"My new goal is to start livestock rearing especially goats so that I may have a reliable source of livelihood for my family. Currently, we are depending on charcoal vending an activity that is low-paying, very tiresome, and has a lot of restrictions due to its environmental effects. This has brought so many challenges especially in providing for the family. I had wished to start goat rearing but I lacked the financial capacity. In addition, I am the only breadwinner for the family because my husband is old and can't work anymore."

"The biggest difference that I will talk about is the fact that I now have a good number of goats on my homestead. I opted for the goats because they mature very fast and their pastures are readily available in my region. Currently, two goats have started reproducing and I am now hopeful that I will have many of them within a short period. Once they increase in number, I will sell one or two and send my six children to school. The issue of paying fees on time was the major challenge that I have been experiencing. I have been depending on casual jobs to raise my kids which has never been easy. Having the goats is an assurance that I will never strain when meeting my family's basic needs like before."

"About three years ago, the 15 acres that my late husband left after succumbing to kidney failure were subdivided by my co-wife and her kids. Out of the fifteen, I was only given three and a half acres of land. I saw this as outrageous because I have nine kids depending on me. However, I decided to hold my peace because after all, my father had married me off at a tender age. To a very old and wealthy old man even a few years older than him with over 60 years gap between us. Luckily, recently when GiveDirectly transfers came I saw this as an answer to my prayers. I, therefore, used KES 30,000 on the purchase of an eight-piece of land. This will guarantee the availability of enough grazing land for my livestock. Similarly, I spent KES 12,000 on clearance of school fees arrears for my daughter who just cleared high school. In addition, KES 5,000 was also used on the clearance of fees for my kids in lower primary. Consequently, I spent KES 6,800 on a chain-link fence to secure my grazing land because it was unsecured. Further, I spent KES 3,300 on a bag of maize of which the remaining half will sustain us for the next two weeks. Moreover, I utilized KES 8,000 on the purchase of the latest clothing fashion which can be worn to church and special events. The remainder of KES 5,000 I have saved towards buying a goat. This is because they multiply fast, are economical, and can later be sold for school fees."

"When I received the second transfer, I developed another goal before utilizing it for what I planned. My plan is to add more goats to the ones I bought using the first transfer. Buying goats will be a long-term investment for me and since they have ready markets, I will be able to sell them if need arises."

"My husband and I have always wished to own some rental houses in the nearby market but that seemed like a nightmare because the little income that he earns from his charcoal business wouldn't afford to cater for family responsibilities and buy a piece of land. On a good days, he would make KES 2000 per week but he would go without selling even a sack for some weeks and the prolonged drought has made it even worse. It became a struggle to pay school fees for our six children and most are the days when they would be send home for school fees which has led to drop in their performance. Previously, we used to sell livestock to pay their school fees but all our livestock were swept away by the severe drought. I spend KES 15000 to buy a small piece of land in the nearby market which I'm looking forward to build some rentals with my second transfer, KES 22000 to buy four goats and saved the balance towards my children's school fees. I happy that finally, they will be fully back in school and able to concentrate on their studies."

"After utilizing the second transfer, I was thinking of starting a business once I get some money but I scraped off this idea after all my goats which I bought using the second transfer died of drought. As of now, I aim to buy goats once I get some money to replace the ones which died."

"I live with my husband, and 6 grandchildren who are under my care after their mother passed away. My husband is of age and cannot work. I work as a casual laborer working on other people’s farms to earn a living and support my family. For over a year now we have experienced a scarcity of jobs, especially those from the farms. Being jobless wreaked havoc on providing essential needs for my family, such as food. I currently depend on my eldest son, who is the father of my grandchildren, to send us money for upkeep. He works in construction jobs as a casual laborer. Because of his little earnings, he is not always in a position to help us and we have to sleep on empty stomachs (a minimum of 3 days a week). I opted to invest the money I got from my transfer in buying a goat. The goat is a smart investment for me because in the future my young grandchildren will reap the benefits accrued from the rearing and multiplication of the goats."

"I spent much of my transfer of KES 2000 on buying a goat. Buying the goat means an investment for the future. Once it multiplies over a period, I will have doubled the amount I invested. I will have the liberty in the future to sell some and use the money to attend to the most pressing needs. Besides buying the goat, I spent the remaining amount of KES 1000 on buying food. I am jobless and depend fully on my husband, who is the breadwinner of the entire family (husband and 6 children). He is a fisherman and was forced to forgo his job and seek greener pastures elsewhere. The river where he goes fishing dried up because of the hot and dry weather existing in our area. This made him jobless for over two weeks before he got another job raising livestock. The pay he gets from his new job is very little (2500 per month) which is not enough to satisfy all the family needs (paying school fees and buying food). We survived on debts from our friends and relatives during the period he was job-hunting. The transfer has helped my family avert a hunger crisis that we have been fighting for long (over two weeks)."

"I am a farmer who practices both crop and animal farming. The past year has been unfavorable in planting crops because of the effects of drought. As a result, I lost my only source of income and embarked on raising the little livestock left after losing many of them to the effects of the drought. I have one dairy cow left which produces three litters of milk per day. The money I get after selling the milk is only enough to buy food for a day for both my son and I. After buying food I have no money left to cater to other needs such as paying school fees for my son, buying clothes, and buying animal feeds. I spent KES 1700 to buy a goat. Buying the goat means investing for the future once it multiplies. Another reason for buying the goat is because they can survive through the harsh weather we are currently in. Besides buying the goat, I bought a Jembe worth KES 700 to till my land to prepare for the planting season. The weather has recently changed. The sky is full of dark nimbus clouds, a sign that soon we will receive rain. This excites me and I am excited and looking forward to going back to the farm and working again."

"It was around 7 in the evening when I was about to prepare our dinner when my phone started ringing. I couldn't read on my own I decided to ask my neighbor to confirm for me since all my children had gone to school. After checking she realized that I had received my first transfer from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy and blessed for the fortune because I knew I would buy goats and build a new house for my sons."