"My ambition is to take my daughter to college upon receiving this money. She completed the form four years ago, due to financial issues I wasn't able to take her for further studies. Therefore I will use eighty-five thousand Kenya shillings to take her to college and to make sure I have cleared the fees of the two years, the remaining amount to invest in farming so that I can get enough yield that can sustain me until the next season."

"My husband died forty years ago after suffering from Myalgia(muscle ache and pain) and left me with four children. In all that time I have been struggling to feed my kids through burning charcoal and subsistence farming. Two years ago I was diagnosed with an eye complication that persisted until now which has rendered me from doing my normal work to earn a living. This saddens me because of the grandchild that I live with needs to be taken care of."

"It was around 9am when I was just sitting at home meditating where I could go to get something to do so that I earn some money; I received a message in my phone. When I looked at it, it was the first transfer from GiveDirectly. I ululated in happiness since I didn’t expect such a message at my lowest moment."

"At around 10am when I was preparing some tea, I received a message and it wasn’t just a message like the ones I usually receive. This was a good news message confirming that I had received the transfer of KES 55000.00 from GiveDirectly. I felt happy such that, I walked out of the kitchen and informed the other family members who were registered to check their phones too."

"It was around 8am when I heard my phone vibrating. Since I do not know how to read and write, I called my helper to read and interpret the message for me. What a lovely start of the day! The message was good news that I had received KES 55000.00 from GiveDirectly. My heart melted in joy and appreciation since I couldn’t even dream of getting such amount of money at once."

"As I was on my way from making charcoal in the field, I received a message in my phone. Since I do not know how to read I didn’t bother till I reached home is when I asked my children to check what the message was all about. In appreciation I received the wonderful message from GiveDirectly about the first transfer. I was excited and thankful for the support which I didn’t think it would happen to me."

"Initially I relied on making and selling charcoal which is a tiresome business to do. The most challenging thing was getting the client to buy the charcoals because charcoals were almost everywhere. Sometimes I used to sleep hungry for not selling even a single sack and this situation left me desiring this without managing to accomplish them. But since the time I received money from GiveDirectly, I have been able to do the things that I have desired for a while. I was able to construct a house and now we are living in a good spacious house not as before."

"The first thing I settled was a college issue that was depriving me of my peace. I have one of my children who is supposed to join college but due to lack of money the issue was giving me sleepless nights. Hence, I took KES 30000.00 and kept it for him as he awaits the reporting date. Thereafter, I took KES 10000.00 and paid for another college child who is finalizing his course this semester. Having settled the two issues that were giving me some headache, I used the remaining amount in food and buying seeds and some fertilizers."

"Before GiveDirectly came in to my life, I was living from hand to mouth. Whatever I was getting was for food and school fees yet it wasn’t sufficient but I had no alternative rather than dividing it into two. My children and I were living in the same house with was not a pleasing thing due to lack of privacy and respect. Earlier on I had started a project of building a separate house for them but I was stuck due to lack of money. The biggest difference that GiveDirectly brought into my life is enabling me pay school fees for my children as well as completing their house. As at now they are comfortably living in their own house and we are in our own house too. This act has restored privacy in our live as well as respect."