"The biggest difference in my daily life is that the financial support has empowered me to own goats that I am currently keeping in my compound. I settle for the goats trusting that very soon they will increase in number and have many of them. I plan to sell some in future so that I can take my only son to school since he is still young. I am certain the goats are the only valuable assets that would help study till he graduates. Apart from that, I will be able to settle my bills on time since for now, I am jobless."

"School fees have been the main challenge that I have had to deal with. Therefore I invested in a goat and a dairy project and I am positive that with proper management I would be able to earn a livelihood from it. My goal is for me to concentrate fully on the project. I am more focused and determined to make ends meet."

"I have always wanted to raise goats, even though I did not have money to do so. With the transfer,  I was able to purchase a goat worth KES 2000. When it grows, I will be able to sell it to generate some income in case I have an emergency. Because I had purchased some items on credit from the shop, I used KES 500 to pay off what I had purchased on credit. I am glad I am in a good relation with the shopkeeper as a result of off setting a a debt that had been running for about two weeks. The previous batch enabled me to purchase maize flour. This helped me because my business of selling cooked food had been struggling due to the increase in food prices."

"Before GiveDirectly graced my village, I used to rely on making and selling charcoals. This business was tiring but since I had no alternative, I did not bother how old I was because failure to do so meant sleeping hungry. As of now, I am very happy for receiving the transfer because it has given me relief. I am now resting from the tiring job. Again I have goats which serve me as an investment and I can use them anytime the need arises not like before when the only source was charcoal yet not reliable."

"It was around 7 am when I received a message alert on my phone. I was busy preparing breakfast before going to the grazing field to herd my goats. I was with my 3 grandchildren who were on school holiday. I handed over my phone to the helper who confirmed the receipt of my transfer. I was extremely happy for receiving the transfer that would enable me to fulfill most of my goals in life. I decided to go directly to the Mpesa shop to withdraw it since I had plans in place awaiting the aid."

"I had desired to restart my livestock rearing, an activity that I was depending on, but all my livestock died due to the drought that was encountered in our area two years ago. I used KES 30,000 to purchase a local dairy cow that will ensure enough supply of milk as well as sell the extra litres to earn a living. I also used KES 11,000 to assist my son in the payment of the dowry after my daughter-in-law had to return to her parental home after failing to pay the pending dowry. Furthermore, I bought a sack of maize for KES 4,800 so that I may have enough food for the family as well as use KES 2000 to clear the debt at the food store where I had taken foodstuffs on loan. Lastly, I spent the remaining to purchase 3 goats long term investment for myself."

"The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have four goats that I am currently keeping in my compound. It has been my wish to own them for years but I couldn't afford any at my cost because they were extremely expensive. I however opted for them because they grow and mature faster compared to the other domestic animals. I am hoping that soon they will increase in number at a higher rate and have many of them. I will be selling some and catering to the family's needs and saving the remaining cash purposely for my son's education journey. Once he transitions to secondary school I will have saved a lot and I will not have to strain. For now, my spouse and I depend on farming activities and charcoal business which is seasonal. I am glad that finally, I can see light at the end of the tunnel."

"Upon the arrival of my second transfer, my priority was a heifer whose market value at the time was KES 20,000. This will not only be a source of milk for my family but also school fees for my kids once it reproduces. Earlier on, I had only two dairy cows but with the additional heifer, there will be an increase in milk production. Secondly, because my farm has a lot of bushes, shrubs and caves I thought it is wise to buy three goats at a total cost of KES 13,000. This will make them thrive well and this will be a good source of income for my family too. Thirdly, two sofa set seaters were bought at KES 8,000. These are now key in making my family and visitors feel at home away from home. This was not true before because I had only locally made armchairs and benches. Further, I spent KES 3,000 on school fees and school uniforms for my two sons in primary school. In addition, KES 4,000 was spent on both my and my husband's clothing. Moreover, food and household items were bought at KES 7,000. These include; a bag of maize a quarter bag of rice, sugar, and other several household items. These have sustained for the past two months and will be over in a week. For all these, I am grateful to GiveDirectly. This is because as a mother of six I have been doing small-scale farming of maize and sweet potatoes just to feed my family. Additionally, my husband is a businessman and helps with school fees payments."

"I hold an opinion that in giving direct cash transfers, the beneficiaries have freedom to decide on how to spend their financial aid. As a result, all recipients have an opportunity to prioritize what they need most and this creates more impact in our lives. For instance, when I received the cash, I was able to spend it on school fees as well buying a goat and I take pride in the same. There is nothing that I have observed that GiveDirectly does not do well."

"When I withdrew the money, the priority was the shelter for my children. Being a mother of five, the house I had was very small to accommodate us bearing in mind that, some were becoming grown-ups. This ate my mind a lot since I knew there was no privacy again. Therefore, I used KES 30000.00 to purchase iron sheets, poles, and rafters plus the labor of the contractor. As of now, the house is complete. I also took KES 10000.00 and gave my helper to buy iron sheets for his house as well. Since I wanted to start keeping livestock at home, I bought three goats at KES 3000.00 each and used the remaining amount to buy food for my family."