"We had been living in a small house built with various construction materials as a family of six, just to make a roof for my family. We had been living on my parents' land, which was still being subdivided among the siblings before erecting a semi-permanent structure. I was relieved when I was given my share, and after receiving the first transfer, I went out and bought construction materials, including 30 iron sheets for $10 each, three bags of cement for $20, and building poles for $30. I have not begun construction yet because I need to pay the construction costs and purchase additional materials that are still missing. My husband and I have been doing casual labor for a pittance, barely enough to support our family of six. We agreed to spend a portion of this first transfer on a motorcycle. We were fortunate to obtain a used motorcycle from a neighbor who was selling it after being involved in an accident and being unable to ride it any longer. We agreed to pay in installments, with the first payment of $100. We are currently renovating it before using it to provide transportation services. In addition, I used the remaining funds to buy food for my family to supplement the wages we were receiving from casual labor."

"I am employed as a casual cook at a nearby school where I earn $25 per month. My husband is a motorcycle rider and he gets at least $4 - $5 daily, but since the bike is a hire purchase he has to pay some amount weekly to settle the pending debt. Together we are blessed with two children, but only one is in school at the moment. The house we live in is not in a good condition, the roof is old and leaks during rainy days. Upon receiving the second transfer, we agreed with my husband to have our house renovated thus we spent $300 to buy all the required materials and to pay the mason. We also bought a solar panel for which we only paid a deposit of $50. With the remaining money, I bought some new pairs of school uniforms for my child and other clothes for the entire family. I also replenished foodstuff in the house that would last us for a month."

"I used the funds from the transfers from September to December to either buy food or cover my children' tuition. I'm the father of five primary-aged students who attend school. I operated a "Bodaboda" motorcycle taxi service for the entire four months. Fuel prices during these months reached a record high, which had an impact on our business because few of our clients preferred motorcycles as a mode of transportation. Being unable to provide for my family's needs, particularly their food, made life difficult. I therefore spent a whopping $72 on food for my family over the course of the four-month period. The high spending on food was also attributed to the significant increase in food prices; for example, a 2 kg packet of maize cost $2.5, which was a lot of money. The remaining $56 I had was used to cover my children' tution fees in Mnazimwenga Primary School. My tardiness in paying their school fees frequently had an adverse effect on children. They would frequently be sent home by the headteacher, which had an impact on their ability to focus in class. They hardly ever get sent home, so I'm glad that has gradually changed over the past four months. They now have the chance to put in extensive study time and pass their exam." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)

"I am planning to hire a tractor to assist in farming my piece of land of 10 acres, which is about kshs 50,000. I do subsistence farming for a living and when it is done by casual workers it is time-consuming and very expensive. I am expecting to have a good life, with the good rains I will harvest about 25 bags of maize and beans, of which I will use part of it for consumption while the rest will be for sale. I will therefore open a savings account for my children's school fees. This will help in paying school fees in advance and I am expecting them to have good grades which will be a factor when choosing the best courses to undertake in college education. I am having an additional goal of buying a brand-new motorcycle on loan. It costs kshs 400,000. This is meant for business purposes, especially during online deliveries."

"My house was under construction when I received my most recent transfer. This came as a relief because I had exhausted most of my resources and was considering selling some of my assets. I spent $200 on the first transfer to create a partition in the house, buy doors and windows that were still missing, and settle some labor charges. My children were in tremendous discomfort, especially during the rainy season, because they could not sleep in a leaking grass-thatched hut. My six daughters shared that space, and while it was always cold and moist on the floor due to roof leaks, they were better off than my son, who would move to the neighborhood to find a place to sleep late at night. My husband was involved in a hit-and-run accident caused by a motorcycle rider, and he has been unable to work since then, instead making frequent hospital visits. I have paid $60 for the last two hospital visits. It is a relief, though, because his health has been improving, and I still have a third, and hopefully final, check-up scheduled. I also purchased nine iron sheets for $7 each, which I intend to use to build another small house for my son. In addition, I used a portion of the remaining transfer to purchase household goods, such as utensils and clothing for my seven children, husband, and myself."

"I was on the phone when I received a message that I immediately read and realized was from GiveDirectly. The indicated sender's name matches the description I received from the initial meeting, and the fact that I was not expecting any other money added to my confidence. I was at my regular job in the nearby neighborhood. It did not take long for me to spot my husband, who is a rider, at that point. I informed him of the exciting news. We decided to collect on the same day and take the money home to plan ahead." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)

"My daily profit as a "bodaboda" motorcycle taxi driver is $3 at most. My family's expenses, which include buying food, clothing, and medication, are not enough to be covered by this sum. My wife is unable to assist because she is unemployed. I have not had a good financial situation for the last three months (decrease in customers), so I was unable to purchase clothes for my kids. They could only get by on two pairs of clothes each. When I received my December transfers, I was relieved because I spent $18 on more clothing for them. Since there are many pairs to choose from, I'm glad my wife doesn't struggle to wash clothes every day. I spent the remaining $16 on 5 packets of maize flour, 1 packet of wheat flour, 1 kg of rice, and 1 kg of sugar. We joyfully celebrated and developed relationships with my family members as we feast over the holidays." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)

"Having successfully received the funds from GiveDirectly, I set my mind to finally building a house for myself. It has two bedrooms and a verandah. While this might sound like a small feat to many, it's hard to explain just how big a milestone this is. Numerous recipients in the area have similarly found themselves in a position to have a roof over their heads. Financed, still, from the transfers from GiveDirectly, I then proceeded to buy 2 female goats. These will eventually mate with others, and hopefully, a source of income will emerge as a result. Stocking up on food and repaying my $400 loan were amongst the final purchases I made thanks to GiveDirectly. Working as a scone and bread packager for the last one and a half years at Neema Mill Bakers, it would have been a near-impossible feat for me to service the said loan comfortably. I earn $ 100 per month which is all we have to spread between my stay at home wife, myself and our three month old baby. Little is left for savings. Fortunately, our 7-acre farm produces enough cereals and coconuts for our domestic use. It is evident the immense impact that GiveDirectly has had on our life as a family. Our lives have been transformed for the better." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)

"Since i graduated from secondary school in 2019, i haven't been able to further my studies due to financial crisis. It was always my dream to attend university with the plan to read Accounting with emphasis in Management but there was no support financial. So with the opportunity of receiving unconventional cash from Give Directly, i am saving all my transfers until the entire transfer process is over and use it to go to university." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)

"I felt so happy the moment I received money from GiveDirectly. One of my relatives had already given me a call and he wanted to know if I had received money from GiveDirectly. I checked and confirmed that indeed I had been sent the sum of $550 by GiveDirectly. I made a call to my mother just to check whether she had received hers too and as we conversed I could hear some background noise from other villagers who were already in a celebration mood. The amount of happiness within the entire village was just amazing. To me this was a perfect opportunity to purchase a motorcycle that would greatly help me with mobility as my work required that I move from village to village in search of clients. I am so glad that this dream was made a reality courtesy of GiveDirectly transfers."