"I have three children, two in primary school and one in secondary, so I end up paying a bit more for the one in secondary compared to the ones in primary. When I received my most recent transfer, I spent $50 to pay fees, dividing the amount among the three just to ensure that they are not sent home for fee balances. I also used $26 to buy food for family consumption because we did not have any food in the house. As a tailor, I also bought a few materials for my tailoring work, which cost me $10. With the remaining amount, I bought three chickens worth $17 for my poultry project. I decided to invest part of my transfer in my poultry farming because they multiply very fast and earn good profit. Additionally, they will help me in the future since I will sell some to get money to support my children's fees."

"Right now, I am in my third year of secondary school, and I have been saving my transfers for college once I complete my fourth year. After completing this level, I would like to join a driving school college with the hope of acquiring new skills so that in the future I secure a job as a personal driver. To achieve this, my plan is to continue saving a portion of my transfers until I complete secondary school. Once I graduate, if my parents are unable to contribute to my savings and help me enroll in college, I will start a chicken-selling business using my savings. I plan to save the profits from this venture to help fulfill my dream of attending college and eventually securing a job that will allow me to support my family. I have always wanted to be a personal driver, and I am hopeful that my dream of going to college and getting a job will come true, as I have always wanted to lift my family out of poverty and create a better future for us."

"I previously ventured into poultry farming, investing my transfers in chickens. Unfortunately, my venture was devastated by a coccidiosis outbreak, which resulted in the death of almost all my chicken, which was very devastating as I had never imagined that I would incur such a terrible loss. Currently, I have no poultry left, but I am eager to try something new. I want to start raising ducks because I believe they are more disease-resistant and less susceptible to many illnesses, which should help minimize losses. At the moment, I plan to use my transfers to buy food for my family since we currently have none. Once the rains come and we have a good harvest, I will use my transfers to purchase ducks, hoping they will multiply and increase in both number and value. Eventually, I plan to trade the ducks for goats. These goats will also multiply, and I hope to trade them for both male and female cows that can adapt well to the climate changes in our region. With a variety of animals, including ducks, cows, and goats, I aim to create a reliable source of support for my family, especially when this program comes to an end."

"Previously, my goal was to build myself a house, and I am happy to say that it is now complete, thanks to the transfers I received from GiveDirectly. Currently, I am focused on building a sustainable future by owning a herd of goats. Buying goats is quite costly, and I cannot afford it, so to achieve this dream, I plan to use a portion of the transfers I receive from GiveDirectly to buy chickens, hoping they will multiply so that I can trade them for goats. I am optimistic that these goats will also multiply and increase in both number and value, providing me with a reliable source of support for my family, especially when this program comes to an end. I am truly grateful to GiveDirectly for enabling me to have a safe place to sleep and for giving me hope for a better future."

"I have always dreamt of being self-employed and running my own vegetable selling business to create a reliable source of income and be independent. To achieve this, I plan to save money from my various hustles and set aside some of my future transfers that I receive from GiveDirectly. Once I accumulate the necessary funds, I will be ready to start the business, and I am optimistic that with consistent efforts in saving my transfers and reinvesting the profits into the business, it will expand and eventually grow into a shop offering a variety of items that will serve our neighborhood. Additionally, I currently have 15 chicken, and I hope they will multiply, increasing in both number and value. In the future, I plan to sell some of them to buy goats. These goats will also multiply and become valuable assets that I can rely on during emergencies. My goal is that by the end of this program, I will have a solid foundation to help support myself and my family."

"I recently completed a certificate course in electrical engineering, and I’m excited to say that I now have the skills to put my knowledge into practice. Currently I do casual jobs that are in line with my expertise, and I am happy to say that I am sharpening the skills I learned and even learning more. One of my long-standing dreams has been to own my own electrical shop, where I can sell electrical items and create an additional source of income. To help achieve this goal, I decided to venture into chicken rearing. I buy young chickens and nurture them until they mature. Currently, I have 50 chickens, and my plan is to allocate a portion of my transfers that I receive from GiveDirectly to purchase chicken feed and medicine so that they can grow healthy. This way, by the time they are ready for sale, I can sell them at a good price. I intend to use the proceeds from selling the chickens, along with some savings from my casual electrical jobs, to fund my electrical shop. If I find that the money isn’t enough, I will consider investing in two small cows. By nurturing the cows and adding value, I can sell them in the future and use the proceeds to open the business I envision. I plan to start this business in Mombasa, where there is great potential for customers, which I believe will help it thrive. I am excited for my future, and I thank GiveDirectly for giving me this opportunity."

"We have three children who are currently in school, and soon they will be adults. Because our current house is too small for us, I have been saving part of my income to build a new house for them. When I received my most recent income, I allocated $60 to save in a merry-go-round group for this project. Additionally, I spent $14 to pay school fees for my three children, ensuring that they wouldn't be sent home for fee balances. I also purchased $10 worth of food because our house was running low on supplies. The remaining $4 was spent on buying two chickens for my poultry project, which will help us generate additional income. Finally, I spent $14 on clothes because I wanted to look presentable and well-dressed."

"In the coming years, I plan to use some of the transfers to purchase additional chickens and start practicing poultry farming. My hope is that these chickens will multiply and increase in number, allowing me to eventually sell them and use the profits to address pressing needs, such as buying food and paying my children's school fees. This has been a continuous challenge for me. The idea of poultry farming seems promising, especially given the harsh climatic conditions that make crop farming unproductive. I am therefore hopeful that my situation will improve soon because of this support."

"Since I currently do not have a permanent job to rely on, I have struggled to balance providing basic needs for my family and paying my children's school fees. To address this, I came up with a strategy to save for the future by acquiring assets that I can depend on even after GiveDirectly completes its operations in my region. I used $80 to buy two goats and three chickens. I find goat-keeping to be an easy project, as it is common in my village, and these animals survive harsh climatic conditions better than other domestic animals. Also, owning goats is one of the fastest ways to earn money locally. They reproduce and multiply, allowing me to sell them and generate income, which will make providing for my family easier. I was also able to pay $10 for my daughter's school fees, ensuring her studies were not frequently disrupted. Lastly, I spent $13 on food, as there was none left in the house, which has been an ongoing issue. I am thankful that, with the cash, I can now at least have a single meal a day."

"I am a mother of seven, and six of my children are still in school. To support my family, I work as a nursery school teacher employed by the parents, while my husband runs a small kiosk. With the last three transfers amounting to $102, I took careful steps to ensure the money was put to good use. First, I saved $30 in a merry-go-round group, which is helping me accumulate funds to build a new house. The one we live in is old and weak, and I am determined to improve our living conditions. This savings plan gives me hope for a more secure future for my family. Since we didn’t get any harvests last season, I had to prioritize my family’s immediate needs. I spent $38 on food to ensure my children had enough to eat, and $30 went toward paying their school fees. Education is a priority in our family, and I want to ensure all my children stay in school despite the challenges we face. With the remaining $4, I bought a hen, bringing my poultry count to six. These chickens are slowly becoming a small source of income, helping us get by during difficult times."