"As a man, it has always been important to me to show my respect for my in-laws by paying dowry. I had, however, been unable to achieve this. I was unemployed and therefore had no source of income. Having received this transfer, I spent KES 15,000 to fulfil this wish. I also purchased a bed and a mattress worth KES 13,000, since the one we had was broken. Additionally, I spent KES 4,400 on the purchase of two goats. I plan to sell these later to acquire a calf. I then spent the remaining KES 20,000 on buying foodstuff for the household, to ensure my family has enough food supply since we are expecting a baby."

"I am a house wife ,I engaged mostly in household chores and taking care of cows and goats. My happiest part of the day is in the afternoon when I am done with the chores. I get time to relax and rest and that give me pleasure."

"I spent part of my transfer on buying beddings such as a new bed and mattress at a total of KES 15000. For all those years I have been using the traditional beds made of ropes which were very uncomfortable. I could always complain of back pains. I am glad because this will soon come to an end. Also, I bought pieces of iron sheets, building poles, threads, timber, and nails KES 20000. This was for the construction of a new house because the initial one was very small and in a very poor state. My family is composed of five members and therefore some of my children had to seek shelter at their grandmother's house. I later gave the labor KES 5000. In addition, I cleared school fees (KES 2000) for my two children who are in primary school since they were on and off because of the arrears. To do that I bought one goat that will now serve as the living asset that I can rely on. With the remaining amount of money, I am using it to buying enough foodstuffs for my family that would sustain us for a couple of days"

"Receiving this money means better shelter for me and my family. I have always wanted a decent house where I can comfortably host visitors. My house is only one tiny room. I do not have any privacy since my visitors can see everything in my house. My seven year old daughter will soon need her privacy. My budget for the house is approximately KES 30,000. I will also use the KES 15,000 to buy 4 goats. Goat keeping is a good investment for my future needs especially paying school fees once they increase in number."

"When I received the money message, I was very excited. I felt like the heavens have opened for me and I was sure that my long time life desires were going to be met. Initially, my living condition was very bad. I had desired a good house because the one I was in was unworthy to be called a house instead it was a nest "Kiota". I had no confidence, I felt shame even welcoming a visitor in my homestead. As at now am a happy person since I was able to construct a good iron sheet-roofed house. And I can attest that this is the work of GiveDirectly. The other thing was, I have been yearning for livestock. I used to see them in other households, admiring them inwardly and it was my wish to own them one day. Am happy that this dream has been fulfilled by GiveDirectly and I am now rearing some goats. I am very thankful for the support I received from you."

"The money will meant a lot as I will use it to rehabilitate my house. I stay with my husband and two grandchildren. I depend much on small business such as selling fish, vegetables and sometimes maize. On average I make K12000 ($11.36) a month as profit. I save K5000.00 ($4.56) every month as I am a member of Village Saving Bank in my village. The remaining amount is used to buy relish/food and clothes. I do those business together with my husband. The cash gift will be used to re-roof our house. My house is over 12years. It was constructed using mad and bricks. We roofed the house with iron sheets and in treated timbers. At the moment the timbers that were used to roof the house almost all have been attacked by ants and are not in good condition. I and my husband have tried to save money to rehabilitate from the Village Bank proceeds but each time we have tried, we end up using the money to buy food. We have a 2 acre farm which we usually harvest 750kgs. From the harvest, we reserve 5 bags for the household whilst the rest is shared among my children. Due to that, we usually run out of food. The cash gift, will help me to buy new timbers, nails and bags of cement. I will also buy biscycle and livestock's especially goats. The goats will help me to remember about the cash gift."

"With this money i Will buy food since i dont have any i am depending on buying everyday, i will buy livestocks more especially goats so that when they have increased i can use them to pay fees for my children i don't want them to drop out of school due to fees, i will also rennovate my house which partly fell down during the rainy season and also i will buy bicycle that i will be using to go to my business area because i walk long distance to reach to my business area."

"Receiving this money means good education for our siblings, dowry payment and livestock production. I was married in the year 2014. Up to date, my husband has not yet cleared my dowry payment. My husband will to use 25,000 KES of the first transfer to clear the dowry payment. This will enable us to live in peace without any concern from my parents. We shall then use 30,000 KES of the remaining first transfer to buy 10 goats. We have been longing to be livestock farmers for the past two years. Based on the current weather condition, goats are the best option. They can survive in dry areas. The goats will be our source of income in the future. We shall be selling the goats at an extra profit once they start multiplying. We also have 2 siblings who are in secondary school. Our mother has been struggling alot to pay school fees for them. We are planning to set aside 20,000 KES to support our mother in paying the school fees for our siblings. We are also planning to use 15,000 KES to reinforce our house with pillars. The pillars will ensure durability of our house. Finally,we shall save the remaining amount of money. The savings will help us in tackling any unpredictable problem that will arise."

"Receiving this money means decent housing, livestock production and good education for my children. For the past two years, my fellow wife and I have been living in this house that is in a very bad condition. It is a house that can fall at anytime Incase of very strong winds.This makes us feel insecure to spend our nights in this house. I am planning to use a total of 30,000 KES to construct a house that will be strong and firm. A house that will accomodate us comfortably. I also have a total of 5 children who are school going. One is in secondary school and the other four in primary school. Paying school fees has been a very huge challenge for me. As at now, I have 26,000 KES fee arrears yet to clear. I will also use the money to clear all the school fee balances of my children. I also have a desire in livestock production. I intend to buy 5 goats at a total cost of 15,000 KES. Goats are a very good source of income, in that, you can sell some of them once they increase in number. For the money that will be remaining, I will use it to buy food for our household."

"Words cannot express how happy I was when I finally bought a water tank, we are now assured that the rainwater we will be collecting will not go to waste anymore because I now have a storage tank, I am relieved that this will minimize the number of trips we make to the stream daily, I also started a goat rearing business which I am hopeful that I will be able to earn an extra income from it, on top of that I now have a sofa set where my guest can comfortably sit, GiveDirectly brought hope in our lives and we are grateful for the support that has impacted our lives."