"Receiving this money will enable me to buy a dairy cow. I am elderly and I rely on my children for money to buy food and to take care of other needs of my home. Having a cow will allow me to sell milk and earn money to sustain my husband and the two children that I live with and reduce our dependency on our sons."

"The major challenge that our area faces is drought and this affects farming. I rely on rain for irrigation since rivers are far and when the rail fails or when I do not time well the planting season, I will end up not doing any farming and this will affect my income."

"The only thing that I can do now given that I am old and less energetic is to have a dairy cow that provides milk for use at home and sale. This is challenging given that getting pasture and water for the animals is tough and the amount of milk that I get fluctuates earning me less money."

"Our area does not sustain agricultural activities due to prolonged drought and persistent diseases that affect the crops that we farm and I am often forced to buy food to supplement the harvest from my farm. This is a continuous cycle and all the money gets exhausted in buying food hence I cannot provide for other needs such as building a better house for my family."

"I am a father of six who primarily depends on mixed farming for livelihood. I currently own three cows with two calves. I am proud of this herd since this is my wealth and it has helped us in milk production for both household consumption and sales. Through milk sales, I have been able to acquire different house items and pay school fees for my children. Receiving this cash transfer to me means expansion of my farm. I am planning to use KES 30000 to buy a cow to add to my herd. Besides being an added asset to us, I foresee milk production on my farm going up. The extra income from milk sales will help me pay my children's school fees and meet other household needs."

"I did my Kenya Secondary School Examination in the year 2012 and managed to score a mean grade of C plan. I never went to college after failing to agree with my late father on the best course to take. Shortly afterward, he passed on. This was the beginning of my misery in life. I forgot about school and went for casual jobs to make ends meet. Since 2015 to date, I have been working broking grocery in different market centers. I have developed a passion for this business since it has made me who I am. I earn approximately KES 300 a day which is a good amount for me. I can eat, shelter, have clothes out of this amount. As time went by, I have wished to run this business alone since I have gained enough experience and created a good working environment with my customer. This has been an unrealized dream since I could not afford the capital. To be receiving this money means a dream come true. I am planning to use KES 50000 to start my own grocery business. I am certain this will boost my daily income. I will be enjoying the whole profits alone in addition to the better working environment. In addition to a stress-free life, I will be able to get married thus bringing up my own family out of the higher profits."

"Financial instability is my current challenge in my family. My husband and I do not have formal jobs to earn a living. Taking care of seven household members with an average of KES 100 is not an easy task. I have daily household needs and children's education which all need money to run. If I had a better financial source, my life would have been better."

"With this money from Givedirectly, i was able to buy cement, bricks and hire contractors to brush my rice and cassava farm. My life is better now than before because with this money, i have been able to start building my new house. Before Givedirectly came in my community, I was living in a family house with my husband and my children. I am happy because my life is now better.Thanks to Givedirectly for making my family life better."

"GiveDirectly is really doing very well for us by improving our livelihood."

"Food insecurity is the biggest challenge in my house. The job I do at the quarry can take me 3 weeks without a pay.This gives me a challenge to have a stock of food in the house.. I am sleeping on a mat without a mattress and the house is very small. My oldest daughter sleeps at the neighbors house- Something which gives me a headache each and every day."