"The biggest difference in my daily life is that I have paid the school fees for my son. My son used to be sent home to collect the school fees. This was affecting his performance since most of the time he was at home. It was so demoralizing and stressful to see him staying at home due to lack of school fees. I spend on casual jobs and small scale farming. The amount of money that I would get through this was so small and could not gather for all the basic needs including the school fees. When I received the transfer I felt so happy because I knew I would clear all the school fees and my son would study well. Currently he is at school and I believe that his performance will improve compare to previous days. I have peace of mind to do other activities at home. I am so happy because were it not GiveDirectly all this could not have happened. I look forward for better days ahead when my son could have clear his studies and join the University."

"I bought two bundle of zinc at the rate of $10,000 Liberian dollars to build my kitchen first. I used portion of the transfer to pay my daughter's in Monrovia school fees. Some of the money was used for my sister burial. The balance money was used to buy food and pay people to cut stakes for my project."

"I have been married for 13 years now. I'm a young stay-at-home mum. My husband works as a mason in Mombasa and as I take care of our 5 children here in the village, I get so bored when they go to school. In June this year, my husband fell ill and it drained our finances. I had to close down my grocery shop so that I could take care of him. Now that he's back to work, I can reopen my business and be productive."

"I have had an eye condition for a long time. When I was doing well financially, I used to seek medical attention in Nairobi. Now that I don't go to clinics anymore, the problem is back and this time worse, I think due to old age as well. When things start looking up, I'll start going for a regular checkup."

"I run a small grocery shop. I have had thoughts of adding stock but finances were the biggest constraint. What I get from the shop is what's used to run the house and what my husband gets from his carpentry business we use to pay school fees for our two children. I will use the first ten transfers to add more commodities like fruits to my business and hope for more clientele. At the moment, I'm just selling traditional vegetables."

"As a widow and an aged one with two children at school, my options for getting an income are limited. To keep them in school, I have been selling poultry and burning charcoal for sale so that they can stay at school. With money from Give Directly, I will be able to pay their fees and at least put food on the table for us. I can think of saving and getting into small businesses like a grocery shop when they finish school in two years."

"As a believer in the power of education, my children have been coming home too often for fees arrears. I feel so helpless as their father because they all look up to me for support. My odd jobs only allow me to make enough for food and nothing else. Much as my family has never condemned me for failing to provide, I am heartbroken every time I think about it and have no means of sending them back to school."

"I wouldn't say I have any challenges. My husband works very hard to provide for us. We get the basic needs and are comfortable except for the shortage of money that forces our children to be out of school every so often. I hope this changes when we start receiving aid from GD."

"I depend on casual jobs at construction sites to take care of my family. These jobs don't come daily and when I get lucky I make 600KES which is not enough to feed a family of 7. As the eldest son in the family, it is also my responsibility to take care of my parents who are elderly. The burden is too much on me and this stresses me a lot most of the time."

"The current drought has made life very difficult, getting food on the farms and water in the streams has become history to my family. These transfers will enable me to buy food and pay someone to help me fetch water without having to walk 2 hours to fetch water with a small baby on my back. Food and water are my first priory until my husband gets a stable job because currently, he depends on casual jobs that are rare to come by."