"I completed my secondary school studies two years ago. However, I am yet to join any institution of higher learning because my parents don't have money to pay for my school fees. College and university fees in Kenya are higher compared to primary and secondary schools. I applied for a medical engineer at a college in the nearest city. I am expected to join in the next 8 months. GiveDirectly transfers are coming at the right time and I will use the money to pay my school fees. I am planning to use 80,000KES to cater for my school fees as prescribed for in the fee structure. I believe that my skills in medical engineering will guarantee me a job. Getting a job will be a great achievement given that with a job, I will definitely earn a salary which will be helpful in meeting my needs and those of my family back home."

"I have always believed that education is the only key to success. I have been struggling to educate my children because of lack of a sustainable income to cater for their school fees. I have been relying on charcoal burning occupation which is energy draining with low returns at the end. I manage to get a maximum of three 90kg bags of charcoal in a month. One bag sells at 800KES meaning I only make 2,400KES a month, an amount that can not sustain my family. Seeing my children home simply because I don't have money to pay their school fees is very painful. I am planning to use the entire GiveDirectly transfer to pay school fees for my children. This will assure my children of enough study time in school which will translate to improved academic performance."

"With the money I earn per month as a primary school teacher, I have been unable to fully sustain my family 12. With 27 years in service as a primary school teacher, I still have nothing to show given the burden of responsibility that has become unbearable. Receiving this money from GiveDirectly means I will be able to supplement my income source with a business. I am planning to start a petrol selling business in the village. My compound is close to our nearest trading center. With a lot of youth engaged in motorcycle riding, I believe this will be the ideal place to start my business. I already constructed a structure in the trading center and this is advantageous in that I won't incur the extra costs of renting a shop. I will save the profits from the business to take my two children to university."

"I have been depending on riding other people's motorcycle taxis whenever I chance upon one but it's getting hard to keep doing this. Currently we don't get enough customers because there are so many riders, but we still have to remit daily returns of 400 KES to a bike owner as per most agreements."

"As a housewife I have been fully depending on my husband for everything financial. This isn't healthy and right now I'm planning to train in hairdressing with the money I'll get so that I can also support my him. I would also like to purchase some equipment that are necessary to set up my own salon when I'm done. Of late my husband has been unable to effectively pay school fees for our five children who are in grade school estimated at 1500 KES each per academic term."

"For a long time I have been longing to venture into real estate, but I haven't been able to get enough resources for initial capital. Right now with the government's plans under way to launch a new high school next to our shopping centre, I think I'm going to accomplish this. I already have four units of a rental structure that earns me about 4000 KES per month. As this plan rolls out the market is definitely going to surge and so I'm looking to tap in by creating ten more units in readiness."

"I have been surviving mostly on cow milk when I do not have food, and also trading on it to buy other things I need. But I personally do not have cattle of my own and have been just keeping other people's under some local arrangements where I'm suppose to look after them and get such benefits. I feel this is something I would love to do and so I'm going to buy my own. This way I can still benefit while the animals are also store of wealth that I can resell when need be."

"My parents did not take me to school because of a lack of money. I used to remain behind to look after livestock when other children were going to school. I promised to work hard so that my children will not go through the same fate as I did. I am a father of 9 children, 6 of them dropped out of school due to lack of finances. It sadness seeing them out of school with little to do to help them and this is why I plan to make sure that the remaining 3 children get the best education with the money that I will be getting from GD for the next five years."

"I am 29 years old and at my age, I still do not have a house. It lowers my self-esteem when my age mates have houses and some even have families. Since I have a bank account it will help me in saving the money, I will be channeling the money directly to my account for one year and then start buying building materials thereafter."

"I used to be in college studying mechanics unfortunately, I had to drop due to a lack of fees. I have wasted one year outside and this stresses me mostly because I am not sure whether I will get money and go back or this is the end of me with education."