"I'm a tailor by profession and I own a small shop in my village. My business has been down for a while because I have been operating on very low stock and I lacked capital to bring it to capacity .I put in 30000kshs of the transfers I received into buying new materials which I intend to sell at a profit in the shop. This will improve my income greatly as compared to before. With the rest of the amount, I bought roofing sheets and pillars so as to upgrade my house from a run down shack to a decent mud thatched 4-roomed one.I am grateful to Give Directly for uplifting my business and my whole life." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)

"I used the entire amount to buy a second hand motorcycle. When I received my first transfer, I bought a saw milling machine with it. This is a business idea that had always been in my mind but I had never acquired the neccesary capital to start the business. I worked as a butcher before receiving the transfer but I worked as an employee in the said butchery. Having bought the saw milling machine, I was faced with yet another challenge of transporting it to places where work was available. I often spent a lot in transport which could end up to losses or making very little income from my new business. It is for this reason that I decided to buy a second hand motorcycle that would help me a lot in travelling around the village and other areas to do this business. I am so grateful to GiveDirectly fir making my dream a reality and I am equally very hopeful and optimistic that my business shall thrive going forward."

"I used KES 30000 to buy livestock and used the remaining amount to buy paints that were used in finishing up our newly built house. I also used Kes 10000 to pay school fees for my two children who are in their secondary level of studies. I am so much happy that with GiveDirectly transfers I have after a long time been able to clear school fees for my children and be sure to have my children staying in school all year round without them being sent home for school fees. The livestock that I bought were a savings plan that will help me pay their school fees in the near future too.It has always been my desire to give the best in terms of education to my children with the hope that they will do better and have better living standards. I am a mother of five and my husband works as a motorcycle operater to raise school fees." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)

"I spend my recent transfer on buying zinc and mattress." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)

"In my opinion, GiveDirectly did well in helping the poor household in our community with a cash transfer program. In addition, it was unconditional giving the right for the individual household to decide based on their preferences to better their living conditions. Through the transfers, our lives have improved greatly in the village something that we are grateful to achieve. With all this, there is nothing that the organization did not do well." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)

"I am thrilled that GiveDirectly has done well for me. Initially, I did not have any defined source of income but now I have a grocery shop which is a gift from GiveDirectly. I am optimistic that, through the small savings from the business I will accomplish my goal of fixing a water tap at my home. I can confidently confess that, if it were not for GiveDirectly I would not have accomplished owning this income-generating activity." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)

"In the region where we live, we have been experiencing a recurrent drought, a situation that subjects a whole community to hardship. As a result, few opt to do crop farming. Occasionally, we lose our livestock as a result of prolonged drought. Unfortunately, I do not have any source of income. My husband solely does motorcycle taxi that have been affected by a hike in fuel prices. As a family, we have to bear with such a difficult situation, more so, before I began receiving my transfer. When I received my recent transfer, I did not have money or food. I, therefore, spent KES 1,200 on buying maize flour and vegetables. At least, I was able to get meals for some consecutive days. It has relieved me from the pain of missing meals, a situation that made my family members to lose weight."

"I was at my house selling my market at the time i heard my phone vibrating only to check it was give directly message that I've received my money, and at that moment I was glad and happy, because I know it will help me change my life." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)

"Since our area has a shortage of vegetables, I have a goal of starting a grocery once I get some money. By so doing, I am confident of making good sales because most people walk a long distance in search of the same. To achieve this goal, I started a "bodaboda" business of ferrying light luggage and people from one place to another using my motorbike." (Occupation: Motorcycle or bicycle taxi)

"My son was involved in an unfortunate motorcycle accident and was badly hurt. He needed urgent medical attention and I spent 25000kshs to cater for his treatment. I then bought 12 iron roofing sheets to complete the building project that I had started with my previous transfers. In addition to that, I cleared school fees for my son who is in grade 6 and bought piping material to install tap water into my compound . I also bought 5 more chairs for my own home use and whatever was left was spent on food for my family."