"I spent a sizable portion of my money on a goat. I used to rely on farming to make a living, but this is no longer the case. We haven't been able to work on our fields for more than three years due to the drought. My sons presently provide for all of my basic necessities by working as casual workers building houses. I don't work anymore because of my advanced age, so I lay in the compound all day. The purchase of the goat is a prudent and long-term investment. The goat will multiply in a few months, which will mark the beginning of wealth production. I will be solid financially and able to meet my demands after I have amassed a sufficient amount of wealth. My sons will no longer have to struggle to support me and their families while also caring for me."

"A day after you receiving the transfers I noticed that my grandchild had been sent back home from school due to failure in paying for tuition fee. Now since at the time I had received the money I decided to use KES 1,000 from the transfers to settle a part of the tuition debt. After that I was left with a balance of KES 2,000 and I ended up using KES 1,000 on purchasing five packets of maize flour because nutrition was a challenge. As for what remained I decided to leave it in my savings account because I planned on purchasing a goat eventually."

"I have always wanted to invest more in buying a couple of farm animals so that it could help me in the future in relation to finances. That is why after receiving the transfers I went ahead and spent KES 2,000 on buying a goat. I was left with about KES 1,000 and with this I decided to spend on nourishment by purchasing five packets of maize flour because at the time there was barely any food in the house."

"I spent part of my second transfer on buying iron sheets, building poles, nails, wooden doors and timber which cost almost KES 30000. This was for the construction of a new house because the previous one was in critical condition and very small in size. With my family of six, it could hardly accommodate us all. Therefore, this forced three of my three children to shelter at my brother's house which was not spacious enough as well. I am now a happy parent because this problem has permanently been solved courtesy of GiveDirectly. To add to that, I bought five goats at a total of KES 17500. These will now serve as the living assets that I will be keeping on my homestead for any financial emergency that might arise. Later on, I bought a new bed and a mattress at KES 11500. For years, I have been sleeping on mats with lots of discomfort and pain. I have been wanting to upgrade my bedding but I could not afford any at my cost. I now feel relieved from the pains and all the challenges I have been through. With the remaining amount, I bought food for my family."

"I spent KES 25,000 on purchasing a heifer. This has been my main focus because of the high cost of buying milk daily. I spent KES 3,500 per month only on milk. I will cut this cost in the future when it reproduces. I spent KES 1,000 on purchasing poles, and wire and fenced my compound. This is to prevent cows from destroying my crops and it is secure as well. I added KES 10,000 to my business. I buy goats from the farmers at a lower cost and sell them at the market at a higher price to earn some profits. I am so happy because this has expanded my business. The remaining amount of money I spent on food and household items. I am so grateful because GiveDirectly has improved our living standards."

"According to me, I do not see any sector that GiveDirectly failed us in the whole village. This is evident in the positive impacts that the transfers have brought into our lives. The majority of us now have good permanent houses, our children are now studying without any difficulties also, each household has at least one cow or goat."

"My goal now is to expand my small business of selling goats. I always buy goats from the farmers in the village and sell them at the market at a higher price to get some profits. I used the money on school fees for my children and to meet the daily household needs. I will save some money to expand this shortly."

"I used almost KES 20000 to buy goats for keeping and as a savings plan towards construction of rental houses which was a major project that we had. I also used KES 3000 to buy food for my family and another KES 7000 to buy clothes for my family. The amount that remained from the second transfer was used to buy other building materials. The goats that I bought was a savings investment towards the construction of the rental houses. I am happy that I finally sold the goats and the houses that we were building are almost complete. I am so happy to have been a beneficiary of this great program since my life has been transferred a great deal. I normally rely on small business of selling firewood while my husband too relies on poultry business to enable us make ends meet. Our four children have a hope of pursuing their education successfully without any hindrance whatsoever. This is definitely something to make us happy as a family since it has always been my dream to give the best in terms of education to my children."

"Due to my advanced age, I cannot take on strenuous activities to provide for the family. Therefore, I rely on my son, who works as a water hawker in Mombasa, to fund my basic needs, particularly food. I have always wished to relieve the responsibility burden he bares by occasionally supporting the family as well. The best way through which this seems possible to me is through livestock rearing. By the time I received the cash transfer, I owned a goat that I previously bought using money given by Give Directly. I decided to obtain another goat worth KES 2,000 with the recent funds to increase the herd. Since hunger is terrifically prevalent in my household, given the prolonged drought and poverty, going without food is no news. My family had starved for an entire day when I received the cash transfer. That is why I used the remaining transfer on food that lasted us at least a week. ."

"Constructing a decent house was the dream that I had. This is because the house that I own earlier was old, grass-thatched and it was leaking because the grasses had decomposed. I bought 20 iron sheets for KES 17,600 for the construction of the new house. I also invested KES 31,000 on livestock rearing by purchasing one cow and 4 goats a long-term investment for the family. I will be able to sell them when they multiply to cater for any emergency. Lastly, I used the remaining amount to boost the shop business that we had started as a partnership with my 3rd born child. Through this business, we can now meet our needs without struggling unlike before something I am grateful for."