. Before GiveDirectly came into our village we had one family house for all of us. The house was too small and my children would not get the much needed space and privacy to pursue their studies uninterrupted. This left me thinking of how I would be able to raise enough money and be in a position to construct a new house. I am particularly very grateful since GiveDirectly provided me with the neccesary support to do this. Right now, we have a new house and we can be sure to have our children study uninterrupted and hopefully post good results. The room has also been very useful in making sure that we have enough space for them to sleep and enjoy their privacy like they have so deaired. I am a father of four and I do building and construction within my locality to earn a living. I also decided to make an investment in livestock since it is one of the main economic activity that we rely on in our area and which which offer me an alternative source of income to support my children in school. My family was very lucky and grateful to have been part of this life changing program."

"I used KES 35000 to buy a second hand motorcycle for my husband. The motorcycle was much needed by him for his mobility at work since he does masonry. A lot of opportunities had slipped through him because he did not have a means of transport but at least he has the ability to move around quite easily and make a living for us through this job. I used another KES 10000 to buy two goats that I now keep in our compound. The decision to buy these goats was to make sure that we have an alternative source of income too just in case we are faced with an emergency or something of the sort. They also easily multiply making it a very good savings plan. The punt that was left of this money was used to buy food and other basic household needs for our family. We are so much indebted to GiveDirectly for the support that we received."

"I am a teacher by profession and a graduate still waiting for government placement. I am married and blessed with three children. When I received money from GiveDirectly I thought of starting a goat-rearing project where I used KES 15,000. This is because they are easy to manage in a semi-arid area. Additionally, I paid school fees for my children where I spent KES 17,000 respectively. I am so happy for the support that amazingly lifted our living standards."

"I spent the transfer to boost my goat rearing by purchasing 5 more for KES 17,000. This is our reliable source of living and a future investment for the family. Also, I used KES 5000 to clear the fee arrears for my 3 children who are still in primary school as well as bought new school uniforms. They were wearing old and torn clothes something that was embarrassing and made the uncomfortable in school. The remaining amount assisted me to expand our shelter since it was small to fully accommodate our family of 5 members. It was even worse whenever I received visitors because I was forced to seek shelter from neighbours' houses which lowered our respect in the community."

"Upon getting phase two of the transfer, I immediately paid KES 18000.00 school fees for my six children. One is in secondary school while the five are in primary school. I did this as my first agenda because I want to see my children comfortable in school, learning without disturbances. Thereafter, I bought one and three mattresses for KES 5000.00 and KES 13500.00. The bed and one mattress were mines while the two mattresses were for my children. They had beds but the mattresses were bad-looking since they were overused. I also bought two goats for KES 8000.00 to have a remembrance of GiveDirectly. As it was a drought season, I opted to keep the remaining amount for food."

"Since my house was leaking as well as congested because it was small, I did some renovations. I bought poles and roofing timbers for KES 4200.00, and six iron sheets for KES 5700.00. The contractor took KES 11000.00 as his labor charge. Having settled the housing issue which was not giving me peace of mind, I paid KES 3800.00 for my three children who were sent home for fees. I also bought a cow for KES 12500.00 and two goats for KES 8000.00. This livestock is an investment that will at any time stand in to cater for my children's school fees if the need arises. Thereafter, since I used to sleep on a traditional bed which was not comfortable, I opted to buy a nice modern bed and a mattress for KES 11000.00. Currently, I sleep well in a nice and comfortable place unlike before. For the remaining amount, I bought food for my family."

"I spent KES 24000 on buying livestock more than six goats. I have been thinking of owning them for years but I couldn't afford any at my cost because they were costly. I however settled for them because they require minimum supervision and they reproduce twice a year. I am therefore certain that I will have many of them within a short period which will empower me to accomplish my dreams such as sending all my children to higher learning institutions. Also, I paid fees of KES 12000 for my daughter who is in her second year in high school. I am glad that she won't be sent home due to the arrears like before. This has been demotivating her hence affecting her performance in particular. Finally, I bought food for my five family members and settled all the pending bills."

"I spent KES 3000 of my second transfer on clearing fees arrears for my two children in primary schools. They have been staying at home for almost three weeks because of the pending fees. On top of that, I bought new uniforms and stationeries so that they can have a smooth learning environment like their colleagues. I also bought three goats at KES 9000. These are now the only precious assets that I can depend on in case of any financial hiccups. Also, they will be of help once my children transition to secondary schools I will be in a position to sell some and take them to school. Additionally, I had to start a business (selling vegetables) within my village. I now have a reliable source of income that I can talk about unlike before whereby I used to depend on my spouse for all my needs. With the remaining amount, I bought sufficient foodstuff for my family."

"When I received the second transfer, I combined it with KES 20000.00 which I had kept from the first transfer. Upon withdrawing, I first completed my house which I had started using the first transfer. The roofing was lacking 10 pieces of iron sheets which I bought for KES 8000.00. I also paid the contractor a labor charge of KES 7000.00. Thereafter, I bought three Galla goats for KES 24000.00 and a cow for KES 12000.00. I had desired to have high-breed livestock because they have a higher value when the right selling time comes therefore I bought them intending to sell to generate money. I also took KES 3000.00 and paid school fee arrears for my five primary school children. Since I was using a small traditional bed, I opted to buy a modern standard bed with a mattress for KES 11000.00. I did this to have a comfortable sleeping place because where I used to sleep was not comfortable at all. One could wake up very tired."

"I am grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling me to pay school fees for my children who were out of school. Through the transfers, I was able to invest and now I am raring some goats which is a security for my children's education. The organization did well and as a village, we are happy about it."