"One morning when I woke up, I saw a message on my phone showing I had received money from GiveDirectly, and I couldn’t believe it at first—I had to read it twice to be sure! I felt this wave of happiness wash over me, and the first thing I did was tell my wife, who broke into a big smile as soon as I shared the news. She was just as excited as I was because, finally, we could begin working on the house we’d been dreaming about for so long. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off our shoulders, and at that moment, we knew things were about to change for the better." (Country: Kenya)

"I woke up that morning and realized my phone had run out of charge, so I plugged it in and switched it on around 9 a.m. That’s when I saw the message—money from GiveDirectly had been sent! I couldn’t believe it; I was so happy. The first thing I did was try to call my wife to share the news, but her phone was off, so I had to wait until I got home. When I finally told her, she lit up with joy. We had already discussed how we’d use any money that came our way—paying the children’s school fees and buying enough food for the house. This was going to make a real difference for us." (Country: Kenya)

"For this year and the years to come, my wish is to get married and have a wedding, and I believe this will be possible if my farming succeeds. I’m hopeful because I’ve already leased land in the Parkera Irrigation Scheme, where I plan to grow maize. The thought of everything coming together fills me with satisfaction and joy, as marriage and family are highly valued and respected in my culture. In our society, staying single is not seen as ideal, and having a family is a sign of honor and respect. That’s why I’m determined to do everything I can to get married and have a wedding, fulfilling this important cultural expectation." (Country: Kenya)

"For this year and the years to come, I am determined to focus on farming and move away from the hand-to-mouth lifestyle of doing odd jobs. I have already leased a farm, and I’m eagerly awaiting the third transfer to fully invest in my farming plans. Farming has always been my dream, but I never had the capital to make it a reality. Thanks to the support I’m receiving, I now have the opportunity to pursue this goal. I believe that farming will provide me with a stable income and allow me to save money for my children's school fees. This marks a significant step toward building a more secure and prosperous future for my family, and I am excited to see these plans come to life." (Country: Kenya)

"In 2020, I had to shut down my retail shop because I simply did not have the finances to support it. That shop was our only source of income, and losing it was really tough for my family. My husband’s job in electrical work helps cover school fees and food, but there’s never anything left to save. Now, with the anticipated transfers coming in, I finally feel a sense of relief. I plan to use KES 40000 to purchase stock for my shop so that I can create an additional income stream for my family of five. I also want to use the remaining funds to construct a kitchen and buy some furniture. I truly believe that reopening my shop will provide us with the financial stability we need, and I am excited about this new opportunity for my family." (Country: Kenya)

"Food is of utmost priority due to the biting drought. We need to sort our immediate food crisis. Spending about $150 will give us food supplies for almost three months. We will buy maize, sugar, cooking oil, beans, tea leaves amongst other essentials. I have children in day school, settling them in school is important. Will spend approximately $200 on their fees. Education will give them a better future, it enables one to get better employment opportunities. My house is also in a bad shape, it's not cemented either. I plan to improve this by repairing it and cementing the floor. It will give us a better living environment due to reduced dust levels. This can cost up to $200. The rest of the transfer will be spent on buying more goats. When they expand, I'll be able to get more milk and additionally more available for sale. Goats multiply fast in this area. They're easy to manage due to the availability of feeds." (Country: Kenya)

"Livestock keeping is the main source of livelihood in our region.Therefore ,I plan to spend this money on buying myself 6 goats at a cost of KES 6000 each.I chose to buy goats because it doesn't require much attention from my side,the cost of taking care of them is lower and I also have several grandchildren who can take care of these goats on my behalf.Furthermore, these goats will serve as a security in terms of food and hospital bills in the future." (Country: Kenya)

"We have a diabetic who son who is in university. We intent to give him hope by meeting his daily medical expenses which is costly. In a month, we spend almost KES 10,000 for his medication alone yet we have other 5 school going children at different levels of learning. This transfer will come in handy in meeting our expenses as a family. Being enrolled into this program has brought a sigh of relief because it will lessen our burden." (Country: Kenya)

"Receiving this money means my family will live comfortably without much strain. For the past years, we have lived in a single house and since my family is growing, having a bigger house is a need. I plan on using the transfers to extend the house to three rooms. I will also do fencing and plant grass which I can sell to earn a living out of it. I am happy because the transfers have come at the time I needed most." (Country: Kenya)

"Receiving the cash transfers means so much to me and my children. For the first cash transfer, I intend to purchase food and clothes. I intend to purchase food by spending KES 10000 and KES 8000 on clothes. For the second cash transfer, I intend to purchase 5 goats using about KES 25000 of the cash transfer. This will be my investment. For the remaining KES 20000 I intend to purchase iron sheets for construction of a house. I intend to use the entire KES 45000 of the third cash transfer to build a house. Building a house is important for me since currently I'm living in a house I borrowed from my parents." (Country: Kenya)