"It was around 5 in the morning when I was from the bush grazing the goats when I realized that I had received my first cash transfer. This was the most joyous moment in my life since I had never received such a huge amount of money which is nonrefundable. Also, I was so certain that I would achieve a lot through the transfers. I had to share the news with my other family members and they could not keep holding onto their joy either."

"Before the coming of GiveDirectly, I did not have a single piece of furniture in my house. I was not at peace having visitors around since I had to borrow chairs from neighbours. When I received the transfer, I purchased four chairs and a table for my household. I have also been unable to replace my old and worn-out beddings for many years and my priority was to change them. I thus spent Ksh. 18000 on buying two beds and two mattresses, for me and my children. I am now sleeping on comfortable beddings unlike before. My children were also having fee arrears and they were frequently sent home because I could not pay on time. I thus took Ksh. 7500 and cleared the fees and they are now in school courtesy of the transfer. I am happy because they are now going on with their studies without any interruptions on fees. I also purchased a goat which I am currently keeping on my homestead. I expect that it will reproduce and increase in number. It’s an asset that I can rely on in case I am faced with a dire financial need."

"The first thing I did after withdrawing the money was to buy 10 pieces of iron sheets for KES 9800.00. I already had a few pieces which needed some addition to enable me to add a second room to my small house which was not enough to accommodate my family of nine people; seven children and us the parents. I also bought some timbers for the roofing for KES 5550.00 and the contractor cost was KES 3000.00. Thereafter, I bought a mattress for KES 4600.00 and a bed for KES 7000.00 for my children because they had no proper bedding and they used to sleep on the floor. In addition to that, I bought two goats for KES 5500.00, paid KES 2500.00 for school fees for my four school-going children, and bought a solar panel on hire purchase by paying a deposit of KES 1600.00 for lighting purposes because the paraffin bills are expensive."

"Upon withdrawing the money, the first thing I thought of was to invest in livestock. Based on that, I bought five goats for KES 13150.00. I also bought two beds and two mattresses for KES 22000.00. The reason for buying these items was that for a long time my seven children and I have been sleeping on mats. Thereafter, I paid KES 5500.00 for school fees for my six primary school children; and used the remaining amount in buying some food for the family."

"All I had before Give Directly arrived in my village was a strong desire to start raising livestock. Due to my physical condition, I was unable to raise funds to purchase the animals. However, the transfer made this dream a reality by allowing me to obtain my first hen. Thanks to the transfers, I hope to expand the practice to goats and cows in the future."

"I have been planning to start a small business with my husband which could serve as a source of income for us. However, we could not gather enough capital to facilitate this. He was previously working in a car wash until it was relocated due to an ongoing road expansion. This rendered him jobless and he was the breadwinner of the family. When I received the transfer, I took Ksh. 35000 and rented a premise where I can open a shop. I am also a trained tailor and I am planning to put my skills to practice by purchasing textile materials. I believe through this shop, I will be able to generate a good income that can take care of our basic needs. In addition to this, I also spent Ksh. 10000 to purchase a new bed and mattress and replaced the old beddings that I have been using for years. Lastly, I spent the remaining amount on buying four goats which I am currently keeping on my homestead. These are assets which I can rely on to settle my financial needs."

"I used KES 27000 to pay for a piece of land and used another KES 23000 to buy two goats and food for family and clothes for my children. I now feel so much happy to have been part of the beneficiaries and for being able to buy a piece of land of my own."

"I spent KES 28,000 on purchasing a shaft cutter machine. This was our priority since we have dairy keeping project. This has eased our daily work of cutting the Napier grass. I am in a position to save much time on feeding and get a good return. I spent the remaining amount of money on purchasing a chain link wire. I have fenced my farm and this has Prevent the goats and chickens from destroying my crops. I will get a good harvest this season since my crops are not destroyed."

"I spent KES 30,000 on paying the debt. I had always wished to pay this but I did not have the money. I bought a piece of land with my saving and I had not cleared the balance. This was the best investment since we lived in a small piece of land. Currently I have a peace of mind since I have paid all the debt and I have owned the land fully. I spent KES 8,000 on purchasing two goats. This is an investment since goats reproduce twice per year and I can sell them to pay school fees for my children. I spent KES 1,400 on paying school fees for my children in primary school. The remaining amount of money I spent on food and clothes."

"I spent a fraction of my first cash transfer on buying a bed at KES 6700 and two mattresses at a total of KES 7400. These were to replace the old rags that we have been using as beddings for all those years. I could always wake up with lots of fatigue and pains every morning. To add to that I bought two goats that I am currently keeping on my homestead. I settled for them because they reproduce and mature very first which is an assurance that they will increase in number within a short period. Also, I had to purchase a motorbike and I am so thankful that through it I now earn an income. With the remaining amount, I bought foodstuff and cleared fees for my three children."