"I have been sheltering in a grass-thatched house for years, during which I had to replace the grass almost every month. My dream was to rebuild my house using more durable iron sheets. I could not afford them but currently, through the monthly transfers, I want to buy at least one iron sheet every month. Having an iron-roofed house will relieve the stress of replacing the roof every time, which is tiresome. My goal is to buy a total of 20 pieces of iron sheets as I continue receiving the transfers."

"We are faced with insatiable needs at the moment from food to debts. Once we sort out the issue of food insecurity, we intend to embark on compound fencing. We have always wanted to fence it to keep at bay the livestock from feeding on the grass on the roof of our kitchen house but it has not been possible because of lack of finance. They usually invade our compound at night when we are asleep and devour the grass on the roof. This has become a thorn in the flesh since it has exposed the roof and we are afraid that it will eventually collapse, it is a big deal to access long grass for roofing and that is our bother. It is for this reason that we intend to use $150 to purchase a barbed for fencing. We also intend to leverage the availability of water and pastures which will be plenty during this time of long rains to buy at least 10 goats to create wealth for future use."

"Receiving this transfers means a lot to my family. My grass-thatched house is old and dilapidated. When it rains it lets in water and also the walls are on the verge of collapsing. I have been pondering when and where to get the money to build a better one. The GiveDirectly transfers could not have come at a better time than this, I see my dream of building a decent house coming to fruition, this is a huge milestone to finally own an iron roofed house. I intend to use $400 for its construction and furnishing. Payment of school fees has been a headache to me too and so I will use the rest of the transfers to pay school fees for my children. It will be a major relief since I have been struggling to pay the fees."

"I currently don't have a house of my own since the one I had collapsed and I have been staying with my children. Therefore the transfers that I received were of great help to me because I got an opportunity to buy roofing sheets in readiness to build the house. I bought the iron sheet worth KES.2000 and added to the ones that I already had and in the next few weeks, I shall have started the construction. I also managed to buy food with the remaining amount of KES. 1470 for my family since getting food was a also another challenge."

"What a great relief to me to have received GiveDirectly to my home! Over the last 7 years, I have been seeking refuge from my son's house because he mostly stays away from home. This has been a period of shifting to my kitchen when they visit us with his wife. Culturally, this is not allowed and I have always felt breaking our "Giriama" norms. Since I have desired to have a separate house, I am now a happy person to be part of the potential beneficiaries. The money will help me to construct a 1-roomed iron-roofed house for myself, which will restore the dignity that I have lost for a long time. This project will cost me utmost $600. The remaining amount will help me to buy food and medicine. Thus, this is generally what receiving this money means to me."

"I have a one-room grass roofed house that accommodate all my family of nine. It is not spacious and lacks privacy. It is hard to dress in the house after taking birth so most of the time my husband and I do it in the bush. I do charcoal burning as my job earning $12 per month. My husband does a casual job at Mombasa earning $30 per month. This money caters to food only. My six children also have a fee balance of $180 at Mrimani primary school. I will use $800 to build a three-room house and equip it with a bed and a mattress. This will improve my living standards. I will also use $180 to clear school fees for the children at Mrimani primary. Thanks to Give Directly for your program."

"I have been living in a three-room house that has no roof for the past year now. The family spends sleepless nights during the rainy season. The nature of my house has caused me to suffer from hypertension even more. I have a family of six members. My husband does casual jobs earning $60 per month. I rarely work due to the hypertension-healthy condition that has affected me for the last year now. I will use $500 to buy 50 pieces of iron sheets, $200 for labor, and $100 to buy other building materials for the house. I will also use $200 to buy food for the family ."

"I am currently constructing a house because the house that I am currently living in is not enough for my family. I also have grown-up children and sharing with them a single-roomed house had been a challenge for me. Therefore a larger part of my transfers worth KES.2800 was spent on buying roofing sheets. The remaining amount of KES .400 and KES. 270 was spent on school fees for my children and food respectively."

"A new house and venturing into livestock keeping are top of my priorities once I receive this money. At the moment, I live in a grass-thatched house together with my family of 5. This house is small and it can not accommodate us. I have desired to construct a decent house but due to financial constraints, this has never been possible. Receiving this money means realizing my dreams. I plan to construct a 2-roomed iron-roofed house to relieve me from the expenses of changing the grass roof. In total, this will cost me utmost $600 of my transfers. The remaining amount will help me to buy 10 goats to act as my long-term investment project. This will along in supporting my children's education in the future. What a happy life!"

"I have been living in a house that is not in good condition ever since my husband passed away a couple of years ago. Because the roof leaks anytime it rains, its walls are weakened. I had longed to construct a new one, but I could not due to a lack of funds. I have been saving money in the merry-go-round since I started getting transfers to amass enough cash to build a new house. I took all my most recent transfers into a merry-go-round to increase my funds. I hope to take my savings, and use them to build a new and spacious house that can accommodate my three school-going children and me."