"I was in the field raising my three goats when I received a message notification on my phone. After quickly checking it out, I found out that I had received my first transfer. I was surprised and happy at the same time. I looked up at the sky and thanked the Lord for the miracle he had done for me."

"Upon receiving the transfers I went ahead and paid tuition fee for my eldest daughter who was in school. I paid KES 500 because that was the only debt I was left remaining with at her school and I preferred clearing the debt early enough before it accumulated. Afterwards I used KES 2,000 from a part of the transfers I was left remaining with and went on to purchase a goat because I wanted to grow my farm and I already owned one si with this new purchase I could allow then to breed and eventually have more goats and in case of financial emergencies I could always put them up for sale and help provide for my family. I was left with KES 500 after that which I ended up using it two purchase two packets of maize flour since we were running out of food in my home."

"Since the transfers were just recently sent out, I got the chance to withdraw the money but I still have not used the transfers. I plan on using the transfers to purchase a goat because I have plans to ensure that I keep purchasing farm animals because back here in the village they're are always on demand and this will help me in the finances since I could always sale the animals because I eventually intend to build a better home for myself since my house is quite small and barely spacious. The goat will cost me about KES 3,000 which is the amount I received from GiveDirectly."

"If you came to my place today you will really get to understand how helpful the money was to me. I used part of it say KES 15000 to buy goats for rearing and used KES 30000 to improve my house. For a long time we were living in a small mud house and with my age advancing, I found it difficult to maintain the house properly. As for the goats , this was an investment that I thought will give me easy cash in times of need. I had had to sell all the livestock that I owned initially to be able to take my children to school. Being a single mother is entirely relied on odd casual jobs like selling water and firewood to get money for basic household commodities. With this kind of business I would earn as low as KES 50 per day hardly enough to buy anything with the biting economic times. I used the remaining amount of money to buy food, clothes and other basic household needs."

""The house I am living in currently is very old and the thatch roof is leaking badly, so when I receive the transfer from GiveDirectly, portion of it will be use to reconditioned my house and also buy zinc instead of thatched; the remaining money will be use to buy animal like goat to raise in the town"."

"It was exactly 5.24 pm while feeding my goats when I heard a message alert on my phone. On checking, it was the eagerly awaited KES 55,000 from GiveDirectly. I was very happy and withdrew the money the following day."

"My husband is a palm wine tapper, and most of the time he has provided just enough for our basic needs like food because my children are still young and not yet enrolled in school. Most times, the money provided is enough for the day and it all depends on the customers and the season. The inconsistency of the flow of income has limited me to have some things I have longed for, like furnishing the house and having livestock of my own. Upon receiving the cash, I used KES 12,100 and bought a bed, mattress, and small suitcase for my children’s clothes. With the current water shortage, I also bought a tank for KES 3500. The previous night, we discussed our finances, and he advised me to buy food that would last us a few months because business was on the low. I used KES 11,000 to buy a 50kg bag of maize and rice. I bought two goats for KES 7000 in case we needed to sell them for financial support in the future. With all said and done, as a woman, I lived up to my dream to buy the kitchen utensils I have always wanted and bought my family new clothes with KES 9000. I have saved the rest of the money to be used in our daily expenditures, like buying vegetables and water for household consumption."

"I used KES 30000 to pay school fees for my children who are in various secondary schools. I had arears not paid amounting to KES 7000 and I was able to pay ahead for another two years or so for the two children. I made the decision to pay ahead since I have another one joining secondary school soon and it will require that we pay for him as well. This will therefore ease the burden for us considering that I entirely depend on casual work at a nearby town to earn a living. I used another KES 20000 to buy a heifer and a goat for keeping at home. These two are an investment for the future that will cushion me in paying school fees and meeting other immediate needs for my family as well. The remaining amount was used to buy the basic household needs such as food and soap for my family as at that time. My family is all grateful for the support thus received from GiveDirectly and for the change it has brought in our lives."

"The biggest difference in my daily life is that I was able to replace the beddings of my family with the new ones. We had worn out beddings but we had no choice but to put up with them due to financial constraints, the little that I made from my Boda Boda business was prioritised on food and school fees. I am happy that I can comfortably host visitors. Additionally, I started a goat rearing business and I am optimistic that I would be able to earn an income from it soon. I am forever grateful for the support."

"We spent most of our recent transfer on paying school fees for our three children. We paid KES 15000 for one of them who wanted to undertake a driving lesson course. We then spent KES 14000 on paying school fees for two who are in secondary school and we managed to clear the whole academic term's school fees. For this, we are happy and grateful to GiveDirectly because there was nowhere we were going to get such an amount of money to pay their school fees. I am casually employed as a cook at the nearby primary school and my husband is also casually employed as a herdsman in a certain household. The money that we make is not much, most of it usually goes to the purchase of food and paying school fees little by little. As a result, we had thought of selling a calf as the only resort to raising the needed money for school fees. Other than that, we also spent KES 5000 on buying a goat. Our son who is in primary school had constructed a goats' shed and hence we decided to reward his efforts by buying him one. With the remaining transfer amount, we spent on buying some clothes, maize for our consumption, and essential household items such as sugar, soap, etc."